Yes, Lord

DEVOTION

GENESIS

YES, LORD

Gen 22:6-14

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied. 12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."

NIV

If this is not a picture of God providing for our salvation through Jesus it is not a picture at all. We see Isaac as Christ. He carried the wood upon which he was to be the sacrifice. Jesus carried the wooden cross upon which he would be the sacrifice for our sin. Isaac is referred to as Abraham’s only son, whom he loves. Jesus is the only Son of God, whom he loves. Isaac asks Abraham, Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Jesus is the Lamb of God. In response, Abraham tells Isaac, “God himself will provide the lamb.” This is so prophetic for God did provide the Lamb, he sent his Son, his only Son, the Lamb of God to provide a way for us to be forgiven, cleansed and made righteous in the eyes of God, to be justified, sanctified, saved, born again, filled with the Spirit and made a citizen of the kingdom of God. This is by far the greatest truth we will ever find. This is the whole of the gospel all wrapped up for us in this picture. Our salvation is incredible. The fact God loves us so much that he came in the flesh to be a human and experience life as he created us to experience life and felt all the emotions, all the physical and the spiritual aspects of the human experience, with exception of course of marriage. Yet in some sense he was married to mankind, we being the bride of Christ, and he being the bridegroom. But the point of his being the sacrifice for our sin, Christ, dying for us, is almost too much to understand. It is overwhelming that God loves us that much and does not want us to perish, but have everlasting life. Although this is the greatest truth ever told to us and that we should never take this truth for granted, there is another truth within this text which also bears some thought. When Abraham and Isaac arrived at the place of offering and built the altar and put the wood upon it, Abraham bound Isaac and put him upon the altar. How old was Isaac? He was old and strong enough to carry the wood up the mountain and Abraham was well over the age of one hundred. Certainly Isaac could have overpowered his father, but he did not. Isaac willingly allowed his father the bind him and put him on the altar. We take about the faith of Abraham a lot, but this also shows us the faith of Isaac. He believed that God would provide a lamb for the burnt offering yet there he was on the altar at the hands of his father. What must he have been thinking at the very moment, especially when he saw his father reach for the knife? Perhaps he thought his father was going to free his bonds and they would go hunting for a lamb. Perhaps he thought he was indeed going to be the sacrifice and that his father was going to kill him. If that was the case, he remained silent, as Christ remained silent in his crucifixion, allowing his Father to fulfill what needed to be done. He did this even when he, like Isaac, had the power to save himself. Yet there is also one more truth for us in this narrative. It is within the words of the Lord.  

“Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

Abraham was willing to give up his son for God. Are we willing to give up anything, everything for God? This does not mean we have to give it up, as God stopped Abraham before he did anything that would actually harm Isaac. But he was willing. God does require us to give up our former life. He may ask us to give up other things as well. But the point is are we willing to give them up? That may be the only reason for him to ask us. To see if we are truly willing to leave something behind, or actually give something to him. We might cling too tightly to things, even to people whom we love so dearly. God wants to be first in our lives above everything and everyone. Yes, he tells us to love each other, and he gives us explicate instructions on our responsibilities as husbands, wives, fathers, mothers and children. But he also tells us the greatest or most important command:

Matt 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

NIV

This means we put God first and everything and everyone second. We need to make sure we are always willing to respond, “Yes, Lord” whenever he asks anything of us.