Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Genesis 22: 7 And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, I see the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, my son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went up both of them together.
YHVA (Jehovah the one true God) is the holy name of God which is forbidden to be spoken aloud in Judaism. Instead it is replaced with Adonai.
We know that we are free from the laws and “hang-ups” of a religious minded, rigorous, and judgmental walk with God, but that should never remove the honor and adoration for His Holy Name. Even though we are free to speak the Name YHVH we should never speak His Name loosely or without reverence.
One of the ways that we offend God in how we use His name is when we speak it without a revelation of what it means or who He really is. There are many different names of God which describe different aspects of His “Person,” or simply said: Each name gives us a peak into God’s personality and character.
YHVA Yireh is translated: Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. Many of us know this “Name” of God but let’s look at the Scripture from which it came. We all love it! Abraham, the father of faith, was going up one side of the mountain with his only son. They had the wood, and they had the fire, but where was the sacrifice? I love to preach this! The sacrifice was on its way up the mountain as well, only, it was hiking up the opposite side of the mountain, unbeknownst to Abraham or Isaac.
Can I say right there: when you step out by faith, on a Word from God, He cannot fail and you will not fail. He will provide whatever you need to complete the task at hand. The key is to be assured that you have a Word from God and not just a desire of your own. But I noticed something a little “off” in this Scripture. May I share it with you?
Isaac asked his father: Father, where is the LAMB for the sacrifice? Abraham replied: My son, GOD will provide a LAMB for HIMSELF. Yet, when the angel spoke to Abraham to stay his hand, Abraham lifted his eyes and there was a RAM in the bushes. I know that God is a specific God, and NOTHING is by chance in His Holy Scriptures, so why was there a RAM in the bushes for the sacrifice and not a LAMB?
The answer is found in Abraham’s answer to his son: My son, GOD will provide a LAMB for HIMSELF. God provided a ram for Abraham. IT was a temporary sacrifice to appease God, just as the tabernacle and the law which were implemented by God, through Moses, would be. The law and the tabernacle were only a shadow of what would come as was the ram in the bush. It was all pointing to THE SACRIFICE WHICH GOD WOULD PROVIDE FOR HIMSELF, the precious Lamb of God. The only spotless Lamb.
But what really excites me is: I know the Lamb was provided through Jesus on the cross. I’ve always understood the cross was MY sacrifice. It was the sacrifice that was for you, for me, and for all of mankind to be saved; it was BUT, it was more than that. The sacrifice was FOR GOD HIMSELF! He provided His only Son for HIMSELF. WHY? Because the only thing He ever wanted was sons and daughters. He wanted His kingdom to come here on earth as it was in Heaven. He provided the sacrifice, so that HIS DESIRE might be fulfilled THROUGH US, FOR HIM!
If you see that revelation today, you are super excited! Close your eyes and envision how much joy it brings the Father when a soul is saved. That’s why there is rejoicing in heaven every time one that was lost is found. It brings the Father the reward of the great sacrifice HE PROVIDED. I’m trying to tell you, my friend, just how important you are to your Heavenly Father. He desired YOUR PRESENCE in His throne room so greatly that HE provided a GREAT SACRIFICE, the perfect, spotless, Lamb of God, so that He might spend time with YOU!
Stop trying to give God things that He doesn’t desire. He doesn’t need our lame works, pitiful accomplishments, or long, drawn-out prayers. A heart-felt cry of: HELP, always grabs the Father’s attention. He simply wants YOU. Come as you are, the sacrifice has already been provided and HE was and is enough!
Spend time with your Father today! He misses you!
