Lessons from Mount Moriah
Lessons from Mount Moriah
Genesis 22:1-18.
Genesis 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
The chapter opens with a set of instructions from God to Abraham for the test and confirmation of his faith in God. One may ask why God would need to prove this man despite being an all-knowing God. Another question would be that despite all that this man had sacrificed such as leaving his father’s family behind in Terah, letting go of Ishmael, and so on, now when it seems everything was going smoothly, God springs up a surprise in asking the most daunting of all request to Abraham- “Genesis 22:2 And he 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. Abraham was to offer his only beloved son in a rather unusual way by killing and burning him. He’s never had to kill a human being this way before, and now, killing his only beloved child? Maybe it would have even been better like in the case of Job when the children were casualties of a natural occurrence and he only had to live with the loss, and not the guilt that it was from his own hands.
Nevertheless, Abraham was unfazed, sure of God’s voice, and trustful of God, he immediately sprung to action- Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. From that day, even though God later stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, something shifted in Abraham’s mind regarding Isaac. Isaac was no longer his, but God’s. This is the state the Lord would have you reach so His power and glory can fully manifest in you.
We will not be adjudged successful in the test of faith until we offer up all the beloved, precious, and invaluable treasures of our life to God- Philippians 3:8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Another painstaking lesson is in Isaac’s submission. Isaac was very sure of Abraham’s love, and he was assured that Abraham would not do anything that was not in his favor. He trusted his father even at the gory thought of a blade going through his neck and never resisted or pleaded for a rethink. It is quite laudable for us to see Christ this way. We ought to rest our dependence and livelihood on the Lord, knowing fully well that He has us wrapped in His loving arms and He does all things to our favor- Romans 14:7-8 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. The practical demonstration of this is seen in the lives of the patriarchs who were never afraid of loss, imprisonment, or gruesome death for the sake of Christ. The Lord does not require less of us. We need to check ourselves and understand that even though our society seems more civilized and opposes capital punishment for religious affiliations, there are subtle arcades of death and deprivations where the defense of our faith is being questioned every day. We would fail a thousand times unless our hearts are settled on this unmistakable surrenderness to the Lord’s purpose for us and His unquestionable handling of our lives as He pleases.
More than a song by Dunsin Oyekan
I have more than a song
Today I brought myself
I am the sacrifice
I have more than a song
Today, I brought myself
I am Your worship
Lord receive
This living sacrifice
I am Your worship
Accept this living sacrifice
I am Your worship.
