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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Gen. 22
I wonder what was going through Isaac’s mind while his father was tying him up and laying him on top of the wood. The Bible records no comment or resistance from Isaac other than his question regarding the lamb. I don’t believe Isaac was a small child at this time and his father was old. It seems to me he could have easily fought his way out of the situation. Maybe his father slipped him a mickey or otherwise knocked him out. Maybe God rendered him unable to fight. Or maybe Abraham asked Isaac to trust him (and / or God) and Isaac did. We see a hint of that possibility in Abraham’s answer to Isaac’s question about the lamb.
Whatever the case, though, I couldn’t help but see myself in Isaac’s situation. I was bound by sin, set to be consumed by God’s righteous fire. But God Himself stepped in and provided the Lamb for the burnt offering. Now, instead of being bound and burned, I am free and partaking in the righteousness that was offered up for me. And all that was required of me was trust.
Gen. 23
I am curious as to the significance of Abraham’s negotiation and purchase of this burial plot. I guess it’s fair to say that this was the first piece of the Promised Land that Abraham and his family actually owned. It was a purchase, rather than a gift from God like the rest of the Promised Land many years later. Also, it was for the dead rather than for the living.
Thus, something about the whole story makes me think of God’s original Covenant of the Law as opposed to His final Covenant of Grace in Jesus Christ. Like this purchase, that first covenant was legal, based on human effort, and devoid of life. The full promise came later, both with the acquisition of the rest of the Promised Land and God’s true Covenant in Christ. And both are based on the free provision of God’s life-giving grace.
Gen. 24
Abraham’s servant faced the challenge Abraham put before him with faith, trust, and wisdom. Abraham told his servant that God would provide, and the servant responded with belief. He looked to God for that provision on Abraham’s behalf. And I love the wisdom in his request for a sign. He wasn’t just looking for confirmation in that request, he was wisely asking God to send him a woman of character. Furthermore, when he saw that God had not only sent him a woman of character but also one from his master’s family, he worshiped God. Even before he knew if the girl would go with him, he worshiped. Lord, help me to face the challenges in my life with the same kind of faith, trust and wisdom!