Hymn 282 – Praise my Soul – 19 May 2015, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

We are as a vapor of steam, but steam, when escaped, rises up to heaven if the nature of the water is true.

Psalm 103:1-5  The Benedic, anima mea.

Morning and Evening Prayer, 1928 Book of Common Prayer

P

RAISE the LORD, O my soul; * and all that is within me, praise his holy Name.
   

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, * and forget not all his benefits:
   

3 Who forgiveth all thy sin, * and healeth all thine infirmities;
   

4 Who saveth thy life from destruction, * and crowneth thee with mercy and loving-kindness;
   

5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, * making thee young and lusty as an eagle.

            This notable and classic hymn of praise was composed by Henry Francis Lyte in 1834. The music, Lauda Anima (Praise my Soul), is by John Goss. Its expressive sentiments reach to the lowest levels of our hearts and souls. The soul that pines for the Lord can find its fullest expression in this wonderful and descriptive hymn. Both Morning and Evening Prayers of the Book of Common Prayer incorporate the Benedic, anima mea (from Psalms 103 & 104). It is one of those great hymns that consist of scriptural truth magnified in song by the people of God.

Praise, my Soul, the King of Heaven

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;

to his feet thy tribute bring;

ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

evermore his praises sing:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favor

to our fathers in distress;

praise him still the same for ever,

slow to chide and swift to bless:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Glorious in his faithfulness.

Father-like, he tends and spares us;

well our feeble frame he knows;

in his hand he gently bears us,

rescues us from all our foes.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Widely yet his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;

ye behold him face to face;

sun and moon, bow down before him,

dwellers all in time and space.

Alleluia, alleluia!

Praise with us the God of grace.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven; to his feet thy tribute bring; ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, evermore his praises sing: Alleluia, alleluia! Praise the everlasting King. Praising the Lord in prayer and hymn singing is the most exalted form of worship. The lips may sing praises all day long, but unless the lips are expressing the deep emotions and faith of the heart, the words will be meaningless. The heart of God is a DEEP Heart, and, unless our hearts have corresponding depth, we cannot praise him truly. “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.” (Psalms 42:7-8) We have no tribute to bring to a Holy God but that of our undivided love and loyalty to Him as sovereign and Savior. I read an illustration once about a young poor boy who came in tattered clothing to church. It was the first time he had gathered the courage to venture in to such an esteemed gathering. He had no money. When the offering was taken, the boy took the offering plate, placed it upon the floor in front of him, removed his shoes, and stood in the plate. Those adjacent to the boy were appalled, but the pastor sensed the meaning and applauded the boy for giving all that he had, and was, to the Lord – HIMSELF.  The tribute we bring is simply that which He has ransomed, healed, restored, and forgiven – our immortal souls!

Praise him for his grace and favor to our fathers in distress; praise him still the same for ever, slow to chide and swift to bless: Alleluia, alleluia! Glorious in his faithfulness. Had Abraham not received the Promise and passed the same down to us, we may have been left orphans and outcast in the spirit; But Abraham had a greater faith to believe a promise not yet realized in his day; but certainly manifested in our day through the redemption and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. That same promise was passed down, not from carnal man to carnal man, but from believing soul to believing soul. Therefore, those who have received and believe that Promise are accounted the true Children of Abraham, and sons and daughters of the Most High God. It is a great disappointment to have a dear friend who betrays our friendship and turns to our enemies. Jesus knew how that felt in Judas. But He is not One who changes with the winds of time.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  (Hebrews 13:8) He is far more long-suffering than any dear friend or parent. He awaits our understanding of our sins and gives opportunity for repentance. He blesses more promptly than He condemns.

Father-like, he tends and spares us; well our feeble frame he knows; in his hand he gently bears us, rescues us from all our foes. Alleluia, alleluia! Widely yet his mercy flows. God not only tends and spares us LIKE a Father, but AS our Father indeed! He is the Father of all who call upon the Name of His only Begotten Son! He knows, not only our outward behavior, but the motivations of the heart that prompt that behavior:  7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (1 Sam 16:7) If your heart has been given over as the Temple of God, do you believe that He has not owned every secret vault and chamber thereof? He bears us gently in His hands as a mother eagle bears her young on her back (not talons for fear of crushing them). God is our Fortress and Christ our strong Rock of Defense – He is our Ark into which we flee from the wicked conflagrations of the world.  His mercies are endless, and more abundant than the waters of the seven seas.

Angels, help us to adore him; ye behold him face to face; sun and moon, bow down before him, dwellers all in time and space. Alleluia, alleluia! Praise with us the God of grace.” Alleluia means “God be praised! it is an expression, in the greatest sense, of worship and devotion. It is a heavenly utterance which can be uttered on earth by heavenly hearts:  5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Rev 19:5-6) We stumble along on paths not well lit, now; but one day, we shall behold Him face to face.  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.  (1 Cor 13:12)

Unfortunately, in my view, the 1940 Hymnal omitted the original fourth stanza of this masterpiece of hymnody:

Frail as summer’s flowers we flourish;

Blows the wind, and it is gone;

But while mortal rise and perish,

God endures unchanging on.

Praise Him, Praise Him!

Praise the High Eternal One!

It may be a subconscious motivation for men to omit those strong reminders of our carnal mortality; however, we need the warning long before the train approaches the fallen bridge. This last verse is a strong reminder of our mortality and the temporary nature of our dwelling made of clay.  All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.  (Isaiah 40:6-8)

We are as a vapor of steam, but steam, when escaped, rises up to heaven if the nature of the water is true.

Sunday after Ascension Day

Bishop Jerry is on travel today and asked that you consider this sermon from Rev Jack.

The entire AOC Sunday Report is RIGHT HERE!

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

Once again the propers for this week come together very well, their focus is narrow, thus powerful.

The Sunday after Ascension Day.

The Collect.

O

 GOD, the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven; We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us un-to the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.  Amen.

Consider these words from the Collect:

… leave us not comfortless; but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Saviour Christ is gone before …

The Ascension having just happened, Jesus having ascended in to heaven, we are alone and separated from God who gives us strength.  Like Peter, the further we are from God, the weaker we are.  Thus, we are looking towards Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Ghost.  We ask for God’s help that we might have the true belief, courage, knowledge and strength to follow Jesus to heaven for all eternity.

While the end of the earth and this world may come at any time, for 285,000 people each day, their time here is up.  Thus, in a very real sense as Saint Peter put it, “The end of all things is at hand…”  So, how should we act?  We are to do what we can with a smile on our face.  We should act as if it was our last day on earth. In other words, if this was our last day on this planet, how would we act? That is a question I must ask myself more often and not only ask it, but answer it. Then once the Holy Spirit has given the answer, we must act upon that answer. This is a continuous process and we must always prioritize our work to be for God, our Family and Country in that order and things will fall in line. Along these lines, we should strive to work hard, take care of those who cannot and be good stewards of the considerable grace God has given us.  This does not just refer to spending MONEY, but rather to giving of our time and effort to bring the Gifts of God to others. We must give ourselves entirely to help others, so that we may share the benefits of the Gift of God truly. Then we will know the grace of God’s love truly.  We are to share the LOVE in our hearts with those we encounter, for Love is of God.

But, without the Holy Ghost, the needed action on our part is impossible.  We need God’s help and He sent it in the form of the Holy Ghost. He sent it as the “Comforter”, that is to Comfort us and to Guide us on the journey on the narrow uphill path towards heaven. The Holy Ghost is that portion of God who can enter our hearts bringing understanding, hope and most of all the courage and determination to do what needs be done.  Those who will not have Him in their hearts can never understand God and His Will.  That is why they cannot understand or fathom the plan He has for us. They cannot understand why we follow God and Christ. They do not believe, therefore, they cannot have Him in their hearts, and therefore they will not understand. The end of time is nearer each day than the day before, of that we can be certain.  But there is a certainty we have in this uncertainly world, the unfailing love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus and the presence of the Holy Ghost in our lives, if we let Him in, and the inerrant Holy Scriptures to guide us throughout the rest of our lives. With this knowledge of an unchanging standard, we can stand fast by this standard and be content with knowing we are following the One True God, and though we may suffer a while, it is nothing to enjoying eternity with God. We just have to DO and ACT our best for Him here, though it may be hard, it will be worth it in the end. The current climate in the world and even in this country is less hospitable than in centuries to Christians.  There is a reason for this which only God understands and not us. God has a plan for all of this, in time, we will realize what the plan is. But for now, we are unaware of His plan in the greater scheme of things. But what it is doing is solidifying the faith of true believers around the globe, and forming the Army of Light together, ready to battle against the malicious forces of Satan. We cannot make this journey alone.  We must have the close and continuous presence of God.  That presence is the Holy Ghost.  That is why He is here.

Pray for His continual presence in your heart.

Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail.  The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.

The time is now, not tomorrow.  The time has come, indeed.  How will you ACT?

It is by our actions we are known.

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Church, 16 May 2015, Anno Domini

 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her

62 And Isaac came from the way of the well Lahairoi; for he dwelt in the south country. 63 And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. 64 And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. 66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. 67 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. (Gen 24:62-67)

            We learned from our study of the intended sacrifice of Isaac (the only beloved and begotten son) by Abraham, how Isaac prefigures the Lord Jesus Christ as the Seed of Promise which God promised Abraham (who also serves in the account in Genesis 22 as a type of God the Father). Now we see a further lifting of the veil of mystery in God’s Mind of His Church typified in the damsel Rebekah.

            Abraham, the father, is counseled by God to sacrifice his only son whom he loved on the mountains of Moriah. We saw how perfectly (to a point) that Isaac is very similar to Christ as a sacrifice made by His Father. It follows as the night the day that if Isaac is a type of Christ, so must his bride foreshadow the Church who is the Bride of Christ.

            In Genesis Chapter 23, Isaac has lost his mother, Sarah. Sarah may easily stand in for the Old Testament Church of Israel, but what of the New Testament Church of her Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. This role falls to Rebekah.

            Please bear in mind these types and shadows of the Old Testament are only that – they are lesser shadows of the real. They are given for our edification and enlightenment, and especially for that of the Old Testament peoples since they were walking by faith alone until the realization of Christ’s coming had occurred.

            Please observe the sequence of events enumerated in chapter 24 of Genesis:

1.     Abraham takes a solemn oath of Eliezer, his trusted servant, “But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.” Eliezer is sent to search out the bride of Isaac from among the kindred of Abraham the father. The Holy Spirit goes to the kindred of the Father, beginning at the OT Church (the Hebrew nation), to seek out a Bride for His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

2.     Gen 24.8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.” The Church must be a willing Bride of Christ. If she rejects her Bridegroom, she will be left desolate. This was a one-way trip made on behalf of Isaac. No other wife would do than that which Abraham’s trusted servant might arrange. There is no other people God desires for the Bride of His Son than the Church called out from the world.

3.     Eliezer (Gen 15:2) came representing his Master with a power of attorney incorporating all that Abraham owned. The Holy Spirit also possesses the power to act with all the riches of Heaven. Gen 24:10 “And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.”

4.     Gen 24.36 “And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.” Father Abraham has given all that he owns to his only well-beloved son. Does this sound familiar? Let us exam a parallel in the Gospel of St. John 16:15a –“All things that the Father hath are mine.”  These are the words of the only Begotten and well-beloved Son of God the Father.

5.     Gen 24:58 – “And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” Without delay, the Church must be ready and willing to follow Christ when she is sent for by the Father.

6.     Gen 24:63a “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide:” Just as Christ, before the purchase of His Bride, went into the Garden at Gethsemane to commune with the Father in prayer.

7.     Gen 24.64 “And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. 24.65 For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. 24.66 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done.” Here is an allusion to the traditional western cultures of veiling the bride until after nuptials are said.

What a great distance we have traveled down the road of moral turpitude since that time and age!

Rebekah asked the servant of Isaac’s father who this man (Isaac) was. The true Church seeks guidance and counsel from the Holy Ghost to confirm the Person of Christ as distinguished from false Christ and anti-Christ’s.

I will discuss the last mark of parallel separately in this last portion of the devotion. It reveals a great mystery that ancient men may not have grasped.

And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. (Gen 24.67)

Into whose tent was the Bride of Christ – the Church – taken in the early Gospel age?

Was it not begun at Jerusalem, and spread to all of the world? Old Israel is mother to New Israel (the New Testament Church). This has a striking resemblance in most particulars, but dissimilarities in others. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  (Rev.21.2)

The servant of Abraham went to fetch the bride of Isaac, and she was brought to him in the fields of Lahairoi; but Jesus Himself came to purchase His Bride and He shall return for her.

Of course, Isaac loved his wife, Rebekah. That should be an imperative of marriage in the first place. Sadly, it is not so today. There are many marriages in our day that are entered into without an appeal to God for His blessing; or which are entered into on a trial basis; or which are not the result of great love and commitment, but of carnal desire, or greed.  So how much did Christ love His Bride, the Church; and how much should a husband love his own wife (and never someone else’s)? The answer may be found in that quaint (?) old Bible text read at every traditional marriage ceremony:

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and

the wife see that she reverence her husband.  (Eph.5.22-33)

Why is such a greater emphasis placed upon the husband loving the wife than the other way around?  I believe it is because the institution of marriage (the first that God instituted) is a model and type of the Church. The Church could not have loved Christ unless He first loved the Church. We love Him, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)  If a man loves his wife so sacrificially that he is ready to give his life if necessary for her, t is almost inconceivable that she will not reciprocate that kind of love. Unfortunately, there are some nominal Christians today who practice their ‘religion’ out of a sense of social duty rather than a love for the Lord Jesus Christ who bought and paid for His Bride with His very life-blood.  I hope those eyes that read this devotion are not among these latter ones who may “sell their birthright for a bowl of soup.”

Firsts of the Bible - First Figurative Type of the Sacrifice of Christ, 14 May 2015, Anno Domini

… Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.…

6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. 10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12  It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (Romans 9:6-13)

            I underlined the 7^th verse from the text above to draw one’s attention to the nature of that Promised Seed of Abraham and its relationship to the called out and elect of God. Faith is a miracle and not born of the common will of man. Faith is an endowment from Heaven that we might believe and turn from our wicked ways – which ways are the nature of the carnal heart. God chose between Ishmael and Isaac. God made that choice before either was born. He did so, as well, with Esau and Jacob. The human reason might suggest a preference for the firstborn son in both cases (Ishmael and Esau), but God knew them before they were ever conceived. He even named them before conception. Human reason cannot account for the will and purpose of the Almighty! Paul’s benediction in the 11^th chapter of Romans gives a clear explanation of our inability to understand the works of God by human reason: 33   O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

            I have read often in popular commentaries of the human reasoning of theologians attempting to explain away the clear words of prophecy and Gospel in order to make the very words mean something different from what they clearly articulate. I do not pretend to understand more of God’s Word than these learned men, but one thing I know: whether I understand every whit of what God says has no bearing on the truth. Whatsoever He has said in His Word is truth, and I may not amend it by human reason or strenuous equivocation.

            God tested Abraham long ago in Canaan. After waiting in his old age to have, miraculously, a son (Isaac), the Lord said to him:  Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.  (Gen 22:2) It might be added here that Isaac was now a boy perhaps in his early teens. Abraham had become enamored with this special son of promise of the Lord. But now, God tells Abraham to do something Abraham could never have understood. When we do not understand why the Lord tells us to undertake a mission, or to go a certain place, what do we do? We must go anyway, and that is what Abraham did. You must remember that Abraham believes the Promise of God to send a Redeemer, but he does not know the means of that redemption in the Ultimate Seed of Promise (Jesus Christ). His understanding of God’s plan, at that point, was too primitive to comprehend the cost that God would pay for our salvation. So, God decides on a means to alert our minds to that cost. God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only begotten son for a reason that Abraham does not know. Those lost of the world today have no primitive concept, either, as to why the death of Christ on the cross could redeem them from their sins.

            Without hesitation, Abraham immediately obeys God. How strong is our own faith to obey God under every heart-breaking circumstance?  3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. (Gen 22:3-4) Amazingly, the journey to Mt. Moriah was a three-day journey during which time Isaac was as good as dead - The same period in which Christ was in the stone-cold tomb! The Temple at Jerusalem, where the yearly Passover Sacrifice was made,  is located on the same mountains of Moriah. Imagine the woe and despair in the heart of Abraham at the sight of this place of horror! Serving the Lord is not always a prospect of happiness. There will be times of great sorrow. Often, such sorrow is only a mirage as in the case of the sacrifice of Isaac. All sorrows undertaken on God’s part is a mere mirage.

            It will be important to remember that Isaac’s birth was a miraculous fulfillment of God’s Promise.

            Though Abraham does not fully understand the mysteries of God’s plans, he has a premonition that God will make all well in fulfillment of His promises concerning the progeny of Abraham. Look closely at the next verse of Genesis 22:  5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. (Gen 22:5) If we were to diagram that sentence, what would be the subject of the second clause? Would it not be a compound subject of Abraham and the lad? What are these subjects going to do? They are to “go yonder and worship”. But there is also a compound verb: “and come again to you.” Abraham does not say that he and the lad will go and worship, and then that only he (Abraham) will come again to you – the subjects are the same in both cases. In other words, he and the lad will go and worship, and (he and the lad) will come again to you. This is not a complex or convoluted matter – it is simply what God’s Word clearly tells us. He didn’t know how, but Abraham believed that God would restore his son (Isaac) to him even if he sacrificed him on the altar. Any creature placed on an altar belongs to God. Isaac belonged to God and his Seed of Promise to come after.  And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son. (Gen 22:6a) Like the wood of the cross, Isaac carried this wood to his place of sacrifice.

            Does the term, Burnt Offering, ring a bell? Remember the Brazen Altar of Burnt Offerings at the very entrance to the Wilderness Tabernacle. No man came further than that altar into the tabernacle without a sacrifice. That altar was the only one upon which a sacrifice was made in the Tabernacle. That Brazen Altar typified the Lord Jesus Christ in the same way that the Brazen Serpent on the Pole of the Wilderness represented Christ! The altar upon which Isaac would be laid would confirm the promise of God that Isaac and his spiritual progeny would belong to God. Not necessarily the carnal descendents of Isaac, but all who believed in that Promise, by faith, made to Abraham. (Romans 9:8) God demanded Abraham’s BEST for a sacrifice, and He demands your best be given unto Him as well – though blood sacrifice will no longer avail except that sacrifice made by Christ.

            Next is recounted a dialogue that would break any father’s heart. Hear what Isaac asks his father at the foot of Moriah:  7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? (Gen 22:7) Abraham knows that whatever sacrifice is made will be the provision of God, whether Isaac, his son, or a lamb. The response to Isaac’s question is the most profound and dramatic prophecy of the promised Messiah to that point in Scripture!  8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.  (Gen 22:8a) If we are still in a mind to diagram sentences, you will immediately see that the object of this sentence is “himself (a lamb)”. The Lord will provide Himself to be the Lamb for the burnt offering of the Tabernacle…..  11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (Rev 5:11-13)

            Isaac, as the only begotten of Abraham, prefigures the only Begotten Son of God. God will not demand the child of any man as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Only His own Son can bear such a burden, or is worthy to do so – and He did!  9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.  (Gen 22:9-12) Now Abraham’s eyes are averted to a thorn-bush in which a ram is caught by the horns:  13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.  (Gen 22:13) A ram caught in the thicket by his horns much like the Lamb of God tortured with a crown of thorns.  It is my desire that every reader will see in this account the perfect will, foreknowledge and foreordination of God in the affairs of His people.