Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father?” “What is it, my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Genesis 22:7 (emphasis added)

This is a good question. And a prophetic, Messianic one. Issac was, after all, the child of the promise in one sense. In another, it was Jesus of Nazareth who was the child of the promise. The seed (singular) who would bring Blessing to the nations of the earth (Genesis 22:18). There is a lot in this section about obedience and sacrifice. Of expectation and trust. There is also a lot about covenant. Because Abraham was willing to obey and do this thing, according to their covenant (Genesis 15:17), Adonai was able to do His thing. Adonai Elohim is sovereign, but He has chosen to work through humanity. A willing and obedient humanity. It is because of this particular act that Jesus was able to be our atoning sacrifice. Abraham was a big part of that act. But so was Issac.

Adonai looks for humans to cooperate with. He placed Adam in the Garden to tend and keep it (Genesis 2:15). He looks for those whose heart is completely His (2 Chronicles 16:9). Most importantly, He asks or calls for those who will obey and cooperate with His point of view and way of doing things. “I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” I answered, “Here I am, send me!”” (Isaiah 6:8). Abram had proven himself someone willing to trust the Word of Adonai (Genesis 15:6). Adonai made covenant with him over his offspring and over his seed bringing blessing to all the nations. But the promise of future blessing came AFTER the incident with Isaac. At this point, the promise was that Isaac would inherit from Abraham. And Abraham was firmly committed to this. One hundred percent. He was so committed to it, that he believed and looked forward to Isaac being raised to life again. We know this because he told his servants both he and Isaac would return from this offering (Genesis 22:5). We also know it because Adonai revealed it to Paul (Hebrews 11:9). Abraham also was learning a lesson we all should learn, one prevalent throughout the Word: Adonai created everything and therefore everything belongs to Him. He gets to choose what is the right way to enjoy His creation. Abraham and Sarah had a miraculous birth, possible only through their trusting Elohim’s Word (Hebrews 11:11-12). But that child, like all children, did not belong to them (the parents). This is a pagan idea, a demonic and selfish idea, which has led to a myriad of abuses against children. They are not ours to do with as we wish, but Adonai’s. Just as Adam was placed in the Garden to tend and keep the Garden that Adonai owned, we are given children in order to tend and keep the children that belong to Him (1 Kings 20:3; Matthew 19:14; Luke 18:15-17). After all, “The Lord owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). When Abraham gave up ownership of Isaac, his firstborn, THAT was when He was stopped from sacrifice (Genesis 22:12). Among other types and shadows, the lesson is that child sacrifice (in ANY sense whether physical, emotional, mental, or otherwise) is abhorrent to Shaddai. This is a vital lesson when it comes to our salvation. But again, what about Isaac?

Isaac is often portrayed as a child. Based on Sarah’s age at his birth he could have been as young as five or six. But few have put him at that age. The Jewish historian Josephus put Isaac at twenty-five years old (The Antiquities of the Jews, 1.13.2). Rabbis have traditionally Isaac was 37 years old. Based on Sarah’s age at her death that is perfectly possible. Ishmael was referred to as a ‘boy’ in his teens, which is how Abraham refers to Isaac in Genesis 22, but the word is also appropriate for an older child as well. We can assume Isaac was between 13 and 37 with a high likelihood he was in his twenties. Abraham, on the other hand, was between 113 and 137. He was a hundred when Isaac was born, so if we assume Isaac was in his twenties, Abraham was in his one hundred and twenties. In any case, the younger was easily able to overpower the elder and prevent this from happening. He didn’t. This has led to a lot of criticism about both men’s behaviours, blindly following Adonai’s instructions without complaint or debate – especially in light of Abraham’s prior seeking mercy for Sodom and Gomorrah. But of we see the offering of Isaac and the turning over of his ownership (or recognising the ownership) of Elohim as a type and shadow of Messiah, I think Isaac’s behaviour is easy to identify. It comes down to covenant.

In the ancient world, covenant was not a one-sided thing. It was also more than just a legal contract. There was an expectation of faithfulness inherent in it. They accompanied a covenant with a sacrifice to showcase both the seriousness of the agreement and the penalties that awaited breakers of covenant. Both sides participated to show there was parity or equivalence between them. This is the type of covenant Adonai makes with us. But He has chosen to cooperate with humanity. Since we cannot in ANY way pay for sin, He needed to provide a payment. But for Him to move like that according to how He has set things up and how He has restricted Himself, we needed to give up a son. Because Abraham gave up his son, the Father was able to give up His. Adonai stopping Abraham and substituting a ram showed that substitutionary sacrifices were acceptable. Messiah Jesus could be substituted for us in payment of sin. But Messiah would go to sacrifice like a lamb to the slaughter – uncomplaining. “He was treated harshly and afflicted, but he did not even open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughtering block, like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not even open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). Isaac submitted to his father’s will and allowed himself to be bound, placed on the altar, and sacrificed (they didn’t know Elohim would stop them). In doing this, Isaac opened the door through the covenant for Jesus to do the same. Jesus substituted for Isaac as the Father substituted for Abraham – a covenant of equivalence. Jesus was the sacrifice that the Father provided, substituting for humanity in the payment of sin. A covenant of equivalence.

What does this have to do with healing? We get to be Isaac the same way Isaac got to be Jesus. Equivalence in covenant. Jesus died for us, substituting for humanity, and in His resurrection to life provided a place for us to substitute for Jesus when standing before the Father. We get to come into the covenant Jesus made with the Father. We get to become the Righteousness He IS because He became the sin we WERE. Substitution. Equivalence. Isaac was humbly submitted to his father. Jesus was humbly submitted to His. As Children of Elohim, we too must humbly submit. Equivalence. This is how we receive healing. By realising who we are in Jesus. By seeing who we are in Jesus. By trusting who we are in Jesus. By submitting in obedience to who we are in Jesus. And by believing through our trust in Jesus about His Word, receiving ALL the Blessing that is ours in the covenant we stand equally in. It is our legal right through Jesus’ work. We will throw down here on Earth and DEMAND our rights – real and imagined. How can we do less with a covenant that is our blood-bought RIGHT? Don’t be a son, but not an heir. Be the heir Jesus paid for you to be.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Zechariah 9:9

“Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you: He is legitimate and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey—on a young donkey, the foal of a female donkey.” Messiah would be presented to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. This is the same way in which David presented his chosen heir Solomon to the people of Jerusalem (1 Kings 1:33-37). As a seed of David, Messiah (2 Samuel 7:12–16; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5–6) would be presented the same way. “So the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”” (Matthew 21:6-9). Jesus was the seed of David (Matthew 1:1; Luke 1:32–33; Acts 15:15–16; Hebrews 1:5). Jesus was presented to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Jesus IS the Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b