Where is He today, in our lives? Where is the Savior of the world in our thoughts, our speech, our actions?
Long ago, a man’s faith was tested by a direct command from God. Abraham, who had faithfully received the promised child, Isaac, was called by his Lord to take that boy up to the top of Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac. Have you ever thought about why God would even suggest such a thing? We know that Abraham was confident in God. We know that Abraham believed that the promise would be fulfilled through Isaac, because he said to the young men who accompanied them, “Stay here…the lad and I will go…and we will come back to you.” He believed God was going to do something miraculous, and he walked forward in obedience to do his part. Abraham’s unswerving faith in God in this passage is so inspirational!
When God stayed Abraham’s hand and provided a ram to take Isaac’s place on that altar, He provided an amazing example of the Doctrine of Atonement. God was preparing His people to understand the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross, in our place. What a Lord we serve!
The ram was a type – a symbol – of Christ. From the top of Mount Moriah, we can just glimpse the sacrifice of the Son of God on Calvary. As John the Baptist foretold so poignantly when he saw Jesus coming towards him in John 1:29, “…Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.” It is altogether fitting that at the death of Christ the veil in Solomon’s temple – located on Mount Moriah – was torn, symbolizing the final end of the sacrificial system. The perfect sacrifice had been offered, no else would ever be required.
We don’t often think of Abraham, or sacrificial lambs, as we celebrate Christmas. But truly, when we see the baby Jesus portrayed lying in that manger, it would do our souls good to remember, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.” When that knowledge makes it all the way from our head to our hearts, then Jesus will be very visible in this world indeed.
When people look around them, and wonder where Jesus is in this old world today, I want them to see Him shining through my life. When people are overwhelmed, and cry out, “Where’s Jesus?” I want to be the hand of Jesus to comfort them. That is only possible if I know, as surely as Abraham knew God would provide, that truly Jesus is not only the babe of Bethlehem. He is also “the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.”
With our prayers for you and yours this season,
Cara and Patti
Classic Christianity