God Provides
For today’s lesson and message, I’m going to do two things differently. First, I’m going to read a portion of the lesson, then speak about it, then read another portion, and so on. Secondly, I’m going to change the names of those in the lesson to what their names mean. I think it helps with the story.
Pastor A reading from the book of Genesis, beginning in the 21st Chapter.
The Lord dealt with Princess as he had said, and the Lord did for Princess as he had promised. Princess conceived and bore Father of a Multitude a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Father of a Multitude gave the name Laughter to his son whom Princess bore him.
- I want to stop here, and summarize what has happened & is happening
- After the Fall in the Garden, after the flood, God decided to take a new approach with humanity
- God chose one man & woman, whom They would bless, and through this couple, God would bless all of the world
- This couple would start a family on a land that was theirs, and be an example to the world
- God chose Abraham, whose name means Father of a Multitude, and Sarah, whose name means Princess
- Hard part was both very old, When the child, Laughter, was born, Abraham/ Father of a Multitude was 100 years old & Sarah/ Princess was a spry 99
- Been trying to have a child, because God promised their family would be more numerous than the stars in the sky & grains of sand on a beach. But couldn’t.
- Nine months earlier, messengers from God came to Abraham/ Father of a Multitude & told him Sarah/ Princess would soon give birth to his son. Princess Sarah laughed at that.
- That is how Isaac was named. His name means Laughter
- When he was born, Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
- The amount of time passes between Laughter /Isaac’s birth and what happens next is unknown.
After these things God tested Father of a Multitude. He said to him, “Father of a Multitude!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Laughter, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”
- Now
while we find this offensive and troubling, it would not have been so
to the people of the Ancient Near East at this time, even to the time of
Christ
- If you wanted to please the deity you worship & earn
their favor, you would make a sacrifice. However, you never knew if your
sacrifice was sufficient
- Enough to earn the favor of the one you worshipped? Did it appease them?
- Just to be safe, sacrifice your greatest possession, what meant the most
- Most precious thing in Ancient Near East, was the oldest son
- So to those who would hear this story, even though the difficulties of Laughter /Isaac’s birth were known, the sacrifice of a child made sense to them
- Only way to ensure that the god you worship cares for you / Earn its love
- The greater the blessing, the greater the sacrifice is required
- And God intends to bless the whole earth through Father of a Multitude /Abraham and Laughter /Isaac
- If you wanted to please the deity you worship & earn
their favor, you would make a sacrifice. However, you never knew if your
sacrifice was sufficient
So Father of a Multitude rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Laughter; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Father of a Multitude looked up and saw the place far away. Then Father of a Multitude said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” Father of a Multitude took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Laughter, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Laughter said to his father Father of a Multitude, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Father of a Multitude said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.
- Look at what Father of a Multitude / Abraham says
- To the servants, he says: Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.
- When Laughter /Isaac asked about the lamb for the sacrifice, Abraham/ Father of a Multitude says God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son
- Forced to think one of two things about Abraham/ Father of a Multitude
- He is lying to everyone to cover up the murder he is about to commit
- OR He believes God will provide a way out of this
When they came to the place that God had shown him, Father of a Multitude built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Laughter, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Father of a Multitude reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son.
- God had promised to Father of a Multitude /Abraham that the blessings of a multitude and a land would come through Laughter /Isaac
- Reasonable & probable that Father of a Multitude /Abraham told Laughter /Isaac, And yet they both prepare for this sacrifice
- I say both because Father of a Multitude /Abraham was 100 when Laughter /Isaac was born. We don’t know how many years later this is, or how old Laughter /Isaac is at this time.
- It doesn’t matter. Laughter /Isaac was not bound and laid on the alter by brute force.
- Both Father of a Multitude /Abraham and Laughter /Isaac are putting their trust in God
- Reasonable & probable that Father of a Multitude /Abraham told Laughter /Isaac, And yet they both prepare for this sacrifice
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Father of a Multitude, Father of a Multitude!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
And Father of a Multitude looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Father of a Multitude went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
- God never wanted Father of a Multitude /Abraham to sacrifice Laughter /Isaac
- Then why the test? Why all of the drama?
- Because that is what people expected of the god they worshipped
- You have to always stay on the good side of your god
- You have to constantly earn your god’s love and favor
- You must do good things to may your god happy
- Must atone & sacrifice for the ways that you have displeased your god
- Just one slip up, one unconfessed act, one thing done without true emotion, one false step, and you run the risk of the wrath of your god
- But Our God, the God of Abraham and Sarah and Isaac doesn’t want that
- Didn’t want it then; Doesn’t want it now
- The sacrifice is what was expected. The greater the blessing, the greater the sacrifice is required, and God intends to bless the whole earth through Father of a Multitude /Abraham and Laughter /Isaac
- Because that is what people expected of the god they worshipped
- But
this God, OUR God, doesn’t given conditional blessings. Our God gives
blessings that are to be passed on. Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and We
are blessed in order to be a blessing for others
- Our God blesses because They love. Our God blesses so we will be a blessing to others.
- Our God provides because God doesn’t expect anything from us in return
- Our God wants our love, but doesn’t require it
- To show us God’s forgiveness doesn’t come with a price tag or to do list, God provides
- John the Baptizer said, Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
- All that our God wants from us is our trust, our faith, our belief that God’s promise are true
- The promises to Abraham and Sarah that through Isaac their descendants would out number the stars
- Promises through Christ Jesus that our sins are forgiven & death defeated
- Promise made to us all that God is always with us and God provides
- Life does not make sense. We can’t explain why different events happen
- It seems as though God has abandoned us, or God is testing us
- In those times, in those way-to-often times, all we can do is trust God
- We walk by faith and not by sight.
- Help then, O Lord, our unbelief; and may our faith abound to call on you when you are near and seek where you are found.
- On Mount Moriah, God provided a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice
- It is said that it was on Mount Moriah, with the resources God provided, Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem
- On a hill outside of Jerusalem, God provided the Lamb, the Son of God who took away the sins of the world
So Father of a Multitude called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
Pastor This is the Word of God, the word of life.
All Thanks be to God.
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