Jehovah Jireh – He Will Provide

Jehovah Jireh – He Will Provide

>>> Read Genesis 22>>>

 

I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore… through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.     Gen. 22:17-18

 

Faithful, faithful to the end; my true and precious Friend; You have been faithful, so faithful to me. This is the chorus to a song recorded by Selah and it speaks to the heart of anyone who knows God as Abraham came to know Him. If Abraham was alive today, I believe he could sing the first verse of the song: I find no hope within to call my own, for I am frail of heart, my strength is gone; but deep within my soul is rising up a song, here in the comfort of the Faithful One. Abraham learned to know the frailty of his own heart and the comfort of the Faithful One.

 

To understand the heart of God and all He has planned – for yourself as well as for time and eternity – you must be familiar with the promises and blessings bestowed upon Abraham. The foundation of the entire Bible rests on the blessings that God promised to Abraham.  First, God gave him earthly promises, which include land as an everlasting possession for his offspring, and seed numbered as the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:6; 22:14). According to these promises, many nations and kings would come from Abraham's earthly offspring, but one nation, Israel, would be a great nation belonging to God.

 

Secondly, God gave heavenly (spiritual) promises to Abraham – his spiritual seed would be numbered like the stars of heaven. Not only does Abraham's physical seed lead to the human Savior, but Abraham obtained the righteousness of God through faith. Everyone who exercises faith like his becomes his spiritual seed. 

 

Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.         Gal. 3:7-9

 

Abraham lived in tents which are temporary structures having no foundation. His tents show us that he had no roots tying him to the earth – he was only a pilgrim passing through the world – his friendship was with God, not with the world. (James 4:4).  By faith Abraham was able to look forward to that heavenly city whose architect and builder is God (Heb. 11:10-16).

 

Abraham was weak, as all mankind is, but he knew the place of strength as demonstrated by the altars he built throughout his life. These altars spoke of Jehovah (God in relationship with man) and El Elyon (possessor or heaven and earth). They spoke of God's revelation to Abraham, and of Abraham's humble response. Abraham's last altar speaks louder than all the others for it was the altar he built when God told Him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. For Abraham, this was the test of all tests and the defining moment of his faith. It was the place where God revealed Himself as Jehovah Jireh (the Lord will provide).

 

What did God provide for Abraham's last altar? He provided a substitute, a ram, to take the place of Isaac as the sacrifice. In the ram, we see the substitute that God supplied for our redemption. In Isaac, we see a picture (a type) of the Son of God yielding to His Father's will – laying down His life for you and me. Jesus said I lay down my life… No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord … This command I received from my Father (John 10:17-18).

 

Isaac was a youth when Abraham took him to Mt. Moriah – he was old enough to know what his father was planning to do.  He did not resist, instead he submitted to his father. Isaac introduces us to the concept of sonship.  As the incarnate Son, Christ lived for His father's pleasure and satisfaction, and then gave Himself willingly as the sacrifice for our sins. He was born as a little child, but he developed into a mature son through obedience to His Father. It was the mature Son who submitted to the Father as the offering for sin. (For more on 'Sonship' see Gal. 4:7, Eph. 4:13, Ro 8:14, Heb. 12:7)

 

We are saved to become mature sons and daughters before the Father. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23).  For us the daily cross is submission to the Father. How do we do that? It's so hard! We do it through resurrection power – and we see this power working in Isaac. He is bound and placed on the altar, the knife is raised – Isaac is as good as dead as far as the type goes. Then he is freed from his bindings and given back to his father – this is resurrection! Resurrection is the key to growth into a mature believer. In Abraham we see the difficulties of the maturing process; in Isaac we meet Jehovah Jireh who provides everything we will need to overcome the flesh, the devil and the world so that we can grow into a mature relationship with our Father. Resurrection is the key to life and godliness for every believer. The risen Lord Jesus gives us His Spirit, the Spirit of resurrection; therefore we can sing I am frail of heart, my strength is gone; But deep within my soul is rising up a song, here in the comfort of the Faithful One.  His faithfulness, His power, His desire to have us – we can see it all in the lives of Abraham and Isaac.  Enjoy Him!         LJ 2/10