Do what now?

Genesis 22:8
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Abraham was asked by God to bring his only son up the mountain and lay him on the altar for a sacrifice. Abraham had begged God for a son for years. He loved his son. He cherished him and expected that through him all of the world would be blessed. So when God said to bring Isaac to Me as a sacrifice, Abraham must have been devastated. He must have asked the questions in his mind, “Why Isaac? Why would you ask this of me? How can I do this? What will I tell my son?” Outwardly, however, he acted.

Some say it was Abraham’s great faith in God that enabled him to respond with a “Yes.” Some may say it was fear. They say that Abraham knew he had to obey God or else. I don’t claim to know why Abraham said okay to this “unreasonable” assignment; I just know he did.

The parallels in the story of Abraham and Isaac and God and Jesus are way too obvious. Abraham, the father of many nations, has one son. God, the creator of all nations, has one Son. Abraham is told that God will bless all nations through his son Isaac. God tells us that all nations will be blessed through His Son, Jesus. Isaac was innocent. Jesus was innocent. Isaac was forced to carry the wood for the fire and sacrifice up the mountain on his back. Jesus was forced to carry the wooden altar, His cross, up the mountain on His back. It’s just too clear of a connection, there has to be something more.

What’s missing from this story? Grace! Where is the grace that is a representation of Jesus? It’s not found in Isaac. It’s not found in Abraham. It’s not in the wood, the mountain, or the altar. The Grace of Jesus can only be found outside of the works of man. Abraham was faithful to the word of God. He was willing to do whatever God asked; however, God wasn’t looking only for obedience, but for the chance to provide His grace. Had God not provided a ram in the bushes, Abraham would have received God’s blessings for the works of his hands. This would be contrary to the entire message of Jesus’ mission and ultimate crucifixion.

The Bible says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6 It also says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

God had to put His grace into the story. Without God’s grace, Abraham would have sacrificed his son that day. If the ram hadn’t been there, Abraham would have worked his way into good standing with God and set the pattern for all of society in the future. Without God’s grace, we would live under a different set of rules. We would be constantly working and striving to prove our faithfulness and worth to God. We would be constantly straining to gain His blessings. We would be so focused on OUR works that we would forget to do His work! So God provided a Ram. He made acceptance so easy for us that we’d forget about working for it and focus on working for Him.

It seems that the ram is always the aside to this story. It’s always a footnote at the end. “Oh--and uh--God provided a ram in the bushes. See, God will provide for you too, if you’re faithful! If you do what God asks of you, He’ll provide for you.” NO! That’s not the point. The point of the story IS the Ram! The Ram is Jesus. Jesus is the entire reason for everything. Jesus is the sacrifice that is greater then all of our works and faithfulness. He is greater. Jesus is the Grace of God that was provided. He’s not the result of faithfulness, He’s the fulfillment of it!