JEHOVAH-JIREH & Abraham

GENESIS 22:1-18                                            

 

Pastor Rick Jackson

 

The term "JEHOVAH-JIREH" only appears once in the Scriptures and that is right here in our text. In the strictest sense it is the name of a place not a title for God but Abraham's intent was to name a place bearing testimony of who God is and what He will do. Jehovah, or more properly, Yahweh is the eternal, self-existent One without beginning or end. "Jireh" is a form of the verb "to see" and is usually translated "see" or "appear" in the Old Testament. How it became synonymous with "God will provide" should be made clear during this message.

 

I. UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD WAS NOT DOING!

 

1. GOD WAS NOT: Approving Human Sacrifice- He knew what He was going to do! [v.8-9]

 

Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

"It was not Isaac's life that God wanted; it was Abraham's heart, and He got it!" Lehman Strauss

 

2. GOD WAS NOT: Tempting Abraham to do evil [Gn. 22:1, Daniel 1:12, James 1:13]

 

-Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

-Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

 

3. GOD WAS NOT: Proving Abraham’s faith to Himself - He was testing/proving Him before men. [Jm. 2:18-24, Rm. 4:1-3]

 

Did Abraham love Yahweh as much as the heathen loved their false gods? (remember Job and Satan, the test was good for Job, proved something to Satan and us)

-Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith , Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only

-What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

 

"God never puts us to the test until: we are ready for it and He has made preparation for our victory." -L.S.

 

II. THE SUCCESS OF ABRAHAM    Abraham was not a success because he was some super-perfect Christian

 

1. Abraham didn't fully understand but he fully trusted. [Heb. 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.

 

2. Abraham didn't fully understand but he fully submitted [James 2:23, Is. 41:8, John 15:14]

 

-And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

-But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.

-Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

 

3. Abraham didn't fully understand but he fully worshipped [Gn. 22:5,  

 

1st use of English "worship" in the Bible, Hebrew word twice before as “bowed” 18:2, 19:1

 

"When the heart is right in God's sight, no sacrifice is too great to offer Him, and this is the only kind of worship He accepts." -L.S.

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

III. THE PROVISION OF GOD

 

The word "provision" comes from two words [pro=before, vision=to see] and thus means to see beforehand. God sees all things beforehand (an attribute we call foreknowledge) and then He prepares and provides beforehand (ex. the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world). So Abraham was saying "the Lord will see to it", i.e., "the Lord will provide!"

 

1. He provided Abraham a glimpse of Jesus. [Gn. 22:8, 14 future tense, Jn. 8:56]

 

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

 

2. He provided us examples of behavior [1 Cor. 10:11, 2 Pet. 2:6]

 

-Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

-And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

 

3. He provided all with the means of for pleasing Him [Heb. 11:6, 39-40, Rm. 8:28, 32]

 

-But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

-And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

-And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

-He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?