God Will Provide The Lamb

 Spring is here! What a very mild winter and yet spring is still so anticipated and appre- ciated; the blooming trees and beautiful flowers, even the returning of bird song.  Spring also is the time of Passover and Easter. You may think that one has nothing to do with the other, but our Creator is so amazing, that He had a plan from the beginning in the Garden of Eden. He promised a seed of Eve would come and destroy the serpent, the enemy of our souls. 

 In the days of Abraham, the man of faith, Yahweh sent him to sacrifice his “only” son Isaac; and on the third day he looked afar off and saw the place; Jesus said “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. John 8:56. Abraham was so confident in his God, that even though God told him to sacrifice this promised child he told his servants to wait for him, that he and the boy would go further and worship and they would return! He did not believe God would leave him dead; there would be some way he was raised up again! As Isaac walked on carrying the wood for the sacrifice, he asked his father, “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? My son,God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering Gen 22:7,8. And he did, just as Abraham bound his obedient son and laid him on the wood, and raised the knife to slay him, the Angel of the Lord stopped him, and there in the bush, was a ram caught by the horns as a substitute.

A long time later, Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of bondage from Egypt by a mighty outstretched arm! He sent plagues upon the Egyptians for the Pharaoh would not release them. The final plague was the death of the firstborn!  Moses, the servant of God was instructed to have all the people slay a lamb that was perfect; no blemish or sickness, no broken bones, applying the blood on the door post and lintel of their homes; thus making a vertical stroke and a horizontal stroke, using hyssop as kind of a brush, They were to roast the lamb and eat it that night and stay inside under the protection of the blood on the door posts.  As the plague entered the land, those who obeyed God and trusted in the blood of the lamb, and partook of the sacrifice were saved!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

As the Children of Israel wandered through the wilderness they were instructed to build a tabernacle of meeting where Yahweh would come and meet with Moses and Aaron. The tent had a covering of ram’s skins dyed red; the root word in Hebrew for red dye is adam. In John 1:14 it says the Word, that was God, became flesh and Tabernacled among us! The Tabernacle was placed in the center of the camp, with the priests, or the Levites encamped around it! There would then be three tribes to the North, three tribes to the South, three tribes to the West and three tribes to the East. If you lay out the population of each group with the Tabernacle in the center, it forms a cross.

Centuries later, Yahweh kept His promise to send the seed of the woman, His Only Begotten Son; for God Himself provided the Lamb who’s Blood would save mankind from their sins who trust in Him and partake of His sacrifice by faith.  He is the Son of Man on the Cross for all people who will believe.  But even as Abraham was certain, that his son would be returned, Jesus also said referring to His own body “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” God indeed raised up His Son Jesus from the dead on the third day even as the scripture foretold, that we too might have life who believe. 

Isaac means “laughter”. Psalm 2:4,7-12 says: “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him."

  
We are required to just turn to Jesus, your Savior and believe and so be saved. That means aknowleding the futility of your own striving to "be good" or turning from your indiffernce in regards to your sin.  We must understand we owe a debt to our Creator, in His gracious mercy, He has paid the debt Himself, but we are required to trust in Him. If we refuse it is to our own shame and distruction.  He paid it all, be wise...kiss the Son!     Be blessed!  Shalom Beloved.