22:2-3 - Can you imagine this? After everything Abraham has gone through, he finally gets the child he has been waiting for from the first time God made a covenant with him...and now God is asking him to sacrifice the boy! And how does Abraham respond? He acts immediately. He utterly trusts God and is willing to follow wherever the Lord calls. His faith is incredible!
22:6ff - This whole sacrifice is a picture of the sacrifice of Jesus. Abraham is the father of God's chosen people. God is the father of all. Issac is Abraham's firstborn son. Jesus is the one and only son of God. God calls Abraham to sacrifice Issac to test his faith, and also to give us a glimpse into His insanely awesome love for us, that leads God to let Jesus die. Issac even has to carry the wood that he will be sacrificed on like Jesus carried his cross to Golgotha. But God is merciful and loving and provides a different sacrifice for Abraham. He showed the same love and mercy for us by sacrificing Jesus in our place...by allowing His own son to die. Really intense imagery.
23:6 - Again we see that Abraham's faith is lived out for all to see. Everywhere he goes, people know who he is and know that he is a man of God and he is respected for it. How cool would that be, if everywhere you went people immediately knew and respected you because of your faith. That is a legacy to live out right there!
24:7ff - Abraham is faithfully waiting for God to fulfill His covenant with Abraham and his descendants. He is not giving up and he refuses to allow his people to turn back or look back at the past. He makes his servant swear that he will not allow Isaac to go back where they came from...God brought them into Canaan for a reason and Abraham absolutes trusts God. From the beginning to the end of his life he trusts God. He never questions...he never buys time...he simply waits for God to move and acts immediately when God calls on him. There is a beautiful simplicity to the life and faith of Abraham.
24:20 - Rebekah is selfless and servant-hearted...not a bad place to start when you are looking for future wives gentlemen (Oh yeah, and she was hot too!). Ladies, selfless and servant-hearted works with husband candidates too (You ladies can start looking when you about 25), by that time there might be a few guys who are mature enough to handle committed relationships with God-fearing women.
24:27 - I find it really cool that the servant doesn't try to take any credit for finding Rebekah...he immediately gives God all credit for finding Isaac a suitable wife. This is a great lesson for modern Christians to learn. Here in the states we are so ego-driven and self-centered, that many times we allow those attitudes to creep into our spiritual lives. We would do well to follow the example of the servant and give God credit for anything good in our lives.
4 comments:
I really enjoyed chapter 24 though it was a longer read than the rest of the chapters. I just love how much detail is put into it. I could see everything happening in slow motion; from the jars she took down from her neck to the place where she lived. It seems like God wanted us to pay special attention to this part of Genesis. He wants us see the trust we should have for Him. Look at the way Rebekah responds to the servant…she doesn't question him, nor does he question God. It's so simple, just like you said Brando.
If you want God to take your hand and lead you somewhere, all you have to do is let go of everything you’re holding in your hands and grab onto His.
I like how you put that Joshiee...very nice.
Wow, I just can't imagine being asked by God to sacrifice your child. Like Brandon said, he didn't hesitate for a second... he didn't think twice about what anyone would say to him. Woah... all I can do is pray for obedience like Abraham. Not only Abraham, but Isaac trusted his earthly father as well, his father standing over him with a dagger and there is no description of Isaac holding his father's hand back, or Isaac shouted profanities at his father.... complete trust.
Craziness....
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