God Provided the Lamb
Has your world shattered and left you with no hope for your marriage?
“Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.” (Genesis 22:8)
God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. The heart-rending, faith-testing story begins with a journey. Two servants, a donkey and Isaac accompany Abraham on the trek. At one point, the father and son go on alone. That’s when Isaac asks, “The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (22:7)
How could Abraham answer his son’s question? In faith, he replies, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (22:8) At that moment, Abraham had no idea how God would provide, nor did he realize that Jesus Christ would fulfill the prophetic words he spoke.
You see, not only did God provide a ram for Abraham to sacrifice, instead of his son Isaac (Genesis 22:13); He also provided the perfect Lamb as a sacrifice for our sins.
The New Testament tells us:
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)
“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
Although we sinned and deserved the punishment of death, God Himself provided the Lamb. Jesus became a sin offering for us. His perfect life and innocent death atoned for our sins.
Heavenly Father, thank you for providing the Lamb–Jesus Christ–as the atoning sacrifice for my sin. Holy Spirit, change me through this great truth. Amen
Questions: Why should we remember Abraham’s willingness to offer his son? How does knowing that the account of Abraham and Isaac foreshadows Jesus’ sacrifice change your understanding of the Old Testament story?
3 Responses to “God Provided the Lamb”
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Dear CJ,
You ask a good question; it is the central aspect of our faith. When God created Adam & Eve they had a perfect relationship with God – they lived in the garden He created and walked & talked with Him face to face. But then they sinned and broke that relationship. Because God is completely holy and righteous, no one sinful can be in His presence.
The New Testament tells us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) It isn’t just Adam & Eve who sinned, but each and every human being has sinned. So we all have a broken relationship with God.
Throughout the ages people have been trying to fix that relationship with God – by following religious rules, by doing good deeds, by hoping their good deeds outweigh their bad ones, by making up their own ideas of how to reach God – but none of these things change the fact that they’ve sinned.
God says that the punishment for sin is death, “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Not just physical death, but eternal separation from God.
We need to recognize just how desperate our situation is. There is nothing I can do to “fix” or “get rid” of my sin.
But what I could not do – God did!
If someone who had never sinned died, He would pay the price/suffer the punishment for the one who had sinned. Jesus – God Himself – became a man and lived a perfect life, so His death paid the penalty for sin. His resurrection gives us the power to live a new life.
The rest is up to us. Will I admit that I am a sinner and there is nothing I can do to save myself? Will I believe that Jesus’ death paid for my sin? Will I accept His sacrifice and surrender my life to Him? Will I allow His Holy Spirit to change me, acknowledging I can’t change myself?
I encourage you to search the Bible, reading all you can and asking God to make His truth clear to you. Please let me pray for you.
Holy God, thank you for CJ and her desire to know You. Remind her of the truth in Your word. Help her to read the Bible, to pray, to meet together with other believers and to put what You want first in her life. Help her to understand Jesus’ sacrifice. Show her how to trust You for the parts that she doesn’t understand. Give her the joy she had when she first believed. Amen.
Suzanne- I am totally in love with Jesus and have walked with Him for a very long time. When I first became His disciple it was so easy for me to believe and understand His sacrifice for me. I could talk to other people so openly and was never discouraged by their unbelief. Now I find myself unable to explain how Jesus took my sins on the cross. Not only to myself- but certainly not to others! I felt convicted by your article because I know His sacrifice is the whole crux of Christianity. My carnal mind does not understand how He could take our sins. Please explain this in a way to me that will bring back my fire to tell other peopled why they should follow Christ. I believe the substitution by faith, but I am so confused and God is not the author of confusion. Thank you so very much for helping your sister in Christ.
I often think about whether I’d be willing to sacrifice a son. Oh, to have the faith of Abraham! Then I recall that the faith of a mustard seed is a great place to start. Thanks for the Words of Truth, Suzanne!