God Provides For Us

Genesis 22

The writer of James 1:2-4 says that, “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” God tests us to grow our faith in Him. In this section, God tests Abraham to sacrifice his only son and passes the test. Trust in God produces unusual results.

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There are two lessons we can take away from this chapter to help our walk of faith:

#1. God blesses those who put their trust in Him. (Genesis 22:1-19)

The foremost lesson from this chapter is that God Almighty blesses people who place their confidence in Him. Abraham trusted God so much that He was ready to sacrifice His son for Him. In the mind of Abraham, I can guess that he reasoned, “If God can give me a son in old age against all odds, why can’t He give me another child in place of Isaac. In any case, He chose Isaac but now He wanted him for sacrifice, why should I argue about this?” It was a tough decision but Abraham had so much faith in God. He took immediate action to honour God’s word. God gave him a ram for the sacrifice and spared his son. When God tests us, we must not fail. You will never progress until you pass the test. What God may require of us may be extremely difficult but He can give us more than that.

#2. God grants common grace to people who are outside His chosen people. (Genesis 22:20-24)

The second lesson is that God grants common grace to people who are outside His chosen people. Abraham was told that Nahor, his brother, had given birth to children. First, it was to show that God does not only favour the righteous but also the unrighteous. Second, just as the righteous grow in number, the unrighteous also grow in number. Eventually, Abraham’s blessing will reach out to the unrighteous and turn them to God. Isaac had the opportunity to marry Rebecca and Jacob married Leah and the sister. The increase of the unrighteous does not undermine God’s plans. It strengthens His global reach for Abraham to be the father of many nations.

Abraham’s faith was tested, strengthened and God provided for him a lamb for sacrifice. He further increases the unrighteous so that His purpose for Abraham to be the source of blessing will be achieved. He is absolutely in charge of everything.

Take Action: Ask God for obedience to His word.