Your Ram in the Thicket

(Reprint of a sermon I preached on October 1, 2006)

The story of Abraham and Isaac is a familiar one to most of us. Most often, it is discussed in terms of Abraham’s faith. It also is an incredible allegory depicting God the Father sacrificing His one and only Son, Jesus. But there is another side to this story, and that is what I want to focus on today.

(Genesis 22:1-2)

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

As counter-intuitive as it may seem, sometimes God asks us to sacrifice that thing which is nearest and dearest to us, even if it is the very thing He promised to give us. This was the case with Abraham and his son Isaac. And just as Abraham's instructions were void of specific details, God doesn’t always give us all the information we need to understand our task. Sometimes we just have to move forward in faith, believing and trusting that God knows what He is doing. 

(Genesis 22:3-5) 

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 

This was Abraham’s first faith declaration: “We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Even though he didn’t have the full picture, Abraham figured God knew what He was doing. Sometimes we need to involve others in carrying out God’s plans, but we can’t always tell them exactly what God has in mind. If we do, we may lose their support, or they may try to talk us out of our obedience.

Notice that Abraham described what he was doing as an act of worship. Our sacrifice must come in the midst of worship, or else we may give it grudgingly. Abraham equated sacrifice with worship. To him, they were inseparable.

Genesis 22:6-8

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

This was Abraham’s second faith declaration: “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Again, Abraham did not know what or how, but he knew Who, and that was enough for him. Up to now, no one had questioned Abraham’s actions, probably because of his reputation as a man of faith. Only the curiosity of an innocent child saw that something was missing. But even then, he accepted Abraham’s answer and was satisfied.

Genesis 22:9-10

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

What was Abraham thinking? “He said sacrifice, not circumcise, right? God, do you know what you’re doing? God, I hope you know what you’re doing. What am I going to tell Sarah?”

What was Isaac thinking? “My old man’s really lost it this time. I knew I should have stayed in bed this morning. How sharp is that knife? I wonder if I’ll bleed to death before I’m burned to a crisp. Mom’s going to be fried when she finds out about this!”

What was God thinking? “I know exactly how you feel. One day, that will be my Son. I can’t bear to watch any longer. Quick, someone stop him!”

Genesis 22:11-12

But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Did God change His mind? No, He knew all along that this is how it would end. After all, this was a test He knew Abraham could and would pass. But there was something else God wanted to teach Abraham, and the countless generations to come after him who would read this story. God wanted to reveal Himself as Jehovah Jireh, God the Provider.

Genesis 22:13-14

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”

What a “coincidence”! It just so happened that God provided exactly what Abraham needed at the precise moment he needed it. God’s original request for a sacrifice was still in force. He simply changed the object of that sacrifice. The amazing thing about God in this regard is that He always provides the sacrifice that He wants from us. He will never ask you to give Him something that He hasn’t already provided. And He will always replace the sacrificed item with something better.

Abraham thought he was about to lose a son. Instead, he gained his son, as good as dead. Hebrews 11:19 says,

“Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.”

Yet God still got His sacrifice and worship. What a deal!

The Bible is full of stories about people who had a need that God provided for at just the right moment. God is always right on time. Sometimes we think that He is late or that He has missed His window of opportunity. But He knows exactly the right time to come through with His plan of provision.

Sometimes He provides in a way that we do not expect. Were there not plenty of acceptable rams in Abraham’s flock back home? Was all this mental anguish really necessary? What was God trying to prove, anyway?

He was trying to prove that, when we step out in total obedience and choose to worship Him instead of questioning Him, He will open up the treasuries of Heaven and pour out such a blessing that we cannot even imagine it.

What is your ram in the thicket? What is that special need you have, that you don’t feel that God has provided for yet? What has he asked you to sacrifice in worship to Him, through faith and total, unquestioning obedience?

God is not a practical joker, or some sick, twisted individual that gets delight in dangling a carrot in front of you to see how frustrated you can get, knowing that you will never get that carrot, now matter how hard you try.

God is a loving Father, who wants the best for His children. But He also wants unyielding devotion and obedience from us so that He can be free to shower us with His provisions.

Philippians 4:19 tells us:

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

If you’re still waiting for your ram in the thicket, you need to ask yourself these questions in the following order:

1)	Is this truly a need in my life, or is it a distraction from what God wants for me?
	No:	Let it go, you’re better off without it. If you keep pressing God for it, He may give it to you just to teach you a lesson!
	Yes:	Go to question 2.
2)	Am I fully trusting in God’s ability to provide this need, or am I trying to bring it about through my own abilities and strength?
	No:	Know and believe that God is able to do anything better than you can, and if you try to make things happen, you will make a mess that He will need to fish you out of.
	Yes:	Go to question 3.
3)	Have I been obedient in everything that God has asked me to do, without questioning Him or trying to reason through His requests?
	No:	Start walking in obedience by doing what God says, and in faith trusting that He knows what He is doing when He asks you to do His will. He will never ask you to do something that He has not already equipped you to do.
	Yes:	Go to question 4.
4)	Am I operating on God’s timetable or mine?
	No:	Learn to wait on God and remember that to Him, a day is as a thousand years. God is not bound by our clocks and schedules. His timing is perfect.
	Yes:	Your ram is waiting!

Have a blessed week!

Pastor David