devotions and reflections

Genesis 22:13 “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram ^[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 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 provide.”

Today’s lesson is how God renewed His covenant with Abraham. When God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, the great patriarch did not hesitate to obey Him who promised to multiply his descendants. Although Abraham didn’t prove himself blameless in his past but this time he had a stronger grip on God’s covenant. When Isaac asked where the lamb to be offered was, Abraham’s reply was “God will provide.” Remarkably, Isaac didn’t witheld himself from being offered to God. And as the patriarch raised the knife to kill Isaac, an angel stopped him and God indeed provided a ram to be sacrificed instead of Isaac. Right there and then God pronouced His renewed covenant to bless Abraham and multiply his offsprings.

In connection with this week’s topic “Atonement” here again God provided a ram as a sacrifice in place of Isaac. It emphasizes the Substitution of a sacrificial offering so that the subject will go free. How wonderful God’s love is!