Wow, what a week it has been so far!  Abram, through the Abrahamic Covenant, was ON MISSION with God and, as such, God gave Abram and his descendants a 3-fold call: a birthing call, a suffering call and a priestly call.  We’ve covered the first two, so let’s close the week’s study out by looking at the priestly call.

Genesis 22:1-13 is our study text, so take a few moments to read that passage. I don’t know if your Bible has section headings, but a heading for this passage says “Abraham’s Faith Confirmed.” After surely being tested by God’s call, we find Abraham at a point of greater maturity, and thus, a new role in God’s call upon Him.  By this time, Abraham’s son Isaac was born and God again presses Abraham to do hard things in fulfillment of His call.

Study Tips:

• According to verse 1, what was Abraham’s response when God called him? (This response occurs at least 3 times in this passage. File that response away, as we will come back to it later in our study!)
• I’m sure the story is a familiar one, but take your time reading it and let the message soak in.
• The son asked an astute question in verse 7. What was the question?
• This passage is known as a “Christophany,” meaning an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament.  In this Christophany, who does Abraham represent? Who does Isaac represent?  What similarities can you draw from this passage to that of the crucifixion of Jesus?
• Do you see other shared references between this passage and the crucifixion, such as the use of wood, the involvement of a lamb, the thorny thicket in which the sacrificial ram was crowned?

Of course, this Christophany is a representation of Jesus’ crucifixion. A father willingly gives up his son as the Lamb of God, yet in Abraham’s case, his obedience saved his son and a ram wearing a crown of thorns died instead.  This was God’s call to Abraham to test His faith: sacrifice your only son.  His obedience, in essence, sealed the deal in his covenant with God.  Abraham was “all in” and it was clear God had selected the correct vehicle for world redemption.  God even gave him a foretaste of what that ultimate act of redemption would be: the sacrifice of a pure, spotless Lamb of God!

As Abraham and Isaac trudged up Mount Moriah, Abraham knew what laid before him. He went, prepared to offer up his son.  His faith act landed him in the Hall of Faith!  Read Hebrews 11:17-19.  There, we’re told that Abraham had received the promise, and concluded that, even if he sacrificed his son, God would raise him back to life, and the two would return to the foot of the hill. 

Wow, what faith! Abraham obediently “killed” Isaac in his mind, but God stopped his hand!

Devotional moments:

• Have you ever encountered God in such a faith-filled way?
• Has God ever asked you to do something beyond your comprehension?  Were you obedient?  If so, what was the outcome?
• At times, watching where God is at work and joining Him requires that kind of faith!  Our faith stories are powerful.  Please share yours with someone!

In the suffering call, we wonder whether or not God pulled back the curtain of history to allow Abraham to see future suffering he and his descendants would endure.  We wonder whether or not Abraham had the “metal” to stand up to the suffering.  Indeed, he did, and his descendants often show their metal as well.

But, suppose God pulled that curtain back again and, as part of the priestly call, allowed Abraham to see the future.  Did he see a crowd and the tumult as the multitude yelled, “Crucify Him!”  Did Abraham see vultures flying around the day Jesus was led to Calvary?  Did he see the cross and the sacrifice?

I’ll go out on a limb to say, I think somehow Abraham was conscious of those things.  Here is why. In moments of exchange with rebellious Jewish leaders, the question arose as to whether or not Jesus was greater than their father, Abraham.  To which Jesus replied, … before Abraham was, I AM. Furthermore, John 8:56 says, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad. 

Jesus first made His point that the Eternal One (Himself) existed before Abraham.  Then, He totally blew their minds by announcing that Abraham saw My day, and he saw it and was glad.  What day was it, if not resurrection day that followed His crucifixion?  On the hill upon which Abraham offered Isaac, he saw Calvary’s hill.  He saw the wood of the cross. He saw the crown of thorns. And He saw the risen Messiah!

Through Abraham, God revealed a birthing call, a suffering call and a priestly call.  God was ON MISSION to bring redemption to the world, and Abraham was ON MISSION with Him! 

What does any of this have to do with a solidarity trip to Israel?  Everything!  First, as Christians, we must understand the Hebrew roots of our Christian faith.  If not for Abraham, there would be no Jewish lineage.  Without the Jews, who were given custody of the Word, the prophets, the apostles and, most importantly, the Messiah, we would have no means of salvation!  There is a debt of gratitude to Abraham’s descendants that we will never be able to repay…but we can certainly do all we can!

Beyond that, God is ON MISSION to draw everyone to salvation.  That’s why the promise of Genesis 12:3 is that Abraham’s descendants will bless ALL families of the earth!  Yes, salvation came to us as Gentiles because of God’s great plan of redemption.  But we must not forget, salvation is for the Jews first!

God is at work in Israel, preparing them for the day of national salvation.  As believers in the Jewish Messiah, our marching orders, as regards the Jewish people, are to provoke them to jealousy! (Romans 11:11)  What better place to provoke Jews to jealousy than Israel! God is at work there, and we will join Him! Great job hanging in there through week 1!  Next week we’ll examine God’s work in Israel’s future.  Don’t miss it!  See you then.