18 KEY LESSONS OF GENESIS 22 (5)
18 KEY LESSONS OF GENESIS 22 (5)
Lesson 9: He took also a knife (Gen 22:6): Have you ever attended a birthday celebration and when it was the time to cut the birthday cake, the celebrant or close friends were looking for a knife. Many had cut their birthday cake with spoon or wood, no cutter in sight; it is embarrassing. But not Abraham, he was adequately prepared and ready to fulfil God’s instruction; he did not leave any stone unturned. To process God’s instructions, you need sound wisdom, knowledge and understanding; many have misinterpreted God’s dreams and visions to their own detriment.
When a man of God was praying unto God why He (God) did not tell him plainly was He shown him in a dream, God answered and said to him, “I have never given birth to a foolish child.” To understand God’s instructions in dreams, visions or revelations, we must be equipped with sound wisdom (2 Timothy 1:7). In addition to sound wisdom, are you keeping the Sword of the Spirit? You must likewise equip yourself with the Spirit of God, for perilous times are here already. It is suicidal for you not to have a defense in the time of battle.
Having a knife can also mean having your thinking cap on, many have turned Christianity upside down. Never foolishly think you can be blessed without no job that you are doing? There is no amount of time you spend carrying out spiritual exercises without corresponding job that we put food on your table. Go out and do something, provide food for your household. In Luke 22:36, Jesus said to His disciples, “and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.” When Jesus was with them He knew the disciples would need nothing (See Luke 22:35) but at a later time when He is no longer with them, they will need provision. So the disciples would need certain provisions, including a knife for preparation of food, cutting wood for fuel, and possibly to fend off robbers for which the area was noted. So, once Jesus' ordeal was over, they should make sure they each had a knife.
Lesson 10: Where is the lamb for a burnt offering? (Gen 22:7): Burnt offering is one of the oldest and most common offerings in history. The first recorded instance is in Genesis 8:20 when Noah offers burnt offerings after the flood. God ordered Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, in a burnt offering in Genesis 22, and then provided a ram as a replacement. After suffering through nine of the ten plagues, Pharaoh decided to let the people go from bondage in Egypt, but his refusal to allow the Israelites to take their livestock with them in order to offer burnt offerings brought about the final plague that led to the Israelites’ deliverance (Exodus 10:24-29).
The Hebrew word for “burnt offering” actually means to “ascend,“ literally to “go up in smoke.” The smoke from the sacrifice ascended to God, “a soothing aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:9). God gave the Israelites specific instructions as to the types of burnt offerings and what they symbolized. Leviticus 1 and 6:8-13 describe the traditional burnt offering. A person could give a burnt offering at any time. It was a sacrifice of general atonement—an acknowledgement of the sin nature and a request for renewed relationship with God. The ultimate fulfilment of the burnt offering is in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. His physical life was completely consumed, He ascended to God, and His covering (that is, His garment) was distributed to those who officiated over His sacrifice (Matthew 27:35). But most importantly, His sacrifice, once for all time, atoned for our sins and restored our relationship with God. Jesus is the Sacrificial Lamb killed for our atonement - John 1:29, 36, Revelation 5:6.
“There is no amount of time you spend carrying out spiritual exercises without corresponding job that we put food on your table.”
Central Truth