A Lamb For The Sacrifice
And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father”: and he said, “Here am I, my son”. And he said, “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Genesis 22:7
One chief underlying principle in religion is that sacrifices are made for the atonement of sin. “In fact, under the Law, almost everything is purified by means of blood and without the shedding of blood there is neither release from sin and its guilt, nor the remission of the due and merited punishment for sins.” (Heb 9:22)
One day, Abraham heard the voice of God command him to sacrifice his only promised son. It was an extreme test. He rose up early with Isaac, his son, and journeyed to Mt Moriah. As they ascended, Isaac said, “My father, behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” To which Abraham then replied in faith, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” When they came to the place God had told him of, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood in order; bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Gen 22:7-10)
But having seen Abraham’s reverence and high regard for His word, God ended the test, saying, “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” When Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns, he offered it as a sacrifice instead of his son. Then he called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh, The-Lord-Will-Provide.
According to the Apostle Paul, that act of faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness (Rom 4:3, Gal 3:6). Abraham believed God, and having believed and obeyed, the scripture testifies that that act of faith, exhibited by his obedience, was counted to him as righteousness. So then, as promised, “God provided Himself a lamb” for the sacrifice. This is a type and foreshadowing of the plan enacted by the Heavenly Father and the Eternal Son to secure redemption for all mankind.
If Abraham received righteousness for his faith, let us recognize the great extent to which the obedience of Jesus has purchased an incalculable fortune of righteousness. God provided Himself a lamb for the sacrifice, and we are made the beneficiaries of his atonement. He descended into death and ascended to the highest heaven, securing redemption through His blood and making us partakers of His righteousness.
Read: Genesis 22:1-19, Hebrews 9:18-28,
Listen: Jireh
Oh, what a great salvation the Lord Himself has provided! For more on this topic, read Hebrews 2:9-17 , which in part says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”