ABRAHAM

 *06/09/2020*


THANKSGIVING SERVICE


THEME: *ANGELS: MESSENGERS OF GOD*


TOPIC: *ANGELS MINISTERED TO MANY PEOPLE*


SUB-TOPIC: *ABRAHAM*


Text: Genesis 22:11-18


*#on the mountain with Isaac#*

*the Angel of the LORD:* An appearance of God (Genesis 16:7; compare Genesis 24:7; 48:16). At the last moment, God spoke to *Abraham* from heaven; twice He called out his name.

*Do not lay your hand:* The words used demanded an instant response. Abraham was just about to strike his son, then God stopped his hand (Genesis 15:1).

*now I know:* Certainly God knew ahead of time how this event would end. But in these words, God stood beside His servant Abraham, experiencing each moment with him and applauding his *complete trust* (Genesis 18:19). The term for *fear* means to hold God in awe; this is the central idea of piety in the Bible (Exodus 20:20; Proverbs 1:7).

With his attention solely on the awful task at hand, Abraham had not seen the *ram* until he looked for it. In an amazing manner, his earlier words of God's provision came to pass (Genesis 22:8). The wonderful name *The-LORD-Will-Provide* is developed from the faith statement of Abraham to Isaac in Genesis 22:8. Compare the name of faith that Hagar gave to the Lord, "The-God-Who-Sees" (Genesis 16:13). As God provided a ram instead of Abraham's son, so one day He would provide His own Son! *Moriah is where Jerusalem and later the temple were built. And it was at Jerusalem that the Saviour would die*

*Genesis 22:15-18* is one of the texts that contain the Abrahamic covenant (see the list at Genesis 15:1-21) - *God's unbreakable promise to create a nation through Isaac*

*By Myself I have sworn* means "By Myself I swear" or "I bring Myself under complete obligation". When a man took an oath, it was considered unchangeable (Genesis 25:33). *When God took an oath, His eternity guaranteed the fulfillment of His word*

*blessing I will bless you:* The doubling of these verbs and the ones that follow ( *multiplying l will multiply*) is a Hebrew idiom that powerfully emphasizes the certainty of the action.

*as the stars ...as the sand:* This use of hyperbole or exaggeration on God's part (Genesis 15:5; 13:16) must have overwhelmed Abraham. In ancient walled cities, the structure protecting the *gate* was the most important to control the gate was to control the city. Later, the blessing of her family on Rebekah would contain the same prayer for her (Genesis 24:60). At times the term *seed* refers to a large number of descendants (as in Genesis 13:16); at other times it refers to one unique descendant, the Coming One (Galatians 3:16). Here it is a grandplay on words: The seed was Isaac; and by extension the Jewish nation; and the Seed was also Jesus.


*Copyright 2020. The Ecumenican Church Nigeria*

Instagram: *@ecumenicanchurch*

WhatsApp: *+2348052366039*

*www.johnifesanya.blogspot.com*

*#TEC#*

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