Obedience

“Obedience”

Obedience starts as a child, when our parents ask us to do something and we learn the word NO, it seems to come so easily to us. Our parents strive to teach us right from wrong and how truthfully we don’t get a choice, we are going to do what they say or we are going to get our little bottoms spanked, or even worse we will lose one of our favorite games or have to go to bed early. This is what I remember as a child. We were taught to respect our elders, and most importantly that a child is to be seen not heard.

I wonder if we can even recall the number of times we were told to stop or come here right now growing up. I know now as an adult all this obedience taught me something valuable, as all thru life we have to be obedient to someone. For me it’s the learning process of being obedient to the most important person and that is Jesus Christ. I was blessed growing up to have parents who kept us in church so that we could be taught to love God, or even what stuck to my heart more was that Jesus loves me. As I grew and matured and got to study the bible more with some understanding I ran across a scripture that really speaks of obedience and that is Genesis 22:8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Abraham is a beautiful example of obedience to his Father. He was tested by God to the limit of obedience. God called his name, “Abraham.” Abraham stopped and replied, “Here I am, Lord” Then God instructed Abraham to take his only son to Moriah. There Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. I just wonder what Abraham thought. This was a son whom he loved so much, see Isaac was the son of Sarah, who had prayed and ask God for years for a child, and not God is asking Abraham to offer him up. But you know Abraham knew God intimately, he had a personal relationship with God, so he trusted that if this is what God wanted he would have to be obedient. He knew that he and Sarah had experience the love God had for them when he gave them Isaac in their later years of life. And if God now wanted him as a sacrifice, who was he to keep him from God.

Early in the morning after God had spoken to Abraham, He took Isaac, saddled up his donkey, and along with two servants headed up to the mountain in Moriah. After cutting enough wood for the burn offering, they set out as God had told him. “On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants; Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you” (Genesis 22:5, emphasis added).

“We will worship. We will come back.” Abraham believed God, his trust in God was assured and he kept moving ahead in obedience to God. Can you even imagine what was going thru the servants or Isaacs mind at this time. Where was the sacrifice? Neither the servants nor Isaac asked. “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife (verse 6). Isaac obviously wasn’t a small child, he had to of been big enough to carry heavy wood up a mountain, so maybe in his teen years. As father and son walked up the mountain Isaac said to his father, ‘Father? ‘Yes my son, ‘Abraham replied. ‘The fire and the wood are here, ‘Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (Verse 7). I can’t even comprehend what Abraham had to be thinking. Where will we ever find a lamb up here in this vast wilderness? Get this, I love it, Abraham’s reply was. “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son” (verse 8). The two of them went on together, when they reached the place God had told Abraham about, he went to work, removing the wood from Isaac’s back. He build an altar for worship and then arranged the wood on top. This was the ultimate of worshiping God-an altar built by hand and an offering of obedience.

Then Abraham went on and said, “Come,” to his son Isaac, and he placed him on top of the wood and bound him on the altar. Tears as I write this, I can’t even imagine, and what is so amazing is that Isaac was obedient too. His father Abraham must have taught him about being obedient to him and his heavenly Father. So Isaac came to his own father who he loved and trusted. I didn’t find anything in the Bible where it speaks of anything that Isaac was thinking or saying. I don’t know, however there was Isaac bound on top of the wood that he had carried himself, he was willing to die for God that is obvious by the scripture.

Abraham with knife in had was prepared and ready. “Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” (verse 10). When an animal is being offered up to God as an offer it is bound on the altar of wood and the knife is plunged into the throat and sliced down the middle through the stomach. Abraham had lifted his arm ready to plunge the knife when the Angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven. ‘Abraham! Abraham! (Verse 11). Abraham stopped. “Do not lay a hand on the boy he said. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son Isaac. (verses 12-13). Can you only imagine what was going thru Isaac’s mind or Abrahams for that matter, I can, Pure Rejoicing. That mountain became known as “The Lord will Provide.” This is the name Abraham gave to it; there was no doubt in Abraham’s heart that God would provide.

If you go back to the beginning you will see that I put the words we in bold, to emphasis that from that point Abraham had no doubt in his heart that both his son and himself would return off of that mountain that day. Friends, that is Faith, and more importantly it is pure obedience. They went that day and they worshipped and they returned as was spoken.

When the angel of the Lord calls upon you, will you be obedient and come? Is your trust in God really as strong as it needs to be today? When called will you stop and trust for the Lord to provide for you, would you come to His altar today and lay down all your problems, worries, sufferings before Him and trust Him with them. Take time today to worship God and trust that being obedient to Him will bring you peace. Obey His word today. If you don’t have

A heart after Christ, it’s not too late, if you are reading this, please take just a few minutes to ask God into your heart, ask for His guidance and let Him know you are ready to be obedient my friends. Read this in the Bible and read the following scriptures as well…Galatians 4:28, Hebrews 11:17-19.

Let Gods strength and wisdom land in your heart today.