Read Gen. 22:10-18
Isaiah 53 is the chapter about the suffering servant, Jesus. In verse 7 it says that he was led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. This was a picture of Isaac, who was a type of Jesus. He willingly allowed his father to lay him on top of the wood and tie him down. Unlike on the cross, God stopped Abraham’s hand from killing him and provided a ram. Abraham passed the test and so did Isaac. They both trusted their father to know what was best. The ram was also a picture of Jesus. We deserve to die for our sins like Isaac, but Jesus became the ram that took our place. What a story of redemption. Abraham called the place Jehovah-Jireh which means “God will see to it, or God will provide”. Then Abraham was given the reward for passing his test: God promised to bless him and multiply his seed to be as many as the stars in the heaven and the sand of the sea - innumerable. Also, his seed will possess the gates of his enemies and through them all the nations of the earth will be blessed. If you know anything about the Jewish heritage you know that the greatest minds have come from them - ex. Einstein, Spillberg, Gershwin, Chagall. They have won Nobel prizes in chemistry, economics, literature, medicine, peace, and physics. They have blessed the world with their God-given gifts and talents. Abraham didn’t get to see all this in his life-time but I’m sure he is a member of the “crowd of witnesses” Hebrews 12:1 talks about. He is watching his blessing play out on the earth.
Lord, help us to realize that we are living our lives in front of a whole crowd of heavenly witnesses who are cheering us on to victory. Remind us that our lives are of eternal value and what we do does matter in the kingdom. May we glorify you with our lives.
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