God Will Provide the Lamb

4/2/10 Gen. 22:8, 13

Time Spent: 25 minutes

Main Idea: God does indeed provide the lamb!

What I learned about God: He is faithful in His providence

Summary: A small nuance of this story notes that when Isaac asks his father Abraham where is the burnt offering, Abraham responds "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering". This becomes significant because in v. 13 it is not a lamb that was provided, but a ram. We surely know that on this very day on Good Friday, God did indeed provide for Himself the lamb: Jesus Christ. Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac, the seed of the promise; but withheld and sacrificed His own Son, Jesus Christ. Surely on this mount it was provided! Soli deo gloria!

Application: I watched "Clash of the Titans" yesterday and one of the lines noted Zeus saying, "I wanted people to worship and love me again, but not at the expense of my son", to which I gaffed. What this story fails to realize is that grace would be cheap if it cost you nothing. If you try to give your girlfriend a gift that did not cost you anything or take anytime or consideration, she would probably feel belittled and angered at your attempt to be romantic. Thus, we know that our God loves us dearly because He gives us a COSTLY grace in His son; giving Him up so that we may have life in Him. Diestrich Bonhoffer notes this ideal as costly grace and compares it to people that state, "A God that sends people to hell cannot be a loving God. Surely everyone must be saved!" Bonhoffer notes that he has a more loving God than that universalist, because the God that just accepts EVERYBODY does it at no cost to Himself. Surely the true God exemplifies sacrificial love in command and deed: through the sending of His very own son.

How do I apply this text? Number 1, tell friends not to watch "Clash of the Titans". Number 2, through this QT, I shared the Gospel to myself and will sing a couple songs on my guitar, meditating on the cross. Today is a Good Friday : ).