Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20050703.htm

FEASTING ON THE NAMES OF "JEHOVAH"
Part I: Applying The Name Of "Jehovah-Jireh," God Our Provider
(Genesis 22:14)
  1. Introduction
    1. When God promises to do something in our behalf, how far can He be trusted to achieve it?
    2. This question is answered in the affirmative where God's name, "Jehovah-Jireh" is first introduced to us:
  2. Relying On "Jehovah-Jireh," God Our Provider, Genesis 22:14.
    1. God had made great promises to Abraham that were ALL based on the existence of his son, Isaac:
      1. God had initially promised He would bless the world through Abraham's seed, Genesis 12:1-3.
      2. God then promised that seed would become so numerous that men could not count them, Gen. 13:16.
      3. God next promised this important offspring would come from Abraham's own body, Genesis 15:2-5.
      4. God again promised to use the union of the aged Abraham and his elderly wife Sarah, people who were naturally beyond the age of reproduction , to bear this promised offspring, Genesis 18:10-11.
      5. That offspring was Isaac, the boy God would use to fulfill all His promises to Abraham, Gen. 21:8-12.
    2. Yet, after making all these promises, God told Abraham to sacrifice ISAAC, the boy through whom all God's promises to him were to come, the son who was Abraham's only and beloved heir, Gen. 22:1-2! In effect, God was testing if Abraham would BELIEVE God's PROMISES EVEN IF all KNOWN HUMAN RESOURCES that could be used to TRY to FULFILL them were made INEFFECTIVE!
    3. Abraham immediately obeyed God, demonstrating an astounding faith, Genesis 22:3; we know from Hebrews 11:17-19 Abraham's thinking behind his decision to obey the Lord in the matter (as follows):
      1. Abraham believed God would keep His promises to use Isaac to fulfill His covenant, Heb. 11:17-18.
      2. The reason for this trust arose from his recalling how God had previously fulfilled His word re: Isaac:
        1. God had produced Isaac by the reproductive systems of Abraham and Sarah when they were as good as "dead" due to the naturally post-reproductive age of the couple, cf. Gen. 18:10-11 with 21:1-3.
        2. As God had earlier produced Isaac "from the dead" reproductive systems of his aged parents, Abraham felt God would raise Isaac from the dead after he had slain his son, Hebrews 11:19.
    4. In the process, God revealed Himself to be the Great PROVIDER where human resources utterly fail:
      1. While Abraham and Isaac were making their way to the place of sacrifice that GOD had chosen for them to use, Isaac noted they had no animal to offer, and so asked his father about it, Genesis 22:2, 4-7.
      2. Abraham responded, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering," Gen. 22:8 KJV.
      3. When they arrived at the spot designated by the Lord, Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, binding him and raising the knife to plunge it into him and kill Isaac just as God had directed, Genesis 22:9-10!
      4. God then intervened to keep Abraham from harming Isaac, stating Abraham revered Him by his having not withheld from God his only son and key to the fulfillment of God's promises, Genesis 22:11-12.
      5. The Lord then did what Abraham had said He would: God provided a ram in Isaac's place, 22:13.
    5. This event at this location came to be utilized by Old Testament Hebrew saints with the lesson that God fulfills His promises to His people when all human resources to that end utterly fail:
      1. Abraham named the place where this occurred "Jehovah-jireh," meaning, "Jahweh will see to it," and it teaches God will "see to" the providing of our needs, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Genesis 22:14.
      2. That place was a mountain in the land of Moriah, Gen. 22:2b; there, 1,000 years later, GOD chose to put His temple where His people could come to offer their sacrifices as Abraham had done so long before them, Gen. 22:14b; Deut. 12:5; 2 Chr. 3:1; Zon. Pic. Enc. of Bib., v. Five, p. 627; v. One, p. 23.
      3. Thus, down through time as God's people came to the temple to worship Him, bringing their needs that no human resource could fill, they could recall the name "Jahweh-jireh" that Abraham had so long ago had given that place, one that testified that God could and would keep His promises, Genesis 22:14b! This worked to direct and encourage them to look to father Abraham's God to meet their great needs!
Lesson: Abraham trusted God to meet his needs that no other party could fill, and found God to be his All-sufficient Provider; Abraham then left us the testimonial phrase, "Jahweh-jireh" to tell us who would follow him that WE ALSO may have OUR needs in OUR era met by trusting in HIS great GOD!

Application: May WE like Abraham of old look to God as OUR "Jahweh-jireh" in times of OUR need.