コミュニティと弟子訓練

Journey Through the Wall (Gen 22:1~14)

2016.11.06Stephen Cha

God tests our faith, not to make us fail, but to purge and strengthen it as we journey through the wall. Through surrender and trust in God's character, we look to the Lord who provides, and who has provided the Lamb, Jesus Christ.

God tests us to grow our faith (vv. 1-2)

God tests Abraham, and God tests us too. The tests are not meant to trap us or make us fail, but to reveal what is inside and to grow our faith. Abraham faced many of them, from the call to leave his family to the famine, the rescue of Lot, and the long wait for a child. He did not pass every test, yet God kept working in him. When we hit the wall, God's goal is not our comfort but our godliness, becoming more like Christ.

Faith is purged and strengthened (vv. 12)

When Abraham was ready to slay his son, God stopped him and said, now I know that you fear me, because you did not withhold your son, your only son. Faith is proven in obedience, and the wall purges and strengthens it. Abraham received Isaac back as a living gift, a second chance, and God renewed his promise with an oath. God also prepared more for Abraham's family, including a wife, Rebekah, for Isaac. God is not one who takes away good things, but one who rewards and blesses faithful hearts.

Surrender and trust in God's character (vv. 5, 8)

Abraham rose early and set out, telling his servants that he and the boy would worship and come back to them. He trusted that God would provide, even without knowing how it would work out. Surrender means laying our will before God alone, saying, not my will, but yours. Hebrews 11 tells us Abraham considered that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead. When we do not have the answers, we can cling to the character of the God who can be trusted.

The Lord will provide the Lamb (vv. 13-14)

A ram was caught in a thicket, and Abraham named the place 'The Lord will provide.' The question 'where is the lamb?' received its full answer many years later, when John the Baptist saw Jesus and said, Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Abraham saw through faith that God was preparing a Savior who would take our place. God did not spare his own Son, and he will graciously give us all that we need.

Apply to Life

  • Let us expect testing and trust that God is at work even when we face the wall.
  • Let us surrender our will to God alone and say, not my will, but yours.
  • Let us slow down and spend time before God in prayer when we are in a winter season.
  • Let us cling to God's character and trust his promises when we do not understand his ways.
  • Let us look to the Lord, who has provided the Lamb, and trust that he will provide what we need.

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