Advent Foretold Day 3

Advent Foretold Day 3 - The seed, Jesus, promised in Genesis 3:15 would come from Abraham.

Genesis 12:3"....in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
Genesis 22:18 "...in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed."
God is revealing a bit more about His plan of the promised seed. He is making a big promise about Jesus coming from Abraham.


God makes this promise and then He has Abraham carry out what seems to be a strange act....until you examine it more closely. When Isaac is a young man God tells Abraham to take Isaac his son, his only son, whom he loves (sound familiar?) to the land of Moriah and make a sacrifice of him. God will reveal the exact mountain he is to go to when Abraham gets close. I am sure Abraham was taken aback, but Abraham had complete faith. He knew God made a promise about the descendents of his son Isaac. He also knew God did not lie. So either God would prevent the act of sacrifice or raise Isaac from the dead. Either way Abraham knew his God was faithful to His word and all powerful. The problem of keeping Isaac alive was God's problem, not his.

When they reached the mountain three days later Abraham laid the wood for the sacrifice across Isaac's shoulders. Isaac carried the wood up the mountain to the place he was to be sacrificed. Sound familiar? When Isaac asks where the "Lamb" for the burnt offering is Abraham answered with this...."My son, God will provide HIMSELF a LAMB for the burnt offering..." Genesis 22:8 KJV
As we know when Abraham raises his arm with the knife, showing his complete and utter obedience, God stops him and provides a ram for the sacrifice.

God's purpose for this event was twofold. One was to ensure that Abraham would withhold nothing from Him in complete obedience. BUT the bigger picture here is God wanted us to have a glimpse of a father willing to sacrifice his son out of love. Here is a detail of this event that thrills me. That mountain Isaac climbed with the wood across his back is the very same mountain that his descendent, our Lord and Savior, Messiah Jesus, climbed carrying the wood for his cross to become the ultimate sacrifice. It is the place where He would willingly provided HIMSELF as the LAMB to pay the penalty for our sins.
As we enjoy all the fun and festivities of this Christmas season, may we thank our Heavenly Father for the Ultimate CHRISTmas gift. May we keep the focus of this season on Him.