In Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus publicly condemned the cities of Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Chorazin, where he had performed most of his miracles, for their unrepentant spirit despite the wonderful works they had experienced through His ministry. However, concerned for their souls, Jesus said to them in verses 28-29 on this same chapter, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
And in Revelation 3:28, Jesus said to the church of Laodiceans, which is reflective of the church of today, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Jesus continually invites humans to partake of what He offers, for it is also His desire that all be saved and not lost. He knows, according to 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” As Paul discloses in this verse, a time is coming when the wrath of God will be on full display throughout the whole earth. However, God has provided an exit plan for the believers, and it is the rapture. Those of us who have accepted Jesus’s invitation will be caught up to meet Him in the air and taken to the third heaven, where we will enjoy heavenly bliss in the presence of God.
For anyone reading this blog who has not decided on your eternal destination, I, like Jesus, am extending an invitation to you to invite Him into your life. If you are having difficulty deciding to accept Christ as your Savior, let me share this vital piece of information. According to the scriptures, which never lie, things such as the turmoil in the world, climatic changes, lawlessness, famine, and deception are not going to get better; they are only going to get worse, and you will need a Savior to help you survive. Thus, my primary assignment is to evangelize the lost. I can witness to you and pray for you now, but after the rapture, I will no longer be available. So, while I am yet here, I urge you to accept the invitation. All it requires is acknowledging that you need Jesus and asking Him to come into your life, and He will willingly and lovingly do so. After that, find a church where you can grow in your faith and fellowship with fellow believers. Please know that when you do this, it is the best invitation you have ever accepted in your life, and welcome to the body of Christ
Today may be the day the rapture takes place. Though individuals have attempted to give a specific date in the past when this would occur, they have been proven wrong. Even Jesus, in Matthew 24, stated that he does not know when God will send him to get His bride, which is his body. Knowing this, and what is going to happen to the earth and its inhabitants after the rapture, causes me — and I pray you also — to be on the alert.
There are some who believe we are in the tribulation period now. I am not one of those; I think it is yet to come. I do not believe God means for the church to experience the tribulation trauma. Paul reveals in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” and Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
All the turmoil in the world, the climatic changes we are experiencing on earth, and the advancement of AI technology tells me that Jesus’ coming is imminent. I am expecting with great anticipation 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
I am attempting to be alert and sober because of these warnings:
1 Thessalonians 5:2-6 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
Luke 12:39-40 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Matthews 24:42-44 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Revelation 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
It is apparent that God wants believers to be watchful, sober, and ready; therefore, I am striving to do so and most assuredly to live rapture-ready.
Next week, our country, along with others, will celebrate Halloween on October 31, and citizens will do so in the manner their country has embraced. Here in America, children and adults who participate in Halloween activities usually dress up in funny, scary, or creative costumes. After ringing doorbells and saying “Trick or treat,” all kinds of candy, small toys, and other treats are given to the children at the various houses they visit. Additionally, some homes and yards are decorated with festive and spooky decorations to delight or scare the children.
With anticipation of what will happen next week, the children are getting excited, thinking about all the free candy they will receive. However, as I stated in previous blogs about Halloween, for believers, we understand this day means more than children going door to door in the community gathering candy. Unfortunately, during this time, some individuals will be introduced to the satanic cult and its various components, and others will die.
It has been reported that there has been a rise in missing children, and unfortunately, some of them may have been abducted and are being held captive to be used in a satanic ritual next week. Note that the Satanic cult believes that the blood sacrifice of an innocent individual is a required sign of devotion to Satan. Also egregious is the fact that some females are impregnated so that their newborn child can be offered as a sacrifice at this time.
Knowing all of this, the greatest thing that we believers can do is pray and ask God to intervene. Pray that uninformed believers will come to understand that Halloween means more than children trick-or-treating. Pray for Divine protection and the safety of children as they walk the dangerous streets on October 31. Pray that recruitment of the unsuspected by Satanists and witches will fail, and for the release of those innocent targeted victims who are appointed to die as a sacrifice. Pray all incantations, curses, and spells will come to naught. Also, pray for deliverance and salvation for those involved in the Satanic occult and witchcraft.
Remember, this warfare is not carnal; we are not fighting against flesh and blood but against Satan and his forces of evil, who are trying to entrap unsuspecting individuals. Praying together, we can advance the Kingdom of God and defeat the works of the adversary.
Finally, if you are unaware of the details of Halloween’s origin, you can find many articles online that provide information on its origins and the Biblical and Christian views of it.
There is a hymn called “I’ll Fly Away,” written by Albert E. Brumley in 1929, which, many years ago, in my youthful days, we sang in my church. The words of the song are, “Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away. To a home on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away. I’ll fly away, oh glory, I’ll fly away. When I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I’ll fly away. We sang this comforting hymn with the expectation that upon death, our life that was filled with unwanted challenges would cease, and we would be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Back then, I was not necessarily thinking about death, but because of my mother’s teaching on hell, the rapture of the saints, which I felt could occur at any time and eternity, I gave my life to God.
Many years have passed, and I am still living, but my mom and other saints, as mentioned in the song, have flown away. They have entered into eternity, having their fate sealed along with everyone who was ever born and died on the planet Earth. After death, there is no reincarnation; you do not have the opportunity to come back to Earth and relive your life. Therefore, we all need to live our lives with the understanding that the choices we make about accepting Jesus as our Savior will determine our eternal abode. If you accept Jesus as your Savior, you will spend eternity with Him, and if you choose not to accept Him after the White Throne Judgment, you will be placed in the lake of fire.
I believe one of the problems humans have is that they don’t understand eternity. For most of us, we understand beginnings and endings, but eternity, which is never-ending life, is really hard to fathom. The dictionary defines eternity as infinite or unending time, a state to which time has no application; timelessness; endless life after death; and a period of time that seems very long, mainly on account of being tedious or annoying. Please note the last phase of this definition, which says, “especially on account of being tedious or annoying.” This is what unbelievers will be experiencing as they join the antichrist, false prophet, and the devil in the lake of fire. Matthew 13:49-50 and Revelation 20:10,15 describes the eternal experience of this place like this, “ So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” and “The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” I know this is not a place that I would want to spend eternity in when there is an alternative that would provide me with joy, peace, and comfort.
God also does not want people to end up in the lake of fire, as stated in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” In not creating us robots but rather humans that have free will to choose, God has given us the ability to determine our eternal destination, and now is the time to do so. Remember, tomorrow is not promised to us. In your life, this is the most important thing for which you can plan, and I pray that, like me, you are making plans to be with Jesus
Paul, accompanied by Silas and Timothy, visited Thessalonica during his second missionary journey and established a church there before leaving. Furthermore, commentators believe the letters he wrote to the church in Thessalonica were the first of the thirteen epistles that Paul wrote. This letter, written around 51 A.D., was in response to the report of a misinterpretation of Jesus’s return that Paul received while laboring in Corinth.
In chapter two of Thessalonians, Paul clarifies his teaching on the second coming of Jesus. Apparently, after his departure, someone began erroneously teaching the new believers that the day of the Lord had occurred, along with some other false doctrines. Thus, he saw a need to provide correction. First, Paul informed the church that this event had not occurred and that they were not to be deceived, for prior to that time, there would be a falling away of believers, as stated in 2 Thessalonians 2:3a.
Furthermore, prior to his execution in Rome, Paul wrote “The Pastoral Epistles” to Timothy to encourage him in the pastoral care of the churches in Ephesus. From his statement in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 which said, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” leads me to speculate that the church in Ephesus and Thessalonica were experiencing a similar issue with believers. Satan used individuals within the church to affect the belief system of fellow believers, and consequently, they were accepting falsity and departing from the truth of kingdom teaching.
Many misinformed believers living during the time of both writings thought the end time was happening during their lifetime; however, it was not. They overlooked the teachings of Jesus, where He shared events that would occur before His return to the earth and emphasized that only God knew when that would be, according to Matthew 24:36.
As Jesus said and Paul reiterated, false teachers have increased, leading many believers today to be deceived and depart from the truth. If you are reading this blog and find yourself disenchanted with God, His Word, or the Church, I encourage you to pray and ask God to give you an understanding of the times, as we all need to be drawing closer to Him.
It has been almost 2000 years since Jesus departed this earth, and His coming into our earthly realm to rapture His body is imminent; now is not the time to fall away. I assure you that you do not want to be a resident on this earth after the rapture, and I’m leaving you with the words of the old hymn, “Come To Jesus.”
1 Come to Jesus, come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
2 He will save you, He will save you,
He will save you just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
3 He is able, He is able,
He is able just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
4 He is willing, He is willing,
He is willing just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
5 Come, confess Him, come, confess Him,
Come, confess His just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
6 Come, obey Him, come, obey Him,
Come, obey Him just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
7 He will hear you, He will hear you,
He will hear you just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
8 He’ll forgive you, He’ll forgive you,
He’ll forgive you just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
9 He will cleanse you, He will cleanse you,
He will cleanse you just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
10 Jesus loves you, Jesus loves you,
Jesus loves you just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
11 Only trust Him, only trust Him,
Only trust Him just now;
Just now come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus just now.
In my Abraham blog series, which begins in Genesis 11, I have covered the life of Abraham from age seventy-five to now, in Genesis 25, where he is one hundred and seventy-five years old. The blog began when Abraham was a productive senior, and it concludes with this last blog, marking the end of his life story.
This twenty-fifth chapter of Genesis opens with the revelation that Abraham took another wife named Keturah, who bore him six sons. The scriptures do not state the age of Abraham when this marriage occurred; however, he lived for thirty-eight years after the death of Sarah, and so I assume the marriage took place somewhere in that time period. For Abraham to have the ability to have more children is a testament to the power and favor of God in permitting an older man to be fruitful. The scripture reveals that Abraham gave gifts to these sons and sent them to live eastward, in the east country, which may explain why they were not present to participate in his burial. Moreover, upon Abraham’s death, Ishmael and Isaac dutifully came together to bury him, and as I previously stated, missing from the burial were the six sons of Keturah. It is also important to note that the scriptures do not record Ishmael or Isaac mourning over the death of Abraham.
Abraham’s story ends by informing readers of his lineage. His first son, Ishmael, whom he had with Hagar, the Egyptian handmaiden of Sarah, lived to be a hundred thirty-seven years old. He had twelve sons who were described as princes over nations that resided in their castles and towns from Havilah to Shur. This confirms the words of God to Abraham in Genesis 17 concerning him becoming the father of many nations, as seen in the numerous Arab nations that originated from Ishmael and Keturah’s sons. Also, in chapter seventeen, He told Abraham that Isaac was the heir of the covenant promise, and this chapter states that Isaac was the heir of Abraham’s estate.
Abraham’s story ends in verse eighteen, and then in verse nineteen of this chapter, the story of Isaac’s family begins with the proclamation of his marriage to Rebekah.
Here are my final nuggets from the story of Abraham:
With the help of God, you can be fruitful in your old age.
God is faithful to fulfill every promise that He makes to you.
The impact you have made on your children will be evident after your passing.
Children who live far away may not be able to travel the distance to attend their parents’ burial.
Children can bury their parents out of duty and still be devoid of an emotional attachment to them.
As I bring this series to an end, it is my prayer that you, the reader, have begun to examine the story of Abraham’s life in a different way. That you did not just see him as a man of faith but also a man with flaws that were detrimental to his family. Equally important, you were able to learn from his successes and failures, for after all is said and done, scripture is given for inspiration, instruction, and correction.
Genesis 24 shares the story of Abraham’s actions in securing a wife for his son, Isaac, from his family in Mesopotamia. Thus, the chapter opens with the fact that Abraham was an older man whom God richly blessed. Probably feeling that his time on earth was coming to an end, and with the continued absence of his son, Isaac, in his life, Abraham summoned his faithful long-time servant, Eliezer, and assigned him the task of going to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac from among his kindred.
Abraham made Eliezer swear that he would not secure Isaac a wife from the daughters of the Canaanites. Consequently, Eliezer was willing to do what Abraham desired; however, he asked, “Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?” Abraham cautioned him against taking Isaac to where his family resided. Further, he said, “The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.”
In this statement, Abraham shared his confidence in what God had done in his life and the promise that God made to him and his seed. He believed God would send an angel before Eliezer, and he would find a wife for Isaac. Howbeit, if the women did not want to come to the land of Canaan, Eliezer would be released from this responsibility.
As the story goes, after performing the ancient oath method of putting his hand under Abraham’s thigh, Eliezer loaded ten camels with goods and traveled 450 miles to Mesopotamia. Upon arrival, Eliezer stopped outside the city of Nahor by a well. Eliezer prayed this request and asked God to allow the damsel whom He had chosen as a wife for Isaac to give him some water to drink, and also to offer water for his camels.
Exactly, at that time, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, who was the grand-niece of Abraham, came to the well to get water for her family, and when Eliezer asked her for some water, she responded in the way he had prayed. After the camels had finished drinking the water, Eliezer, who was amazed at what occurred, gave Rebekah a golden earring and two bracelets. He questioned her about her family and whether he could lodge with them. Rebekah shared who her parents were and that there was room for Eliezer in their home. At that point, Eliezer bowed his head and worshipped the Lord. He said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
Rebekah ran back home and told her family about what happened at the well. When her brother Laban saw the gifts that his sister had received, he ran to the well to meet Eliezer and extended an invitation for Eliezer to come to their home. Upon arrival at the home, the camels were fed, and Eliezer and his traveling companion were given water to wash their feet. Before eating, Eliezer shared with them his mission. He told them about how God had blessed Abraham with wealth, about the birth of Isaac and his inheritance, and how Abraham wanted Isaac to marry a kindred. Furthermore, he shared Abraham’s confidence that God would prosper his errand and that he would find a wife for Isaac from amongst his father’s house.
Eliezer revealed the prayer he had prayed when he arrived at the well, and afterwards, all that happened between him and Rebekah. Then he asked the family if they were amenable toward Abraham’s request, and they said, “The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good.Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken.” Once again, Eliezer bowed and worshipped the Lord when he heard their response. Eliezer gave Rebekah clothing and jewelry of silver and gold. Plus, he gave Rebekah’s mother and brother, Laban, precious things.
After successfully accomplishing his assignment, Eliezer and his company ate and then rested for the night. The next morning, Eliezer asked to leave the family with Rebekah immediately; however, the family allowed her to make that decision, to which she willingly complied. With her nurse accompanying her, the family sent her off with this blessing, “Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.”
Following Eliezer on camels, they came to Beer-lahai-roi in the evening, where they spotted Isaac meditating in the field. Isaac looked up and saw the camels coming. Eliezer informed Rebekah that it was Isaac whom they saw, so she dismounted the camel and took a veil and covered herself. When they got to Isaac, Eliezer told him what he had done, and Isaac reacted favorably for the last verse in this chapter stated, “And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.”
As I have done in the past, I will share additional insight into this chapter before I share my nuggets. First, according to the scriptures, when Sarah died, she was one hundred twenty-seven years old. Isaac was approximately thirty-six years old, and Abraham was probably one hundred forty years old. Genesis 25:20 reveals that Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah; therefore, Isaac had been mourning the death of his mother for four years.
How many years Isaac had been estranged from Abraham was not stated. From the time Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac, there is no record of them meeting with one another. This was supported by the fact that Abraham did not involve him in the selection of his wife, Eliezer informed the unknowing Isaac of his actions in securing him a wife, and during this period of alienation from his father, Isaac remained in his mother’s tent.
Biblical historians revealed that placing your hand on the thigh of an individual as an oath was a serious act that could cause repercussions to you if not carried out as instructed.
Some facts relating to Rebekah are that the gifts that Eliezer gave to Rebekah and her family after she accepted his proposal were believed to be the expected dowry for a bride. Rebekah veiled herself before meeting Isaac because, in Eastern culture, women covered themselves with a veil, which denoted a sign of modesty, chastity, and subjection. A new bride never approached their husband unveiled and riding on an animal.
Now here are the nuggets I gained from Genesis 24:
When God makes a covenant with you, He will bring it to fruition.
Don’t cast away your confidence in God.
Pray for God’s intervention in the things you must accomplish.
Always express your thankfulness to God for answering your prayer and ordering your steps in the right direction.
You never know what your charitable acts will yield.
Seeing your wealth often causes strangers to be accommodating to your needs.
When an individual is courteous to you, in return, be courteous to them.
Before pleasure, take care of business.
Behind the actions of man is the providential hand of God.
Loving companionship can be comforting when a person is grieving.
Years had passed since the test of offering Isaac as a sacrifice, and Abraham had still not reunited with Sarah and Isaac. The words, “I’m sorry I did not tell you what God spoke to me, please forgive me, but I knew I had to obey God and I was trusting him for the life of Isaac,” were not spoken. And now in Kirjatharba, better known as Hebron, Sarah, at a hundred and twenty-seven years old, is dead, and a bittersweet reunion between her and Abraham never took place.
This blog, centered around the purchase of a burial place for Sarah, reveals that upon receiving word of Sarah’s death, Abraham traveled the twenty-six miles from Beersheba to Hebron, where he mourned and wept for Sarah. No doubt, when Abraham saw the body of his wife, he had many regrets over his failures and the years of separation from her.
Abraham spoke to the sons of Heth, who owned the land, concerning the purchase of property to bury Sarah. Recognizing and acknowledging Abraham’s status, they allowed him to select which sepulchre he wanted to purchase. After making his selection, Abraham asked the men to negotiate for him with Ephron, the son of Zohar, who owned the cave of Machpelah, located at the end of his property. Additionally, Abraham was willing to pay the asking price for it.
Ephron responded positively in the Bedouin bargaining manner to Abraham’s request and said, “Nay, my lord, hear me: the field give I thee, and the cave that is therein, I give it thee; in the presence of the sons of my people give I it thee: bury thy dead.” First bowing in respect and then rising and speaking, Abraham agreed to pay the stated amount of four hundred shekels of silver for the purchase. The transaction was completed at the gate of the city, in the presence of the sons of Heth. For this transaction, Abraham acquired the field, the cave, and all the trees within its borders, and then Abraham buried Sarah in the newly purchased cave of Machpelah.
According to biblical scholars, Abraham initially sought to purchase only the cave for a burial plot; however, Ephron sold Abraham the cave and the surrounding field due to Hittite law. The land and cave were considered a unit, which required the owner to pay feudal obligations. If the cave were the only thing sold, Ephron would be responsible for the feudal obligations, which he apparently did not want to assume; therefore, he required Abraham to purchase the entire unit. This purchase for Abraham, who lived the life of a nomad in Canaan, was the first actual property that his family would own. By purchasing land, Abraham was indicating that he and his family intended to continue living in Canaan. Thus, in the future, the cave of Machpelah served as the burial ground for not just Sarah, but also Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob.
From the scripture, I also noted that Isaac was not present during the purchase of the land or the burial of his mother, Sarah.
Here are the nuggets I gained from Genesis 23:
While you are living, it is never too late to explain why you acted the way you did to those you may have offended.
Sometimes people allow death to occur without resolving issues.
Make amends with loved ones before they die.
People do not necessarily have to accept your reasoning.
The absence of family members during a burial can be a sign of unresolved family issues.
When possible, people will eliminate financial obligations.
When you give respect, you will receive respect in return.
Apostle Paul in his writings (Galatians 3:6-9, Romans 4:11-12) noted that Abraham was known as the “father of faith” because of the example he displayed in Genesis 22. In that chapter, God tested Abraham with an order that said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”
As I pondered this order, I wondered if Abraham’s previous actions led God to this point. From Genesis 11 to Genesis 20 the scriptures revealed Abraham as being a man of secrets and often wavering in his faith. Unfortunately, during his time of wavering, his family was negatively impacted, and God repeatedly had to come to their rescue. In this blog, I will share how Abraham displayed his faith and trust in God and passed God’s test; however, his approach caused irreparable damage to his family.
Early in the morning, choosing to obey the directive he received from God, Abraham took Isaac, two of his young servants, and his ass saddled with wood and started on their journey. Arriving at their destination three days later, Abraham instructed his servants to stay with the ass while he and Isaac went further on. Abraham gave Isaac the wood to carry, while he carried the fire and knife. Seeing they had no sacrificial lamb, Isaac questioned his father about the missing sacrifice, to which Abraham replied, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
When they arrived at the place of sacrifice, Abraham built an altar, laid the wood on it, bound Isaac on it, and lifted the knife to slay Isaac. At that moment, an angel from heaven stopped him and said, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” Looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught in the bushes behind him, and he replaced his son with it. The scriptures state, “Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.”
After the sacrifice was completed, the angel again called to Abraham and told him that because of his obedience to offer up his only son, God would bless him greatly, his seed would be numerous as the stars and the sand, and they would possess the gate of their enemies. When the communication with the angel ended, Abraham, with Isaac notably missing, returned to his two servants, and they went to Beersheba, where he took up residence.
Genesis 22 ends with the lineage of Abraham’s brother Nahor being shared with the name of Rebekah, Nahor’s granddaughter and Issac’s future wife being revealed in the text.
Before I share my nuggets, I will share my commentary on this chapter. I believe Abraham received instructions from God that he should have shared with his wife. Since Sarah had to wait so long to bear a child, I am sure she would have protested Abraham’s actions; however, this could have been Abraham’s opportunity to build Sarah’s faith in God.
Isaac’s age at this time was not stated. I assume he was possibly in his teen years. He probably had a good, loving relationship with his father and trusted him with his life. Also, he probably thought he was on a nice sacrificial trip with his father. When Isaac questioned Abraham about the sacrifice, Abraham probably did not want to scare Isaac by telling him that it was him. Unbeknownst to what was going to occur during the last legs of the journey, Isaac carried the heaviest items. He became the burden bearer and, without realizing it, walked with his father into a difficult place.
I believe Isaac was traumatized as his father tied him up and placed him on the altar. His trust in his father was shattered, and when he was released, he did not wait to accompany his father off the mountain. He probably ran most of the three-day journey home and then told his mother, Sarah, what had transpired. Abraham did not return home to face the wrath of Sarah, and according to the scripture, he never saw his wife alive again. Sadly, after all the years they were together, their later years ended with them separated.
Now, here are the nuggets I gleaned from this chapter:
When God tests you, He may require you to give up something that is very valuable to you.
Unless God advises otherwise, it is best to share information that could gravely affect your loved ones.
Ask God how to approach those who are connected to your destiny with vital information.
Let your testimony build others to trust God as much as you do.
Delaying doing a difficult task does not make it easier to do.
Answer difficult questions.
Keeping secrets can be detrimental to your future.
Some sacrifices have to be tied up before they are offered.
There are rewards for being obedient and passing the test.
God is our Jehovahjireh.
The Teacher's Pick 