Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.” Genesis 22:13-14 (Read Genesis 22:1-19)

What a test of Abraham’s love for God and his faith that God both could and would keep His promise to bless him and fulfill His promises to send the Messiah and Savior through Isaac! Think of it. After waiting more than 25 years for God to keep His promise and give him a son through Sarah, God then told Abraham to take this son, his only son Isaac, and offer him up as a burnt sacrifice to the LORD God!

And Abraham obeyed (cf. Heb. 11:17-19). He took his son Isaac to the mountains of Moriah and to the specific mountain which God named for him. On the way, Isaac even asked his father about the sacrificial lamb. Abraham had the fire and the wood, but no lamb. Abraham told Isaac, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (v. 8).

And when they arrived at the mountain which would later be the site of Jerusalem and the temple (cf. 2 Chron. 3:1), the place where God’s own Son was later sacrificed for the sins of the world, Abraham bound his son Isaac, laid him on the altar and was about to kill him with a knife when the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and stopped him.

“Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering in the place of his son” (Gen. 22:13).

God indeed provided a sacrificial lamb to be offered up in the place of Abraham’s son Isaac, the father of Israel and a spiritual father of all who share in the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And Abraham offered up this lamb in the stead of his son.

Abraham called the place “Jehovah-jireh,” or “The LORD Will Provide,” because there the LORD God saw and provided a sacrifice to be offered up in Isaac’s stead. And though we deserved to be put to death for our sins on that cross of Golgotha, on Mt. Calvary, the LORD again provided for our greatest need by sending His only-begotten Son to take our place and suffer our just punishment. Jesus is that Lamb of God who was sacrificed for us upon the cross and made atonement for the sins of the world (cf. John 1:29; 1 John 2:1-2). And by His resurrection, we are assured that forgiveness for all our sins and life everlasting was won for us and are ours by faith in Christ Jesus, our Savior (cf. Rom. 4:23-25)!

We come to Mt. Calvary with our sins and with a sentence of death, but God stops us from paying the debt of our sins, spares us from the eternal death and punishment we so deserve, and then provides for us a sacrifice — His own dear Son. In Him, atonement is made; and through faith in Him, we have forgiveness and life!

Thank You gracious LORD for providing a sacrifice for our sins — Your only-begotten Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Amen.

Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the LORD lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.

[Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.]

I lay my sins on Jesus

Lyrics: Horatius Bonar / Tune: Aurelia by Samuel S. Wesley

1 I lay my sins on Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God;
He bears them all and frees us from the accursed load.
I bring my guilt to Jesus to wash my crimson stains
White in His blood most precious till not a spot remains.

2 I lay my wants on Jesus, all fulness dwells in Him;
He healeth my diseases, He doth my soul redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus, my burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases, He all my sorrows shares.

3 I rest my soul on Jesus, this weary soul of mine;
His right hand me embraces, I on His breast recline.
I love the name of Jesus, Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;
Like fragrance on the breezes, His name abroad is poured.

4 I long to be like Jesus, Meek, loving, lowly, mild;
I long to be like Jesus, the Father’s holy Child.
I long to be with Jesus amid the heav’nly throng
To sing with saints His praises, to learn the angels’ song. Amen.