Bond of Faith
Read This Week: Genesis 22
Abraham looked up, and there in a thicket, he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day, it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.” – Genesis 22:13-18 NIV
As we have already discussed, Genesis is full of stories that people who claim no affiliation with Christianity or Judaism know. Chapter 22 presents us with another one of those, the account of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It is a pivotal narrative in this study of Genesis and the Bible. It is a gripping and agonizing story that captures a father’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God’s command. Sounds familiar to another story in Scripture, doesn’t it? This chapter is also deep in its significance to the covenant God made with Abraham which some refer to in the Hebrew as Akedah, which means “binding or a bond.” It is a bond of promise and faith.
The section begins with God testing Abraham by instructing him to take Isaac to the region of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering. Despite this command’s profound emotional and moral challenges, Abraham demonstrates unwavering faith and obedience. Early the next morning, he sets out with Isaac, two servants, and the necessary provisions for the sacrifice. Verse 3 says:
Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him.
Upon reaching the designated place, Abraham builds an altar and arranges the wood for the offering. As he prepares to sacrifice Isaac, an angel of the Lord intervenes, calling out to Abraham and preventing him from harming his son. The angel commends Abraham for his obedience and then Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son (v.13).
Yes, the central theme here revolves around the testing of Abraham’s faith, but it also highlights the Akedah, or the bond of faith rooted in his covenant with God. Abraham trusts God and believes in his promises; he sees them as binding, most especially the promise of his son, Isaac. So when God’s command challenges the very core of Abraham’s relationship with Him, his bond of faith allows him to surrender to the God’s will, no matter the request or outcome. This unimaginable test produced lasting trust in their bond and would reveal the faith God had established and developed in Abraham. He was finally ready to trust the Lord with everything.
Abraham’s unquestioning obedience and trust in God’s plan stand out. Despite not understanding the reasons behind the Lord’s decree, he remains faithful, believing that God will keep and fulfill His promises in His way. And just like God always comes through for us and upholds his promises at crucial moments in our lives, He provides a ram for sacrifice, sparing Isaac’s life. This event emphasizes God’s bond of faithfulness and provision. It reiterates that the Father will always provide for those who trust and obey Him.
This chapter challenges us to reflect on our own faith and obedience to God. It prompts questions about the extent of our commitment to Christ and the willingness to surrender everything, even the most precious aspects of life, to follow Jesus. This story of Abraham and the bond of faith also encourages us to trust in God’s sovereignty, even in the midst of challenging and seemingly impossible situations.
Genesis Chapter 22 Verse 6
Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on [the shoulders of] Isaac, his son, and he took the fire (the firepot) in his own hand, and a knife; and the two of them went on together.
Genesis Chapter 22 Verse 7
And Isaac said to Abraham, My Father! And He said, Here I am, my son, [Isaac] said, See, Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt sacrifice?
Genesis Chapter 22 Verse 8
Abraham said, my son, God Himself will provide a lamb for the burnt offering. So the two went on together.
~Building Trust And Faith~
God Is Saying To Me:
Just like Jesus knew that He must sacrifice His own life for the redemption of mankind, Abraham must trust God with his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice of obedience and offering of redemption by faith in the supernatural realm. Jesus carried His cross to His demise and Isaac carries wood to his sacrificial offering site too. Both scenarios depict complete obedience to Me with complete faith that somehow I will miraculously intervene with the raising of the dead to fulfill the covenant pledge and bring the descendants promise full circle for the greater good of all mankind!
What This Means To Me:
Abraham fully understood the lengths of faithfulness and obedience to God. He has interacted with God enough already to know that Father God has been faithful to Him and that faith is blind trust in knowing that obedience brings results. Abraham doesn’t worry whether or not Isaac will somehow be spared death. Instead, He is quick to respond to God’s calling and request to produce a burn offering and leaves the logistics of how it’s all going to turn out to God. We all can learn something from this story. Let us learn to be rapid responders, trust God wholeheartedly and leave all of the details of God’s request of us up to Him. He is faithful, just, righteous and upstanding in his promises and detail of His answers for us. Thank you God that you already know every detail of every task that is asked of us and only want obedient responses to the task at hand. ❤️
This is a awesome song
When we put Father God first all day long we’re blessed
First
By Laren daigle
Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart
Before I lift my cares
I will lift my arms
I wanna know You
I wanna find You
In every season
In every moment
Before I bring my need
I will bring my heart
And seek You
First
I wanna seek You, I wanna seek You
First
I wanna keep You, I wanna keep You
First
More than anything I want, I want You
First
Before I speak a word
Let me hear Your voice
And in the midst of pain
Let me feel Your joy, ooh
I wanna know You
I wanna find You
In every season
In every moment
Before I speak a word
I will bring my heart
And seek You
First
I wanna seek You, I wanna seek You
First
I wanna keep You, I wanna keep You
First
More than anything I want, I want You
First
You are my treasure and my reward
Let nothing ever come before
You are my treasure and my reward
Let nothing ever come before
I seek You
First
(I wanna seek You)
First
I wanna seek You, I wanna seek You
First
I wanna keep You, I wanna keep You
First
More than anything I want, I want You
First
First
Genesis 22:1Now after these things, God tested [the faith and commitment of] Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” 2 God said, “Take now your son, your only son [of [a]promise], whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of [b]Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
It’s all about our faith
Desiring to put Him first every day!
God allows testing in our life for us to see how much we love Him are we committed to Him!
Our faith grows stronger and stronger as we go through situations with a heart that is open to Him to listen and obey knowing He knows and He will guide us in the right direction.
We can learn from the people in the Bible what to do and what not to do.
We have a calling on our life there will be things in our life that Father God wants us to give up! Do we love those things more than we love Him?
We may not have the same test as Abraham but our heart will be tested for us to see if we love something or someone more than Him!
Abraham made lots of mistakes but he learned from them and got closer to Him over time
That’s all I believe what Father God wants is for us to want to get closer to him learn from your mistakes and put God first in Your ❤️
Father God was saying to me
That’s all I ever wanted a relationship with my children!
I’m always calling out to see see who would say Here I am Father
Let us do life together!
I have so much work today with you
But I do need you to listen and respond to what I am calling you to do.
Today is a new day just be willing to say yes to do something great!
Thank you Father God, Jesus and Your Holy Spirit that is always here just waiting for us to say
Here I am please help me in all I do that it would be pleasing to Your Heart ❤️
I’m willing to keep learning and growing everyday with You!
I love you and thank you that you never fix
Be up on me!
Love you your daughter
When God beckons, do you respond, or does He encounter a busy signal? It’s simple to become preoccupied with seemingly important matters, inadvertently overlooking the truly significant ones, like answering the divine calls.
I strive to be Ever Ready, wholeheartedly Willing, and steadfastly Able.
Ready: Always attuned to God’s guidance.
Willing: Cultivating trustworthiness to assure God’s reliance.
Able: Leaning on God’s wisdom and strength to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
1. Always respond promptly when God calls.
2. Embrace a willingness to follow the Lord wherever He leads.
3. Acknowledge God’s ability, even when the situation appears insurmountable—know that God is a miraculous worker.
God wanted me to really focus on Genesis 22 verse 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
He said to me on this:
“How far would you go to test your faith? Would you put yourself in harms way? I would never ask this of you but I want you to see how strong your faith can be. I ask for your heart and your love, and only when you are ready.”
God knows our heart and knows exactly how we will respond and react to Him. He never gives us anything we are not able to handle. The only variable is OUR ability to give Him our full trust. When we do, we have peace. Thank you God.
This Week in the Life: Genesis 22
For the best experience, we suggest you listen to the first song, the message, and the second song.
1. Sunday Worship – First Song: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231210-Worship1.wav
2. Sunday Message: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231210-Message.wav
3. Sunday Worship – Second Song: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/20231210-Worship2.wav
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