Where Am I?

0:01 I want to share with you today. from this passage that tomorrow read and Genesis chapter 22 verses 1 through 19 by the way, if you are Utilizing the YouVersion app. You're welcome to check it out. It has all of our scriptures and everything that we read and and even all of the liturgical pieces that we do as well. after these things God tested Abraham he said to him Abraham.

0:47 And he answered. He Nene here I am. He said take your son your only son whom you love. yitzchak, Isaac And go to the land of Moriah. There you are ought to offer him as a burnt offering. On a mountain that I will point out to you. Abraham got up early in the morning saddled his donkey and took two of his young men with him together with Isaac his son he cut the wood for the burnt offering departed and went toward the place that God had told him about On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place in the distance. Abraham said to his young men stay here with the donkey. I and the boy will go there.

1:34 Worship and we will return to you. Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. Then he took his hand in his hand the fire and the knife. And they both went on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father my father. And he answered hineni here. I am my son. He said I see the fire in the wood. But where is the Lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham replied God will provide himself. The lamb for a burnt offering my son. And they both went on together. They came to the place that God had told them about and Abraham built the altar there set the wooden order

2:21 bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar. on the wood the Abraham put out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. but the angel of the Lord Called to him out of heaven. Abraham Abraham and he answered he Nene here I am. He said don't lay your hand on the boy. Don't do anything to him for now. I know that you are a man who fears God. Because you have not withheld your son your only son from me. Abraham raised his eyes and looked and there.

3:06 behind him was a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. Abraham went and took the RAM and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham called the place. I don't know you're a The Lord will see to it or the Lord provides as it is said to this day on the mountain I don't know is seen. The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of Heaven out of heaven and he said I have sworn by myself says Adonai that because you have done this because you have not withheld your son your only son. I will most certainly bless you. And I will most certainly increase your descendants to as many as there are stars in

3:52 the sky or grains of the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the cities of their enemies and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Because you obeyed my order. So Abraham returned to his young men, they got up and went together to beersheva and Abraham settled there and beerscheva. We're going to take this passage in three different sections and we're going to spend. some time probably more than I allotted myself taking a look at these three different sections. We're going to start in verses 1 through 11.

4:40 We're what I have summarized as the central point. Is God will provide himself? the lamb for a burnt offering then we'll go look at verses 11 through 14 and we look at the Lord sees the predicament. And will provide a solution. And then we'll take a final a quick look at verses 15 through 19 where the Covenant is confirmed. with Abraham and with Isaac So what we have here in this passage. In verses 1 through 11. I don't know if you noticed it. I tried to to do it with my voice and I don't know that I was successful.

5:26 But sometimes when you're reading this scripture, you'll hear phrases and words repeated the exact phrases and words. which Should cause us to slow down. I don't know about you guys, but when I read when I read I read quick. But when we see something repeat word for word, it should cause us to slow down in just take a deeper. Look. So what we see here. in in these verses let me just we saw in the matter of the span of two verses the phrase and they both went on together. Did you guys hear that when I when I was reading it they both went on together. It's interesting

6:11 because it forms like a bracket if you will. So if you guys can pop up that that illustration for me. We are looking at. When you see a phrase repeated like that, it should cause us to slow down and and perhaps maybe there's something in the text that is being illuminated to us and it's often through the structure in the text. And so this is called today a chiasm. And so you see it when there's a repetition and and then you kind of go backwards. So you go back before the one that you notice and then you go after the one and you'll and you'll see if there's parallels if there's parallels then you do have a chiasm if there's not then you don't it's simple as that. So sometimes there's nothing and sometimes

6:56 there's something so I we're gonna take a look here and we're going to I'm gonna point out three different things in the text. That seem to have a parallel a little bit later. So item number one that we see is at the very beginning. It's almost like a bookend for the passage Abraham or the Lord comes to Abraham and says Abraham and can you tell me what Abraham's response was? Hineni, so we have a hineni. So if you guys I don't know. There we go. God calls Abraham and Abraham answers him he naming. We then go forward a little bit more to verse 6 and we see this one. This one is going to take a little bit of imagination, but not a lot.

7:44 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And then he took in his hand the fire in the knife. So he takes the wood and he lays it on his son. So what we understand by that is that there is because you can't just lay a bunch of wood on somebody the wood has to be bundled up together, right so you can actually carry it. So the wood is tied up and it's laid on Isaac's shoulders. And Isaac carries the wood by the way, let me actually pause for just a moment because I I think I just want to dispel something at least from my own perception. When I read this text Abraham is not the age of Max. I'm sorry Isaac isn't my Abraham is definitely not but Isaac is not the age of Max.

8:31 Isaac is able to Bear the weight. Of the wood that is necessary to sacrifice him on the altar. Which means we're not talking about one piece of wood. You know, I I am. Smoked a brisket this weekend. And Max was helping me and he would bring me a piece of wood and he's able to get a little piece of wood. But that that's not enough for a brisket. Like it takes a lot of wood. In fact for us it took about I don't know must have taken 30 pieces that were about this big and maybe about that big around. and Max couldn't carry that on his on his shoulders. In fact, I might even have issues with

9:19 a 12 year old carrying that on his shoulders. enjoyed there is a Jewish tradition that Immediately. So what immediately follows this passage is Sarah and she dies and she dies at 127 in in a Jewish tradition. It's an immediate follow-up to what happens with Abraham and Isaac, which would make Isaac about 37 years old. 37-38 36 right in that range, which means you actually be my age. Now I can I can see having now smoked a brisket with Max. I can see myself carrying the wood. But not him. Max watch out

10:06 Okay, go back over there. So what we have here is a tied up bundle of wood on on Isaac's shoulders. So then let's keep reading. Let's see if there's something that's afterwards. So and then they both went on together. And we keep going and I'm just gonna skip this. this conversation here to the next part where and they both went on together. So now what we've got a repetition which we should expect something else right after that. They came to the place that God had told him about and Abraham built the altar there set the wood in order bound Isaac tied Isaac up. And put him on the altar in other words. He put them on the wood.

10:53 So you see a minute ago. We saw that the wood was tied up and put on Isaac. And now we see Isaac tied up and put on the wood. And then we we continue on then Abraham put out his hand took the knife to kill a son. But the angel of the Lord called to him out of Heaven said Abraham Abraham and Abraham answered. Hey naini, so we we see. Kind of the Inn. So you guys can fast forward a couple more there. You see the end here so you see how there's a blank right in the middle. The D what I've called the D. That's the part that is being highlighted or drawn out to us. What part is that? that part

11:39 at the very center of this chiasm. that part Is the conversation that occurs between Abraham and Isaac? Now, let me share with you something interesting. Do you know that this conversation between Abraham and Isaac is the only recorded conversation in the entire tour? between Abraham and Isaac It's the only conversation record and if it's recorded then it's recorded for a purpose. And if it's the only conversation then it's highlighted for an even greater purpose. And even here's here we get we get one more and and we don't have a site for this. But even in those verses the conversation between Abraham and Isaac. We have another miniature chiasm.

12:26 Because we have the repeated use of the word by Omar. is repeated five times in the space of what is that a two sentences Abraham spoke to his father my father. He answered here. I am my son and he said I see the fire in the wood. But where is the Lamb for the burnt offering and Abraham replied or he spoke? He said God will provide himself for the lamb provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering my son and they both went on together. You see in this in the Hebrew the viomare repeated five times and at the center one the the very center of that the third Vio mayor if you will. the response is what? He naming.

13:13 Abraham see Abraham addresses Our Father in Heaven twice and says he Nene and then he addresses his son when his son has a question And says he ain't he he named he's not just like here. I am like, you know, Hey, where's Ari? Here I am. I'm right here. No, he name is more of a. I'm here. You tell me what to do and I will follow you. to the end That's the weight that it carries with it. And so Abraham manages, by the way, this is a difficult text to deal with Abraham manages. to hold two opposing realities intention

13:59 and continue to say that he will be obedient. The Lord says sacrifice your son. And he says, okay. And Isaac says, where's the lamb now? We're going to talk about that in just a moment. And he says I'm here. Let me let me walk with you. Abraham has been struggling. At least I would imagine he's been struggling the script. I'm now reading into here Abraham has been struggling. He's been wrestling with this command for three days. Since the Lord spoke to him, I would presume in a vision at night or in a dream or something in the night and then he wakes up early perhaps he

14:45 was never even able to go back to sleep. Who knows but he wakes up early and he follows after the Lord's command and he goes for three days wrestling with this issue the issue of offering his son as a burnt offering to the Lord his son his only son his seed of Promise named Isaac just in case you missed in case there was any level of ambiguity in the in the text. God goes narrower and narrower and narrower and says That's who I asked for. It's very interesting because this is God's promise in his life.

15:32 God spoke to this to him very clearly. multiple times and then says now I want you to give it up for me. Now I know I'm I'm dealing with a son and a child, but that's in the general sense what he's asking. And so he comes after three days of wrestling with this. and he comes and he's on the mountain and and Isaac says dad Where is the Lamb? He says my father. in Abraham says

16:18 he named. he responds to his son with this very simple, but also meaningful response to a word by the way, when when Isaac says my father How many of you if your son said my father? Wouldn't just break down crying weeping. because you know What's going on? It's our duty as dads to protect our children.

17:04 If you will to die for the sake of them. Not the other way around. and so when Isaac says my father is probably the last title that Abraham wants to hear at that moment at least in his flesh. And he says here I am my son. What is your question? Isaac's question. He says where is the Lamb? It's interesting because there's two different words in Hebrew that that are used for for what we say in English where? You know, like where are you so on and so forth you have ifo and you have a yeah. April speaks to location Naomi and

17:51 Ruth Naomi asks Ruth where she collected grain that day. Where was that wanting to know? What field what location? Oh, yeah is a question you ask when you expect something to be there, but it's not. Let me give you the the prime example God asks Adam and Eve where they are. God those were they are? But they are not where they're supposed to be and Isaac asked this question. Where is the Lamb knowing? It's supposed to be here, but it's not. And you can interpret Abraham's answer in

18:37 multiple different ways. You can put commas in different places and it changes the meaning you can put a semicolon by the way, none of those exist in the Hebrew text it and you can put a semicolon and it means something different and you can put a comment. It means something different. It could be looking he could be saying. Well here let me just give you an example. He could be saying God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering. my son you see there's a colon there. Or you can say God will provide himself a lamb for the offering my son. which the changes the expression or you can say

19:23 God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering my son. Isaac understands on a deeper level Exactly. What is happening? Isaac realizes in this text and now I'm reading into it and you can you can argue with me and and I will argue with you and I'm going to tell you I'm probably not backing down. but Isaac is comes to full awareness if he hasn't been already. He is now. To full awareness that he is the Lamb that has been brought to be offered up on the on the on the on the altar to the Lord.

20:09 And Isaac starts fighting and saying no dad. No, no, don't do it. No, he doesn't. Isaac shoulders the load and moves on he Bears the the burden of the tied up wood and continues walking. They walked on together. It reminds me. of our Messiah Yeshua as Rabbi Troy pointed out two days ago. When in the garden Yeshua said can this be taken from me? Is there any other option?

20:59 He didn't say it once. He said it twice. Multiple times. Is there any other option and then he says But not my will. But your will be done. in Yeshua shoulders the burden and walks on this moment When Abraham doesn't explicitly answer the question. But they both know what the answer is is an intimate moment between a father and a son.

21:46 It's a moment where they continue to move on together. With a greater understanding a greater Mutual understanding of what the cost is following the Lord. Let's look at verses 11 through 14. But the Lord called out to him. So, you know, all of that has now taken place the Lord called out to him Abraham Abraham and he answered he named. He said don't lay your hand on the boy. Don't do anything to him for I know that you are a man who fears God because you have not withheld your son your only son from me. Abraham raised his eyes. And looked and there behind him was a ram caught in the bushes by its horns.

22:34 Hold on just a moment. Let me let me pretend for a moment that I'm a ram. There's a ram. caught in the bushes by its horns caught I can't move. Abraham went and took the RAM and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham called the place. I don't know you're a as it is said to this day on the mountain. I don't know. We'll see to it. You see this is where? Let's see if I can get this to stay. stay

23:20 I think the Rams listening. The Acadia The Binding of Isaac and Jewish tradition foreshadows or is a precursor to the sacrificial system that is instated in the Tabernacle in subsequently in the temple. The Lord confirms that following him will require sacrifices. Some commentators note that the Lord was testing Abraham to see if he would be his faithful to his God as the surrounding people's in the surrounding nations were in following theirs the surrounding people's routinely offered up their children as sacrifices to their gods. Will you go as far as everyone else will

24:06 for their own God? My question is do we do this today? How have we offered up our children today? Are we the dad who enrolls their child in a sport and pushes them to succeed where we were not able. Not for the purpose of them succeeding actually, but because we're trying to live vicariously through them. You know the dad on Friday night. During Friday Night Lights who's screaming at the rest? That's that's a penalty though a flag. Or am I the parent that had no opportunities growing up and I fight for my child to be involved in every opportunity known to mankind and therefore.

24:53 I drive them. Ceaselessly every day of the week. you see Sometimes we overcompensate this is kind of a human thing to do. Sometimes we overcompensate. When we were denied as a child or when we made certain sacrifices and we want our children not have to make those sacrifices. My caution is just Make sure what it is that you're sacrificing for your children. Why does one blow a shofar taken from a ram? according to the

25:39 The JPS commentary the Holy One Blessed Be he said blow a Ram's Horn before me so that I remember in your behalf. The Binding of Isaac the son of Abraham and counted to you as though you had bound yourselves as a sacrifice before me. This passage is where the meaning in the use of the shofar comes. Everything that we use to shofar for comes from here. This is the the origin if you will the ram caught in the thicket, should I remind us? the ram caught in the thicket

26:27 was considered as a substitution for Isaac The sacrifices the ram of the ram was considered to be as if it were Isaac. Do you understand that? The ram was not just a Ram at that point. the ram was Isaac How can I say that? Well, the author of the book of Hebrews says this by trusting Abraham when he was put to the test offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He offered up his only son who would receive the promises Hebrews 11

27:13 chapter chapter 11 verse 17 to whom it had been said what is called your seed will be in Isaac for he had concluded that God could even raise people from the dead and figuratively speaking. He did so receive him. Abraham put to the test offered up offered. What does that? Is it's a task that's done offered up Isaac as a sacrifice the author here uses the perfect tense in other words. It's a past action that continues in the present. In other words the results of the sacrifice last to the present. in other words the author of Hebrews considered as if Abraham sacrificed Isaac and yet it was the substitution.

28:00 That was offered on his behalf on Isaac's behalf. We move on in this text in Genesis 22. Let's see. What first am I in? Abraham lifted up his eyes and behold. behind him There was a ram. Just caught in the thicket by its horns again the ram caught by its horns. It's and there behind him. It's very interesting. There's multiple interpretations of this word the use of this word akar. It could be that the ram only became entangled in the thicket after Abraham looked up in solid.

28:46 Or it could be as the Jerusalem Tallman suggests Abraham foresaw his children in the last days entangled and sin like a ram caught in the thicket. And then he saw them redeemed afterward akar afterward by the sound of the Ram's Horn. Or it could be like the midrash in Genesis. Rabba. That uses the word akhar as a title. for the Messiah this would render the text like this Abraham raised his eyes and looked and behold the Messiah a ram caught in the thicket by his thorns. Did Abraham raise his eyes and see Yeshua caught

29:33 in the crown of thorns and the thicket? At that very moment. of substitutionary sacrifice did Abraham see Yeshua or Messiah? And we come to the final section here. The Covenant reiteration the angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham a second time out of heaven. He said I have sworn by myself says the Lord that because you have done this because you have not withheld your son your only son I will most certainly bless you and I will most certainly increase your descendants to as many as there are star stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore your descendants

30:18 will possess the cities of their enemies and by your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed because you obeyed my order. So Abraham return to his young men. They got up and went together to Bear Sheva and Abraham settled there. In this section after all of this is done the Lord reiterates his Covenant to Abraham. To Isaac and to Jacob all to Abraham's descendants. Why because Abraham did not withhold that which was most precious to him. He offered it up to the Lord. In fact, the you know, the challenging thing here the thing that was most precious to Abraham. Was the promise of God in the body of

31:06 his son Isaac? Do we ever get to those moments where the promise that God has given us in our own lives becomes the object and not the means. Because it's at that moment. Where that's where we have to re entrust it to the Lord. Because God has given us a promise and he wants us to walk in that. But he doesn't want that promise. To be everything that we're about. That's supposed to be him. We're supposed to be everything about him. And the promise is The Way We Walk It Out. I don't know if how Abraham was living his life at this moment.

31:55 But I can tell you if I were Abraham and I didn't was having if difficulty made having children and I'm what was the 99 years old and I'm 99 years old and all of a sudden I have a son. And I'm like, okay. Listen kid. I'm gonna put a helmet on you. You're gonna wear you're gonna wear you're gonna wear elbow pads and knee pads and wrist guards. Like I'm just gonna wrap you in bubble. Like and you're not allowed to go do anything. Why because this is the promise of God, I have to like protect the promise of God in my life. But that's not what we're called to do.

32:40 We're called to serve God and yes, he's given us a promise and this is how we're going to do it. But that's not the object of our service. So Abraham probably didn't wrap his son and bubble wrap. Actually, he put a tide tide bunch of sticks on his back and said here carry this. I'll get don't worry. I'll get the knife. It's the heavy one. After all of this is said and done the Lord declared that he will bless Abraham. He will increase his descendants and all of the nations of the Earth. Will be blessed. through Abraham's descendants So what what does this mean for us? Well here let me give you a few. So what's

33:28 Yeshua Is the sign who willingly offered himself? all the way I'm not saying that Isaac didn't but Isaac came to a point and then there there was a ram. Yeshua is identified in the scripture as the Son of God by a bot coal a voice from heaven. When he is immersed in Luke 3:22, you are my son whom I love. I am well pleased with you. This really is reminiscent of of when the Lord speaking to Abraham your son. Your only son The One You Love by the way, his name is Isaac. Just in case Abraham. You didn't remember who the promise child in your family was.

34:15 This is God saying you are my son whom I love I'm well pleased with you and Yeshua goes from that point and he then carries wood on his back and John 19 verse 17. He subsequently bound. to the wood and he even has a conversation with his father. But he comes to a mutual understanding with his father. It's like this encounter with Abraham and Isaac. Yeshua

35:01 is the one If Isaac was the one who began the sacrificial system. here in Genesis 22 Yeshua is the one who brings it to its fullest meaning. To the fullest understanding of anything and everything that could happen in regards to sacrifice. And atonement it all comes to fruition to the fullest understanding in Yeshua. As this Ram was a substitutionary for Isaac. Oh wait, this is what I just said. Sorry. I got I got ahead of myself. Yeshua did his atoning work and it's

35:46 done once and for all. God sent his only son so that none would be lost. As Rabbi Marty mentioned last night. And finally, the Covenant is confirmed with Abraham with Isaac and with Jacob they will be blessed they will increase in the nations of the earth will be blessed through them. from a very Earthly perspective you can actually see the blessing. Of Israel the nation state of Israel today around the Nations. I don't know if you realize this. But anytime there's a hurricane. There's a natural disaster who are the first people there.

36:34 some team from Israel I don't know how they get there. I don't know how they magically appear all around the world. But they're there and they're the First Responders that every given moment they were what was that hurricane that was in Houston a few years back Harvey was at Harvey. I think yeah Harvey. They were the first in heart in Houston. They beat us. Like we live in Texas. You're halfway around the world and they still beat us. They were in Puerto Rico the hurricane after that one. They like Israeli now, I'm starting to sound like Rabbi Troy on Saturday. Israelis are everywhere. Jewish people are everywhere. But we see the benefits in just the Earthly terms.

37:23 The benefits are already. There's a little bit of a blessing to the Nations, but imagine if this is what we experience now, imagine how much more so when the Jewish people are walking in their calling. When they are following Yeshua the Messiah wholeheartedly not as an individual, but as a nation. if you match Like the nation that we witness today that blesses the Nations. Is it disobedient Nation? It's one that is wandering and and I'm gonna say is not often like it's walking opposite God's way oftentimes. And yet the nations are still blessed. Imagine how much more so

38:09 When we as a people. Follow our God when we follow Yeshua with everything that we have imagined what that will be. Paul says it. life from the dead so for you and me. How does this passage? Tie up for you and me. Where am I in my life? In terms of giving myself. Holy and completely to the Lord. This is a question. All of us should be asking where am I in my life? What distractions are keeping me from being holy devoted to

38:55 the Lord. Like Abraham and Isaac, you see Abraham and Isaac were both. Holy devoted to the Lord. They both went to that altar knowingly. With full understanding of what the consequences were. What is it that's keeping us back. because by allowing these distractions Perhaps we've forgotten the true value of Life Everlasting that Yeshua has already obtained for us. So let us do this, let us submit ourselves holy to the Lord. Let us exercise gratitude for the sacrifice that Yeshua made on our on our behalf once and forever.

39:40 And let us wake up to the resounding alarm of the shofar As It prepares us for the coming of our Messiah Yeshua. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Give our recognize. my rest Yeah tonight.

40:31 the car he saw tonight. Shekinah in the name of our Messiah Yeshua shinatova