18 KEY LESSONS OF GENESIS 22 (7)
18 KEY LESSONS OF GENESIS 22 (7)
Lesson 12: Lay not thine hand upon the lad (Gen 22:11-12): The Angel who now speaks with the voice of Yahweh stops Abraham. The repetition of his name -- "Abraham, Abraham" -- suggests the urgency of the angel's message, and recalls other urgent calls from God -- "Moses, Moses" (Exodus 3:4), "Samuel, Samuel" (1 Samuel 3:4), "Saul, Saul" (Acts 9:4). God stops him from slaying his son, and then encourages him that he has passed the test. It is easier to condemn those who do not have any offering to give to the Lord, but it is much more condemnable to those whose out of their abundance gives little.
Solomon offered a thousand offering to God, 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep, it is understandable because he took it out of the abundance he possessed, it is commendable also for Solomon to think of sacrificing what he had, for some cannot do such a thing, but it is unforgettable, remarkable and indeed honourable to sacrifice the one and only thing one has. Abraham willingly offered his one and only son, the child of promise; he offered his all and best. God was not asking for Abraham’s bullock or sheep, Abraham had them in thousand, but He requested for his only son – the beloved and he never thought it twice. Today, God is not asking for your money, He is asking for your heart.
As a believer, you must hold all other love as less than His, and must be ready to yield up the dearest at His bidding. Cruel as the necessity seems to flesh and blood, and specially emotional as his pain was, in essence Abraham’s trial only required of him what all true religion requires of us. Some of us have been called by God’s providence to give up the light of our eyes, the joy of our homes, to Him. Some of us have had to make the choice between earthly and heavenly love. All of us have to throne God in our hearts, and to let not the dearest usurp His place. Does God have a place in your heart?
In our weakness we may well shrink from such a test. But let us not forget that the trial of Abraham was not imposed by his own mistaken conceptions of duty, nor by a sterner God than the New Testament reveals, but is distinctly set before every Christian in essence, though not in form, by the gentle lips from which flowed the law of love more stringent and exclusive in its claims than any other: ‘He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.’ We never know how sweet our blessings are till we have yielded them to Him. ‘There is no man that hath left’ anything or any person for Christ’s sake and the gospel’s who will not ‘receive a hundred-fold more in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting.’
Word Affirmation: “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us." - Psalms 67:1 (Don't just say it, mean it!)
“It is easier to condemn those who do not have any offering to give to the Lord, but it is much more condemnable to those whose out of their abundance gives little.”
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