Daily Bible Portion (Friday)
Daily Bible Portion - 6 of 7
"AND HE APPEARED"
(Weekly Reading>>>Genesis 18:1-22:24, 2 Kings 4:1-23, Luke 17:26-37, Romans 4:13-25; 9:6-9, Hebrews 11:13-19)
At one hundred and thirty-seven years old, Abraham was guided by Yahweh to take the long awaited, promised son, Isaac, now thirty-seven years old, to offer him as an korban olah (elevation offering) to Yahweh. Abraham had many trials before, but this trial would test his faith in Yahweh thoroughly. How many of us would be able to walk honoring Yahweh as Abraham honored, especially if we had an only son as Abraham did? Yet, this is what Yahweh was asking of him. The test for us is whether or not we truly believe in the faithfulness of the gospel of Yahweh? Do we believe in His Covenant over us and do we believe He will fulfill His destiny in us? Trusting the most precious blessing of our lives to Yahweh would test us to the very core. If we believe in Yahweh’s promises, faith will have us look at the directives as seeing ourselves in His prophesied word before they become reality to us, and when there is no earthly certainty. The truth is in what Yahweh says. Our job is to keep our eyes on the promises above and not on things below.
To give his son up totally was the test that Abraham was facing. Yahweh was saying in essence “Do you love Me Abraham?” It is in total submission to Yahweh that we have LIFE. In our death to self, is our life.
More importantly Isaac, being Abraham’s firstborn, was a first fruits offering. Pastor Robert Morris taught that the firstborn is the redemption portion. The first portion has the power to redeem the rest. It is the principle of putting God first and the principle of obedient faith that initiates the blessings. It is the trigger. There was much more at stake, when Abraham offered his firstborn son Isaac. You will notice that Abraham did not wait to see if he had 10 sons before he gave his first one. Nor did God go to Abraham when he only had Isaac and say, “After you have had four or five more sons, I’m going to come to you and ask you for one of them.” No, God asked for the first when one was all he had! Abraham had only the promise of having more sons. It took walking out faith in the gospel for Abraham to offer Isaac.
If Abraham held back offering Isaac that would have been his only offering. When Abraham obeyed the principle of the firstborn, multiplication of the firstborn (us) took place, thus we are accorded as Abraham’s seed.
Both Abraham and Isaac totally believe in Yahweh’s principles. Abraham, after walking with Yahweh these many years through many trials of faith, was now able to offer up his only son. Isaac, at his age, was old enough to resist his father. He too believed and surrendered totally to Yahweh’s principles of the firstborn. Out of wisdom and respect he had for his father, Isaac allowed himself to be bound and placed on the altar in agreement with Yahweh. They were both of one heart and mind. By faith in the gospel they both approached the altar and in a way, they both placed themselves on it. To have a walk as close as Abraham and Isaac did with the Living Torah meant that they knew there was life even beyond death.
This story is foreshadowing the Lamb of God, Yeshua the Messiah, the only Son of the Father. He submitted Himself as a firstfruits living sacrifice completely and willingly on the altar/stake in obedience to His Father. Why? Scripture says that the firstborn (Yeshua/Jesus) belongs to Yahweh and is to be sacrificed, but if the firstborn is unclean (us) it had to be redeemed. How? The unclean is redeemed by a clean spotless lamb (Exodus 13:2, 13:12-13).
Yeshua, also being in His thirties, rode a donkey to the same place as Abraham and Isaac; and carried his own wood up the mountain, the same mountain that Abraham sacrificed his son on. That same place was one of the mountains in the land of Moriah called the Mount of Olives.
Yeshua, the clean firstfruits korban olah offering completely lay down His life as a sacrifice to redeem us.
The substitute ram whose head was caught in a thicket, took the place of Isaac, and was a prophetic picture of Yeshua having His head crowned with thorns before his sacrifice. It was Yeshua who took away the sins of the people once and for all. He is the eternal lamb sacrifice who died as our substitution for the death that we deserved for our sins. He rose to life on the third day and will not return again until He comes for His Bride.
After this, Isaac did not return with his father after the sacrifice. We do not see Isaac in scripture again until his bride approaches. Had Isaac gone to prepare a place for her as the Messiah has gone to prepare a place for His Bride?
continues tomorrow...
"AND HE APPEARED"
(Weekly Reading>>>Genesis 18:1-22:24, 2 Kings 4:1-23, Luke 17:26-37, Romans 4:13-25; 9:6-9, Hebrews 11:13-19)
At one hundred and thirty-seven years old, Abraham was guided by Yahweh to take the long awaited, promised son, Isaac, now thirty-seven years old, to offer him as an korban olah (elevation offering) to Yahweh. Abraham had many trials before, but this trial would test his faith in Yahweh thoroughly. How many of us would be able to walk honoring Yahweh as Abraham honored, especially if we had an only son as Abraham did? Yet, this is what Yahweh was asking of him. The test for us is whether or not we truly believe in the faithfulness of the gospel of Yahweh? Do we believe in His Covenant over us and do we believe He will fulfill His destiny in us? Trusting the most precious blessing of our lives to Yahweh would test us to the very core. If we believe in Yahweh’s promises, faith will have us look at the directives as seeing ourselves in His prophesied word before they become reality to us, and when there is no earthly certainty. The truth is in what Yahweh says. Our job is to keep our eyes on the promises above and not on things below.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, The evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
James 2:20-26 “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith [belief] without works [without walking in the Kingdom principles] is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works [walking out the principles of the gospel] when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works [because Abraham trusted so much in the gospel principles that he walked in them], and by works [walking in the instructions found in the gospel] faith [belief] was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed [obeyed] God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works [application of the gospel], and not by faith [believing in the gospel] only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith [believing in the gospel] without works [without acting out the instructions found in the gospel] is dead also.”
To give his son up totally was the test that Abraham was facing. Yahweh was saying in essence “Do you love Me Abraham?” It is in total submission to Yahweh that we have LIFE. In our death to self, is our life.
More importantly Isaac, being Abraham’s firstborn, was a first fruits offering. Pastor Robert Morris taught that the firstborn is the redemption portion. The first portion has the power to redeem the rest. It is the principle of putting God first and the principle of obedient faith that initiates the blessings. It is the trigger. There was much more at stake, when Abraham offered his firstborn son Isaac. You will notice that Abraham did not wait to see if he had 10 sons before he gave his first one. Nor did God go to Abraham when he only had Isaac and say, “After you have had four or five more sons, I’m going to come to you and ask you for one of them.” No, God asked for the first when one was all he had! Abraham had only the promise of having more sons. It took walking out faith in the gospel for Abraham to offer Isaac.
If Abraham held back offering Isaac that would have been his only offering. When Abraham obeyed the principle of the firstborn, multiplication of the firstborn (us) took place, thus we are accorded as Abraham’s seed.
Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Galatians 3:29 “And if you are Christ’s/Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:29 “And if you are Christ’s/Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Both Abraham and Isaac totally believe in Yahweh’s principles. Abraham, after walking with Yahweh these many years through many trials of faith, was now able to offer up his only son. Isaac, at his age, was old enough to resist his father. He too believed and surrendered totally to Yahweh’s principles of the firstborn. Out of wisdom and respect he had for his father, Isaac allowed himself to be bound and placed on the altar in agreement with Yahweh. They were both of one heart and mind. By faith in the gospel they both approached the altar and in a way, they both placed themselves on it. To have a walk as close as Abraham and Isaac did with the Living Torah meant that they knew there was life even beyond death.
This story is foreshadowing the Lamb of God, Yeshua the Messiah, the only Son of the Father. He submitted Himself as a firstfruits living sacrifice completely and willingly on the altar/stake in obedience to His Father. Why? Scripture says that the firstborn (Yeshua/Jesus) belongs to Yahweh and is to be sacrificed, but if the firstborn is unclean (us) it had to be redeemed. How? The unclean is redeemed by a clean spotless lamb (Exodus 13:2, 13:12-13).
John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus/Yeshua coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”
Yeshua, also being in His thirties, rode a donkey to the same place as Abraham and Isaac; and carried his own wood up the mountain, the same mountain that Abraham sacrificed his son on. That same place was one of the mountains in the land of Moriah called the Mount of Olives.
Yeshua, the clean firstfruits korban olah offering completely lay down His life as a sacrifice to redeem us.
“Then the Angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: ‘By Myself I have sworn, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son - blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies’” (Genesis 22:15-17).
The substitute ram whose head was caught in a thicket, took the place of Isaac, and was a prophetic picture of Yeshua having His head crowned with thorns before his sacrifice. It was Yeshua who took away the sins of the people once and for all. He is the eternal lamb sacrifice who died as our substitution for the death that we deserved for our sins. He rose to life on the third day and will not return again until He comes for His Bride.
After this, Isaac did not return with his father after the sacrifice. We do not see Isaac in scripture again until his bride approaches. Had Isaac gone to prepare a place for her as the Messiah has gone to prepare a place for His Bride?
continues tomorrow...