Today’s exhortation – Isaac in Christ
Today we celebrate the most amazing rescue job in all time, the crucifixion of Christ on Calvary and we can find a picture of this in Abraham’s life story. When God told Abraham to offer Isaac, He told him to go to the land of Moriah and to offer him upon one of the mountains there. The mountain on which Isaac was offered was later called Mount Moriah, eventually becoming Mount Zion, the place where the temple was built (2 Chronicles 3:1). Isaac typified Christ and what Abraham did to his beloved son Isaac is a vivid picture of what the Father did to His beloved Son. Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac, who bore it to the top of Mount Moriah and Jesus also bore the cross to Calvary on the same mount in Zion. It is possible He was also crucified on the same mount where Isaac was laid on the altar.
Isaac was brought as a lamb to the altar. Jesus was also “brought as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7). On the way to Mount Moriah, Isaac said, “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham replied, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering”. The Lord Jesus is the lamb God provided for Himself. Isaac was a at least 20 years old when he was to be sacrificed, he wasn’t a boy! This indicates he was also obedient onto death and submissive to his father as Jesus was. He did not resist even when Abraham laid him on the altar, took the knife, and stretched out his hand to slay him, he did not rebel. If we consider all these portrayed in the Old Testament, we see that God had planned all this in advance. However, Isaac’s death would have been meaningless because what was required was a sinless lamb to take away the sins of the world. Thank You Father and thank You Jesus. Amen.
Francis Hans-Jorie
