Genesis. Faith = Worship 22:11-23:20. The Dog and The Shadow

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1 Genesis Faith = Worship 22:11-23:20 The Dog and The Shadow It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more. "Beware Lest You Lose The Substance By Grasping At The Shadow." Deputy Norris Ridgewick, clad in the uniform he kept for parades and other dress occasions, was in the shed attached to the little house he had shared with his mother until she died of a stroke in the fall of 1986, the house where he had lived alone since them. He was standing on a stool. A heavy length of noosed rope hung down from one of the overhead beams. Norris ran his head into this noose and was pulling it tight against his right ear when lightning flashed and two electric bulbs which lit the shed winked out. Still, he could see the Bazun fishing rod leaning against the wall by the door which led into the kitchen. He had wanted that fishing rod so badly and had believed he had gotten it so cheaply, but in the end the price had been high. Too high for Norris to pay. His house was on the upper arm of Watermill Lane, where Lane hooks back toward Castle Hill and the View. The wind was right, and he could hear the sounds of the brawl which was still going on there the screams, the yells, the occasional gunshot. I m responsible for that, he thought. Not completely, no but I m part of it. I participated. I m the reason Henry Beaufort is hurt or dying, maybe even dead over in Oxford. I m the reason Hugh Priest is on a cooling-board. Me. The fellow who always wanted to be a policeman and help folks, the fellow who wanted that ever since he was a kid. Stupid, funny, clumsy old Norris Ridgewick, who thought he needed a Bazun fishing rod and could get one cheap. I m sorry for what I did, Norris said. That doesn t fix it, but for what it s worth, I m real sorry. He prepared to jump off the stool, and suddenly a new voice spoke up inside his head. Then why don t you try to put it right you coward? I can t, Norris said. Lightening blazed; his shadow jumped crazily on the shed wall, as if he were already doing the air-dance. It s too late. Then at least take a look at what you did it FOR, the angry voice insisted. You can do that much, can t you? Take a look! Take a really GOOD look! The lightening flashed again. Norris stared at the Bazun rod and let out a scream of agony and disbelief. He jerked, almost tumbling off the stool and hanging himself by accident. The sleek Bazun, so limber and strong, was no longer there. It had been replaced by a dirty, splintery bamboo pole, really no more than a stick with a kid s Zebco reel attached to it by one rusty screw. Someone stole it! Norris cried. All of his bitter jealousy and paranoid covetousness returned in a flash, and he felt that he must rush out into the streets and find the thief. He must kill them all, everyone in town, if that was necessary, to get the evil man or woman responsible. SOMEONE STOLE MY BAZUN! he wailed, swaying on the stool. No, the angry voice replied. This is how it always was. All that s been stolen is your blinders the ones you put on yourself, of your own free will.

2 No! Monstrous hands seemed to be clapped against the sides of Norris s head; now they began to squeeze. No, no, no! But the lightning flashed, again showing him the dirty bamboo rod where the Bazun had been only moments before. He had put it there so it would be the last thing he ever saw when he stepped off the stool. No one had been in here; no one had moved it; consequently the voice had to be right. 1 Whether it is a bone, a Bazun, wealth, as with the rich young man, or whatever, it is worthless if we put it ahead of the Lord. And Abraham was about to demonstrate this. VI. The Patriarchs Chapter 11:11-Chapter 50 B. Abraham Chapters The Ultimate Test Chapter 22 a. Abraham s Test Verses 1-14 b. Abraham s Reward Verses c. A Family Record Verses The Death of Sarah Chapter 23 a. Her Death Verses 1-19 b. Her Burial Verses Introduction: For three days Abraham and Isaac had first ridden and then walked to Mt. Moriah. There Abraham had built an altar to the Lord. He bound and placed his only heir, his beloved son Isaac upon it. He lifted up the knife to slay him as a burnt offering unto the Lord. But the pre-incarnate Messiah, speaking from heaven called down to him. Before we proceed any further, I d like to reiterate some of the many parallels between this passage and Christ s sacrifice. 1. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son. spared not his own son. (see Romans 8:32). 2. Isaac went to the altar without complaint. obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8). 3. It appears that Isaac was offered up in the same location where Christ was later to die on the cross. Or at least the Spirit used the name to create linkage. 4. Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice, just as Christ carried the cross. (John 19:17). 5. From the day Isaac was counted as good as dead it was three days until Abraham received him back again, alive. Can you think of any others? Finally, there is one other point that I want to make flowing from last week s lesson. The test for Abraham was his willingness to give up his son, not the necessity of actually sacrificing him. The test for the rich young man who Christ talked to was the willingness to give up his great wealth. If he had been willing to, it is a distinct possibility that Christ wouldn t have required it. But he failed the test because his wealth was more important than the Lord. 1 King, Stephen, Needful Things, Viking, New York, NY, p ) 250 (

3 The test in both cases was: Is God first in your life? We often worry about what God will require of us. But the real issue is that what is best for us only comes when we put God first. That is the true act of worship. a. Abraham s Test: We left Abraham with the knife lifted, ready to plunge into Isaac s breast. But suddenly, Stop! The Angel of the Lord stayed Abraham s hand. He had passed God s test with flying colors. He demonstrated to himself, and us, that his love and trust of God outweighed all else in his live, even to the point that he was willing to give up that which held the place of most importance in his life, his son. Now it would be one of Isaac s descendants for whom the knife plunge would not stop. Only Jesus could serve as the sacrifice Isaac was not adequate. He could only pay for his own sin and therefore couldn t pay for the sin of others. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). And just as Abraham said, the Lord provided the sacrifice, a ram. It was offered as a burnt, substitutionary sacrifice. The ram took Isaac s place. The Jesus took ours. So Abraham named the spot Yahweh-jireh which means the Lord will provide. We ought to remember that we too should have our own Yahweh-jirehs. These are to remind us that the Lord also provided and continues to provide for us. He provided our substitutionary sacrifice and He provides for our growth and maturity, and He ll provide a place in eternity. Share your Yahweh-jireh. God knows our hearts as no one else does. The only way those around us can see our faith demonstrated is by our walk. Our lives are our witnesses, our acts of worship. We must ask, do those around us see us act, not just talk, as Christians? Or, at least do they recognize there is something different about us? If not, why not? This section models James teachings, faith without works is dead. Abraham wasn t saved by his works, but his works demonstrate the reality of his faith. Another point is, we should expect to be tested. Abraham was tested here. Jesus was tested in the wilderness. The way we grow is through God s testing and how we respond to it.. By the way remember the Angel of the Lord is God. In verse 12 the Angel stated: you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Again, this time out of heaven, the preincarnate Christ spoke to Abraham. As a result of his obedience, he demonstrated his faith in God and therefore all the promises are reconfirmed. These promises were not conditional on Abraham s obedience. The obedience demonstrated his inward condition. God s knowledge was now supported by physical evidence. Abraham, and we, were show the depth of his faith in God. NOTE: God swore by Himself. This is the ultimate statement of assurance that His promises would come to pass. ) 251 (

4 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, Surely I will bless you and multiply you. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. (Hebrews 6:13 18). The promises, once again were: 1. Abraham will be blessed by being blessed. 2. The growth of his seed will be immeasurable, both as sand and stars. 3. His seed will be victorious over its enemies. 4. All nations will be blessed through him, (a Messianic promise). From John s account of Jesus words, Abraham had a clearer view of Christ s work than we would think from the Old Testament account. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad (John 8:56). Finally, Abraham s willingness to sacrifice Isaac was an act of worship of God. Ross summarizes these verses by noting: The lessons about true worship are timeless: (1) Faith obeys completely the Word of God. (2) Faith surrenders the best to God, holding nothing back. (3) Faith waits on the Lord to provide all one s needs. But God does not provide until personal sacrifice has been made. True worship is costly. This was always so for Israel when they bought sacrifices. Those offerings were supposed to be given in faith so God would provide all the needs of each willing worshiper. 2 And so after the blessings are recounted to Abraham returned to Beer-sheba. It appears He remained there through the balance of his life. c. A Family Record: Moving on, Moses now gives an account for the line of Nahor. This is provided so that we have a record of the family that Isaac would be marrying into. 14. The Death of Sarah: a. Her Death: Sometime after the previous events Sarah died at the age of 127. She died in Hebron, part to the land that was to belong to her children. It isn t stated why Abraham was at Beer-sheba and Sarah at Hebron. Verses 3-4: The land was to be Abraham s and his descendants. Nevertheless he was still a stranger there. He didn t even have a place to bury his wife. But he wanted her to be buried in the land promised to him, the land currently belonging to the Hittites. This desire was just 2 Ross, Allen P., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Volume 1, Genesis, Victor Books, Wheaton, IL, 1986, p. 65. ) 252 (

5 another example of his faith. The land was to be his and he wanted Sarah to be buried there. This may have been another example of his faith in the resurrection. (see Hebrews 11:17-19). Verses 5-6: Abraham had apparently established quite a reputation in the area as the Hittites considered him a prince. They wanted to keep in his good graces. As a result they were willing to give him a tomb in the best section of the cemetery. Abraham appreciated the offer and was willing to accept, in principle. But he wanted to buy a cave located in a field belonging to Ephron. I suspect we have the same situation here as when he met with the king of Sodom. He doesn t want to take anything from anyone other than God. b. Her Burial: This passage appears to record a real estate contract. This is because the discussion takes place at the city gate where legal contracts would have been ratified. Ephron was more than willing to give Abraham both the field and the cave, give not sell. Apparently here he had a positive witness for the Lord. It appears he was recognized a man who knew God and so the locals wanted to keep him there. Again Abraham thanks Ephron. But while he d take the land he insisted on paying for it. He wanted it for a cemetery, not only for Sarah, but to be used as a family plot. Keep in mind, the hope of the Hebrew was primarily an earthly hope tied to the promised land. The deal was struck. Ephron as seller got an excellent price for the property, 400 shekels of silver. (The value of the shekel was variable so we can t know what this works out to.) The deal was carried out in public, making the whole thing complete and above board. Verses 17-20: Moses goes on to record a description of the property, similar to a Deed of Trust. Abraham was the recipient of the property and he used it as a burial place for Sarah. It was actually purchased from the Hittites. So now an impermanent people have a permanent place in the land, even if it is only a grave yard. At least Abraham has a tie to the land of Canaan. And here for practical purposes ends Moses account of Abraham. As we will see next time, the account of his efforts to find a bride for Isaac is more about Isaac. Conclusion: In this last section we have seen two important points. 1. Trust in God is demonstrated by true worship. True worship puts the Lord ahead of everything in one s life, position, family, power and prestige. Abraham demonstrated his dependency on and faith in God, by being willing to offer up Isaac. He also showed the same faith by not taking advantage of his position, refusing to put himself under obligation to Ephron remaining only obligated to God. 2. Obedience is a testimony to others. And it is faith and obedience in time of great trials that is the true witness. Apparently those around Abraham knew of his faith, and he ) 253 (

6 must have been greatly respected because of it. What they specifically knew, who knows. What do we specifically know? a. Abraham gave up his home and finally his family because he had to put God first, trusting Him to fulfill his promises. b. Abraham, even though he sinned, repented and trusted God to restore him and help him move on in obedience. c. Abraham was willing to give up his only son if God demanded it, not wanting to, but wanting to be obedient more than having his own way. d. Abraham showed his faith in God s promises by being willing to bury Sarah and a land that was not his, but was promised to him. What do we have, a bone, a Bazun, wealth, or an Isaac? Are we holding on to that which, in contrast to the Lord, is, a reflection, an old bamboo rod with a rusted kid s reel, a failing 401K, or even a promise from Him? Let us be willing to have the Lord take the blinders off our eyes so we can see Him above all, living His truth and demonstrating the faith of an Abraham. Let Him be our name above all names. Jesus, name above all names Beautiful Savior, glorious Lord. Emmanuel, God is with us. Blessed Redeemer, Living word. 3 3 Hearn, Naida, Jesus, Name Above All Names, Maranatha! Music Praise Chorus Book, 3 rd ed., Maranatha! Music, Laguna Hills, CA, ) 254 (

7 Genesis Faith = Worship 22:11-23:20 VI. The Patriarchs Chapter 11:11-Chapter 50 B. Abraham Chapters The Ultimate Test Chapter 22 a. Abraham s Test Verses 1-14 b. Abraham s Reward Verses c. A Family Record Verses The Death of Sarah Chapter 23 a. Her Death Verses 1-19 b. Her Burial Verses Introduction: 1. (see Romans 8:32). 2. (Philippians 2:8) (John 19:17). 5. a. Abraham s Test: (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 8:56)

8 NOTE: (Hebrews 6:13 18). 1. Abraham will be by being. 2. The growth of his seed will be, both as and. 3. His seed will be over its. 4. All will be through him, (a promise). c. A Family Record: 14. The Death of Sarah: a. Her Death: Verses 3-4: Verses 5-6: b. Her Burial: ) 2 (

9 Verses 17-20: Conclusion: 1. Trust in God is demonstrated by true worship. 2. Obedience is a testimony to others. a. Abraham gave up b. Abraham, even though he sinned c. Abraham was willing to give up d. Abraham showed his faith Personal Application: Ask yourself, Do I have any bones, a Bazun, wealth, or an Isaac? If yes, then, What actions do I have to take to move God into first place? Prayer for the Week: Father, may Your Spirit give me the desire and strength to keep You in first place in my life. In Christ s name, amen. ) 3 (