January 9- The Lord Will Provide

The One Year Bible
Genesis 20:1-22:24
Matthew 7:15-29
Psalm 9:1-12
Proverbs 2:16-22

I suppose that Abraham's faith could be considered "bazaar" by some. After all, if you heard the voice of God tell you to go and kill your children, and you went to act on that command, you would be sent to prison, whether you succeeded or not. For whatever reason, Abraham knows that God is righteous in his command, Abraham knows that God will not allow Isaac to stay dead (Genesis 22:5), and Abraham acts on this conviction. What amazes me in the story though is Abraham's concluding remarks as the story comes to a close. Abraham, about to slay his son, is prevented from doing so by an angel, and then is given a ram for sacrifice instead. As the story concludes, Abraham called that place "The Lord Will Provide." Of all the things to say, Abraham's response is truly unique. Had I been in the situation, I might have called the place "That Time I Nearly Stabbed My Kid To Death" or "The Weirdest Commandment I Ever Received." What amazes me about Abraham is not just that he did what he did (which is truly amazing), but also that he never lost a solid understanding about God in the process. Abraham went up to the mountain with an understanding of his God (22:8), and he came down with that same understanding (22:14). Abraham's faith was not just unwavering when he picked up the knife, but it was unwavering the entire time! So, this is what I like about Abraham. The man of God had nothing bad to say before, during, or after the testing. Abraham just looked at his son and spoke, "It's like I said, God will provide."