Friday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Genesis 22:9-12
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
9 When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. 11 At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”
12 “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
22:11 the angel of the Lord. The repetition of the name Abraham, Abraham underscores the urgency of the intervention (cf. 22:1).
22:12 now I know that you fear God. Abraham’s action confirms his faithful obedience to God. While Abraham’s faith was earlier the means by which God counted him as righteous (15:6), that faith is now “active along with his works,” and the faith is “completed by his works” (James 2:21–23), so that his faith resulted in obedience, which is its expected outcome.
22:12 now I know that you fear God. Abraham’s action confirms his faithful obedience to God. While Abraham’s faith was earlier the means by which God counted him as righteous (15:6), that faith is now “active along with his works,” and the faith is “completed by his works” (James 2:21–23), so that his faith resulted in obedience, which is its expected outcome.
Study Questions:
- In verse 10, Abraham raises the knife to sacrifice his son. How could God do this? It's important that we understand that this was not a command to murder Isaac. No, it's something much deeper. The offering of the first born symbolized the debt that man owed to God. In the Hebrew sacrificial system, God's people would offer the first born cattle or sheep. Passover celebrated the time the first born of Egypt were taken from homes without the lamb's blood over the door post. We can assume Abraham knew what God was asking of him. His faith was put to the test. He proved that he would not even withhold his son from God. What in your life has God asked you to lay on the altar, but you have been unwilling to surrender it?
- Obedience to God should be the hallmark of the Christian life. Jesus said that if we love Him, we would obey Him. Think about what your life would look like if you decided to be radically obedient to whatever God was asking of you. How far away from that are you now? Spend some time in prayer today asking God to give you the courage to obey, no matter what.
Pray:
- That you would lay everything on the altar.
- That you would be radically obedient to God.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)
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