God Will Provide, Jehovah Jirah

Sunday February 7, 2016 Phone: 570.829.5216 Pastor David Miklas e-mail [email protected] Message # 12 “Names of God” Text: Gen. 22:1-14; Heb. 11:17-19; James 2:21- 24

God Will Provide, Jehovah-Jireh

INTRODUCTION: Perhaps, God revealed Himself more to the most prominent character of the Bible, the patriarch Abraham, than to any other. And as such He demanded more from Abraham than any other man. This reminds me of Luke 12:48, "...for unto whosoever much is given, of him shall be much required..."

God gave Abraham perhaps the most severe test of a man's faith to be found anywhere in our Bible. God asked Abraham to take His precious Son, that son of promise, to a mountain and sacrifice him. All this is spelled out for us in Genesis 22:1-19,

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. (2) 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. (3) And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. (4) Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. (5) And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you, (6) And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. (7) And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? (8) And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (9) And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. (10) And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. (11) And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. (12) And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (13) And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. (14) And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. (15) And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, (16) And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: (17) That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; (18) And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (19) So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.” Allow me to refresh your memory of this familiar story from your childhood Sunday school class. I believe I have several insights to share. Page 1 VERSE 1: “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.” Please notice the opening words, “After these things" Remember God had promised Abraham a son, through whom the whole world would be blessed. This was not just any son, but a particular son of promise. This son was born to Abraham and Sarah when they were well beyond their age to conceive, and in this story he is now a young man. It appears that God’s promise of blessing through this son is about to be dashed, because of an incredible demand.

This event is coming to pass at the 11th hour of Abraham’s life when he thinks he can settle down and live his life in peace. This event is coming to pass after Abraham has walked with God, and proven his faithfulness.

The word “tempt” found here in verse 1, implies a “test,” not the idea of temptation. In the Old Testament, this word is often translated by the word “prove.” God wanted to prove or test Abraham's ultimate obedience. Perhaps you are here today and you are saying,

God, haven't you put enough burdens on us? God, haven't you given us enough loneliness, enough heartache, and tested us enough? God, I don't mean to complain, but…what’s up?

VERSE 2: “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.” It seemed as though in verse 2 every word was calculated to hurt Abraham as deeply as possible. "Abraham, I want you to take YOUR son THINE ONLY son Isaac, YOUR son WHOM thou LOVE." Each word was like a knife sinking deeper and deeper, “and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering…” The phrase “burnt offering” meant Abraham was to literally, totally cremate his son.

Before I go on I would like to call your attention to the phrase - "whom thou lovest." Here is the first use in the Bible of the word LOVE. It is interesting to note that this first mention is not in reference to the LOVE of

a man for his wife, or a mother for her children, or even of a man's love for God. Instead it is used to convey the love of a father for his son. Oh, how Abraham loved Isaac. Now I wonder, if Abraham had that deep love for his son, how much greater is God's love for HIS SON, JESUS? Well, the answer is found in John 17:24 when Jesus said, "Father...thou lovedest me before the foundation of the world." Wow, that’s a very long time! If this is the first mention of love in the Old Testament, can you guess where the first mention of love is in the New Testament? You guessed it - JOHN 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son…” You must understand God is prophetically heading toward Calvary even here in Genesis 22 and pictures it so. Now from Genesis 22:2

There is no question or hesitation in Abraham's mind. There is no objection, or debate; Abraham simply obeyed. God tells Abraham I want your son back, your only son. The test was very real; he Page 2 was to give Isaac back to God. As a test, it was designed to prove faith.

For it to be a real test it had to defy logic; it had to be something Abraham wanted to resist. God clearly tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. But would Abraham willingly kill Isaac? This was a test of how much Abraham would obey God's word. Would he cling to the boy now that he had him, or would he still obey and return him to God? I believe the key to this extended passage is the statement: "Perfect faith in the heart is exhibited by perfect obedience in the life." Let me repeat. "Perfect faith in the heart is exhibited by perfect obedience in the life."

Faithful obedience always results in faithful action. We can never TEST the great resources of God until our faith sees the impossible and yet believes the possible.

Faith is resting in the promises of God. Hadn't God promised Isaac? Hadn't God promised to make Abraham’s seed as the sands of the sea, and the numberless stars of the sky?

Faith does not question God; faith believes and obeys.

VERSES 3 & 4: “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.” Abraham immediately complied with God's wishes, but he had three full days to mull over in his mind what God had asked him to do and what he was about to do. You know,

I wonder if we could feel as Abraham felt. I wonder could we, would we respond as Abraham did, if God would tell us to take our son or daughter and offer them as a living sacrifice to be burned. In all probability I would have responded negatively, and so would you. Thus the greatness of this man begins to immerge. I am sure on his three day journey there must have been great confusion in Abraham’s mind, and great anguish of soul as well as great horror at the prospect. Can you picture it?

There was Abraham on his goatskin pallet the first night reaching out and letting a handful of sand run through his fingers as he imagined "seed as the dust of the earth!" Then he thought, “What about this promise if Isaac is dead?” Another night, perhaps the uncounted stars looked down on Abraham's sleepless eyes and he may have thought, “How will the heavenly seed be as “the stars innumerable” if Isaac DIES?” But faith leaped up, and Abraham believed and obeyed.

VERSE 5: “And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you,” This is an incredible verse, for in the tense of the Hebrew language we read, “I and the lad WE WILL go yonder and WE WILL worship, and WE WILL come again to you.” Did you catch that last phrase, “and WE WILL come again to you.” This speaks volumes concerning Abraham's faith.

Abraham had not staggered at the promise of God. Abraham had learned to trust so fully that he believed He could even raise Isaac from the dead. In the New Testament, Hebrew 11:17-19 interprets for us the action of Abraham,

“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the Page 3 promises offered up his only begotten son, (18) Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: (19) Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” Abraham in his own mind had offered up Isaac as a sacrifice, the act was done.

Here's history's greatest example of faith in God. Here's the reason God called Abraham the FRIEND OF GOD. Here's the reason God called Abraham the FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL. He believed God COULD and WOULD do something he had never SEEN before and never HEARD before, that is raise his son from the dead.

What did Abraham know about the resurrection? NOTHING! Had he ever seen someone rise from the dead? NEVER! Yet, he had such confidence in God that He believed.

Why? Because we have a God that can be counted on, we have a God that can be trusted. We have a God who is faithful.

VERSES 6-7: “And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. (7) And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” All this time Isaac asks no questions, he just obeys. However, here comes the first question, "Say Dad we have the wood, we have the fire, but if we are going to offer a sacrifice, WHERE IS THE LAMB?"

What a profound question, "where is THE LAMB?" All through the Old Testament the question was asked "where is THE LAMB?" It is not until you come to the New Testament that the answer is given when John saw Jesus and said in John 1:29 "Behold THE Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world."

VERSE 8: “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” Now there are two ways of reading this verse.

First, to Abraham in the context we could read, "God will provide himself A LAMB". Second, we could see this in a prophetic sense, "God will provide HIMSELF a lamb".

Remember the Lord Jesus is "THE lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Calvary was ever in view. Every sacrifice offered was a reminder that sin had not yet been paid for. Ultimately, it will take the sacrifice at Calvary. There God's Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ, will pay the debt forever.

VERSES 9-10: “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. (10) And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” Finally they came to the appointed place. For three days they had been coming, and those three days must have been agony for them. Both father and son were fully set to do God's will and for all practical purposes, Isaac had been dead those three days. Abraham had built altars before at Sichem, at Bethel, at Hebron, and at Beersheba. But none of these would do except the one on Mount Moriah. It had to be here, since Mount Moriah would become the location of Calvary. And may I remind you there is only one place for salvation. IT IS AT THE PLACE CALLED Page 4 CALVARY, where redemption was forever paid for.

Previously, if Isaac had doubts regarding his father’s intentions, they were all removed now, as his father bound him and laid him on the altar. Picture it! Isaac gazing up to his father's eyes which were flowing with tears, and seeing the uplifted knife in his hand. Never was such a loving father or obedient son put to such a test as this. Abraham obeyed God, because He believed God. Reading verses 9-10, I ask myself if I could really have gone this far. How far would you have gone? Abraham did this 4000 years ago. Oh, was he not a man like you, a man just like me? Think about it. How would you have reacted if God asked you to give up someone that was dear and precious to you?

I believe that the greatest victories in life and the greatest times of God's provisions come when we are experiencing "HEARTBREAK." May I remind you that every man in the blessed Book who saw the faithfulness of God experienced heartbreak. There is a song that goes like this:

I Trust in God wherever I may be Upon the land or on the rolling sea. Let come what may from day to day My heavenly Father watches over me. He makes the rose an object of His love. He guides the eagle through the pathless air and surely He remembers me. My Heavenly Father watches over me. I trust in God, I know He cares for me On Mt. Bleak or on the stormy seas. Though billows roll, He keeps my soul My Heavenly Father watches over me.

The point being made in this indescribable story is: God CAN, God SHOULD, and God MUST BE TRUSTED regardless of the circumstances in which you find yourself. God CAN, God SHOULD and God MUST BE TRUSTED regardless of whether or not you feel this testing is coming from God Himself, or whether it is coming from your family situation, or your place of work where the circumstances seem dim. God CAN, God SHOULD, and God MUST BE RELIED UPON AND TRUSTED at all times.

In verse 10 we read, “And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” Abraham said, "I have trusted you this far. You are a faithful God and I'll do what you have told me to do." In his mind the act was consummated, it was already done. I do not know what your situation is this morning. You may feel God has let you down. You may feel you are in the midst of some great unfortunate circumstance. But God has brought you here this morning to reveal something to you. Perhaps you needed to be reminded that we have a God who can be relied upon. He can be trusted.

Notice again verse 14, “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” Perhaps you are saying, “Why should I put my TRUST in God? Why should I rely upon God? I am not Abraham!” The answer to that question is, BECAUSE OF GOD'S REVELATION OF HIMSELF.

YOUR GOD, AND MY GOD - OUR GOD IS JEHOVAH-JIREH; THAT IS HIS NAME. YOU AND I CAN TRUST HIM IN THE MIDST OF OUR Page 5 CIRCUMSTANCES.

Now what does the name Jehovah-Jireh actually mean? The Hebrew word “Jireh” is “raah,” and many times in the Old Testament it is translated "to be seen" as in verse 14, "It shall be seen". However, if you go to verse 8 the same Hebrew word “raah” is translated differently. God will “Jireh,” or in your Bible it reads “God will PROVIDE.”

So the word “Jireh” means "to be seen and to provide.” It has a two-fold meaning, “to preview, which means to see something ahead of time, and to provide for the eventual need.” Abraham is saying this great God of mine is the God who FORESEES the need and then he PROVIDES for that need. May I say to you our God sees our circumstances in life.

He knows about that problem. He knows about that headache. He knows about that temptation. He knows about that trial you are going through. He not only sees, but He FORESEES! In other words:

He knows what is going to happen tomorrow. He knows what is going to happen in the balance of this week. He knows what is going to happen in the balance of your life. As a result of fore-seeing, whatever your needs call for, God provides. This is absolutely awesome to know God has already provided for us even before we know we have a need or will be facing a problem in life. Therefore, when you pray, don't just call Him "My Heavenly Father," call Him "MY JEHOVAH-JIREH." May you be mindful of the fact that He is a God that FORESEES, and as a result He PROVIDES! Now from verse 14, we see this specific incident occurred on a mountain, which from verse 2 we know to be Mount Moriah. And what is interesting is that the word Moriah comes from the same Hebrew word as Jireh, and it means “mountain of provision.” Now every student of ancient history sees this incident in Abraham's life as a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary, where God's ultimate provision for our sin problem took place. In light of that, notice again verse 12, “And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” And to these words God might have added "Likewise, I will not withhold my Son, my only Son, as the great provision for man's redemption." From verse 13, that ram became a TYPE of the Lord Jesus Christ who would become the SUBSTITUTE to die for you and me on the CROSS of CALVARY, in order to PROVIDE SALVATION for the entire human race. God saw your sin need. He saw my sin problem, and in Christ, He met our need on Mount Moriah which we call Calvary.

In the New Testament Romans 8:31-32 seems to summarize Genesis 22. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (32) He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Would you again notice verse 32a, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all…” Thank God for the cross where He delivered up Christ Page 6 for us all. Now notice again the last part of this verse, “how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Paul is saying this: If God provided the ultimate in His only begotten Son, if God did FORESEE your sin problem and PROVIDED the blood sacrifice, without question God can meet your need today. Not only your great spiritual needs, but also He can make provision for every area of life through Christ. Why? Because God is JEHOVAH JIREH! Hold it. I wonder if in your heart are you saying:

“God, I know you are there, but my needs are too big for you to handle." Is your God that small? I hope not. May I remind you, He owns the cattle on 1000 hills, and the wealth in every land is His. My God can and will meet all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. If He gave us the ultimate in His Son, how much more freely will He give us all things?

If today, you are an unbeliever may you see “Jehovah Jireh” as the one who has met your spiritual needs through the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who on the cross took away the sin of the world. On the other hand, if you are a believer, may I challenge you to see that Jehovah Jireh is the one who foresees life’s circumstances and life’s pressures and provides whatever is necessary to meet those needs There is one more lesson we need to see from Genesis 22:12, 15-18:

“And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (15) And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, (16) And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: (17) That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; (18) And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

In the New Testament in Romans 12:1 we read, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” What is the Isaac in your life that needs to be placed on the altar?

Is it your mate? Is it your job? Is it your home? Is it your finances? Is it your future? Is it your children? O we never can prove the delight of His love, Until ALL on the altar we lay. For the favor He shows and the joy He bestows, Are for those who will TRUST and OBEY! I believe God’s blessing will only really come when we have laid our ALL on the ALTER of SURRENDER!

******************************************************************* If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon “God Will Provide, Jehovah-Jireh,” then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.

Do you have the assurance one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as you personal Savior. The Bible tells us in

Acts 16:31, “...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be your personal Savior. “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”

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