DEEPER LIF SEARCH THE SCRIPTURE
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURE by Pastor Kumuyi of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry for today is here. Digest the word of the lord and pray believing.
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LESSON 14
TOPIC: GOD TESTS
ABRAHAM
MEMORY VERSE: "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2).
TEXT: Genesis 22:1-24;
23:1-20
Tests and trials are
instruments God uses to determine the strength and genuineness of our faith. It
has always been a medium of evaluation to prove the authenticity of our claims
on God. Spiritual tests have severally been used to determine the transparency,
truthfulness, faithfulness and commitment of God's people to do His will. The
Lord has, on purpose, used tests to demand an unusual sacrifice from Abraham
(Genesis 22: 1); lead Israel in a difficult way through the wilderness to the
Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:2); determine Solomon's heart disposition in his
personal request or choice (1 Kings 3:5); propose a hard task in order to test
the faith of His disciples (John 6:5,6); permit His disciples to go through
persecution and suffering when in the pathway of duty (Acts 16:23); allow
diverse temptations and trials (James 1:2,3); and prove the condition of the
heart of His people (Exodus 20:20). Here, God tried Abraham, not to lead him to
sin, but to discover the quality, strength and genuineness of his faith and
love for Him. God gives man the freedom of choice and action. As a free moral
agent, Abraham had the choice to reject or accept God's request. Man is solely
responsible for all his actions whether they are good or evil. The word of God
says, "See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and
evil. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that
both thou and thy seed may live” (Deuteronomy 30:15,19)
COMMAND TO OFFER ISAAC AND ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE (Genesis 22:1-10; 18:19; Deuteronomy 8:1-3,
16; Isaiah 48: 18; Hebrews 11:17-19)
In spite of the
testimony of God concerning Abraham previously (Genesis 18: 18, 19), He still
commanded him to offer as a sacrifice, the dearest possession he had his only
son. No reason was given and no alternative was demanded, yet God's promise to
Abraham was that in Isaac shall his seed be called. God was to prove what was
in Abraham's heart through this test. Recall that Abraham had, in his previous
dealings with God, been consistent in obedience. In his first encounter with
the Lord when he was asked to move out from his kinsmen into an unknown land,
he obeyed without hesitation (Genesis 12:1). Then there was strife between his
herdsmen and Lot's and he chose the humble path and allowed Lot to make the
first choice. The Lord seemed to have been training him in the path of obedience.
This time, it was a higher test that demanded higher commitment and
yieldedness, especially considering his challenge of delay in child-bearing.
But again, he acquitted himself in an unquestioning obedience to God's express
command. We have a lot to learn from our father in the faith. God allows us to
face difficulties and challenges sometimes to confirm our love for Him and lift
us to greatness. Abraham journeyed for three days to the land of Moriah, the
place God had chosen for the sacrifice. He had all the time to think over his
action but he did not allow human reasoning or the opinion of others to prevent
him from obeying God. The reality of losing his only son if he obeyed God or
the annulment of the covenant He made with him loomed large on him, yet he
walked by faith and overcame all the suggestions to disobey God. He did not
allow the emotional attachment to Isaac or the consideration of Sarah to deter
him. Such uncompromising and resolute stance on matters of obedience to God is
exemplary. Abiding faith weathers every storm and in the end, enjoys the sweet
savour of victory in the battles of life. We must strictly watch out against
those who persuade us to take easy but ungodly ways to solve our problems or to
success in life. Sometimes, God's way may be the hard way, but it will always
end in blessings. On getting to the place of sacrifice which the Lord had
showed Abraham, Isaac posed a daunting question to his father: "...he
said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering?" (Genesis 22:7). Abraham's response provides a window into the
state of his mind and the level of his faith. He said, "God will provide
himself a lamb for a burnt offering...". This is to say, first, he was
unfazed at the prospect of losing his beloved son. He knew God who gave had the
right to take or bring back to life again (Hebrews 11:19). Second, he believed
in the sovereignty and integrity of the almighty God, that He would not make an
unreasonable demand. Third, he had faith that his sacrifice would turn out to
be a blessing. Fourth, he was goaded on by a feeling of assurance that there
might be a last-minute miracle of divine provision for the sacrifice. Fifth, as
a prophet, he foresaw that both of them would return to his servants even though
he did not know how this would happen. He had told them: "...Abide ye here
with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to
you* (Genesis 22:5). Sixth, his action speaks volumes about his readiness to
lose the child in order to gain the Lord’s favour. Seventh, he had reached a
point of no-going back in his walk with God. Abraham's test of obedience
provides some further lessons for believers. One, God wanted to know if he
valued the gift more than the Giver. Isaac was the most precious gift Abraham
had having waited for his birth for more than twenty years and with Ishmael
already sent away with his mother. Two, it was a test of his consecration and
readiness to surrender all no matter how precious for the sake of heaven. Three,
as his only son, Abraham's sacrifice prefigured our heavenly Father's gift of
His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to be the Lamb, the Sacrifice whose blood
atoned for the sins of mankind. Abraham's obedience and sacrifice paid eternal
benefits as God commended him.
COMMENDATION OF ABRAHAM'S OBEDIENCE AND COMMITMENT (Genesis 22:11-19; Galatians 3:9-19; Psalm
31:23; 1 Corinthians 4:2; Revelation 2: 10)
The Lord's response,
as soon as it was established that Abraham remained true to his commitment,
showed that the Lord only wanted to test his faith. And, having passed the
divine test, He said, "...now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me" (Genesis 22:12). God
said, "now I know", not because He did not know, but He meant that
Abraham had now shown substantial evidence. His action of faith and total
surrender earned God's commendation and blessings. The faithfulness of Abraham
and his trust in God was rewarded first by the provision of a ram as an alternative
for the sacrifice. The lamb symbolises Christ as the substitute for all men. He
died in our place so that we may be free from eternal death and hell if we
accept Him as our Saviour (Isaiah 53:4-12; Matthew 20:28; John 6:51; Romans
4:25). Christ's death was our discharge from damnation. As a result of
Abraham's obedience, God said: one, in blessing, He would bless Abraham.
Obedience to God attracts divine blessings. Two, Abraham's descendants would be
as the stars of heaven and the sand by the seashore for multitude. Three,
Israel would overcome their enemies by possessing their gates. It is on record
that many nations have attempted to wipe out Israel but have always failed.
Four, through Abraham, humanity shall be blessed. The Messiah who would be the
Saviour of the world shall come through his loins (Galatians 3:16). After this
divine encounter, good news of the blessing of Abraham's younger brother,
Nahor, reached him as though he (Nahor) had also had some delay in having
children. In all, it was cheering news for Abraham and his extended household.
Abraham's son, Isaac would later marry Rebekah, Nahor's grand-daughter.
DEATH OF SARAH AND ABRAHAM'S COMPORTMENT (Genesis 23:1-20; Romans 6:23; Psalm 90: 12;
Ecclesiastes 3:1,2; 8:8; Numbers 23:10; Revelation 14: 13; Hebrews 9:27)
Physical death, the
temporal end of all humans, eventually came to Sarah, Abraharn's wife.
Obviously, she had finished her course on earth as she passed away at a very
advanced age of one hundred and twenty-seven years. Abraham and his wife served
the Lord together when they left Ur of the Chaldees in obedience to God's call.
Abraham could not have succeeded and be called the father of the faithful
without his wife's support. Mother Sarah was homely, hospitable and a help meet
for Abraham (Genesis 2:18). She was an example of godliness for all women of
faith and an example of scriptural submission in the home. "Even as Sara
obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do
well, and are not afraid with any amazement" (1 Peter 3:6). With her
husband, they entertained angels unawares. Sarah's death was a test case for
Abraham but he handled the situation maturely. The affection he had for her
could be seen in the way he mourned her passage. But he overcame the grief and
gave his wife a befitting burial. The inhabitants of Hebron agreed to give him
a burial place because of the great respect they had for him and his behaviour
among them (Genesis 23:5,6). A believer's conduct among unbelievers must be one
without reproach (Matthew 5:16). Burial time should be a period of sober
reflection on the brevity of life and the eternal destiny that it ushers in.
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). The righteous have a glorious end while the
unrighteous shall suffer throughout eternity (Matthew 25:46). Everyone should
prepare for this inevitable end by turning way from their sins and believing in
Jesus Christ as Lord personal Saviour. Afterwards, we should live holy lives every
day in preparation to meet the Lord.
Questions for review:
1 . What is the
implication of Abraham's test to believer?
2. Why does God
allow us to face difficulties and challenges of life?
3. How can we
describe Abraham's level of faith?
4. What is the best
evidence of our fear and reverence for God?
5. What are the
rewards of Abraham's obedience?
6. How should a
believer prepare for death?
7. How did Abraham
handle his wife's death?