EVANGELISM

The example of Abraham

 It is worth of note to mention the sacrifice of Abraham, as much important as the act from God himself in the Garden of Eden. The example of Abraham, considered by the Bible the Father in the faith of Jews and Christians, is possibly one of the clearest in terms of God´s provision for His creation.

The Bible describes so the episode in Genesis 22.1-13: And it happened after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Behold me. And He said, Take now your son, your only one, Isaac, whom you love. And go into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will name to you. 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 he split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, You stay here with the ass. And I and the boy will go on to this way and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took the fire in his hand, and a knife. And they both went together. And Isaac spoke to 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? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. So they both went together. 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 he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. And the Angel of Jehovah called to him from the heavens and said, Abraham! Abraham! And he said, Here am I. And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked. And, behold, a ram behind him was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son”.

It is worth it to remember that this boy had been born to Abraham and his wife Sarah in his old age, him with 100 years and his wife with 90. Isaac was considered the son of the promise, through him God had promised descendants to Abraham, consequently, the nation of Israel or the Hebrew People, of which Jesus would be born. Nevertheless, God asked Abraham the boy in sacrifice, and though everything looked senseless, Abraham promptly obeyed. Observe Abraham´s faith, though he was about to sacrifice the boy he says to the servants: “And I and the boy will go on to this way and worship, and come again to you”.

Trusting on God's Word, about raising descendants to him through the boy Abraham believed that, Isaac would come back alive with him from the hill. The boy knew nothing that he was the target of the sacrifice, seeing the erected altar, the fire and the firewood, he asks his father, where is the lamb for the holocaust? Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering. In fact, seeing Abraham´s faith, God acted, notice that the sheep appears from nothing, there was nobody in the peak of the hill; it was a miraculous sign performed by God Himself.

This episode has to be understood by the eyes of the faith, since it symbolizes or prefigures a spiritual reality of rare dimension. Being Abraham father in the faith of Jews and Christians, he was justified by faith in the perfect sacrifice, which God would provide for humanity. Prophetically Abraham believed God for divine provision (notice that Abraham did not say for me or us); the lamb prefigures the person of God´s Son, Jesus, who would be sent to the world in the act of the incarnation. This event also explains why the Apostle Paul said that God announced the good news or the Gospel to Abraham. Paul writes: “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Therefore know that those of faith, these are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations through faith, preached the Gospel before to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all nations be blessed”. So then those of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham”, (cf. Galatians 3.6-9). Notice that the Gospel of Jesus, which had not been revealed, would be the complete fulfilment of the divine plan; the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ was and is the final target of God. By this reason Abraham is called the father in the faith, God´s revelation aimed at him predicted the sacrifice of Jesus in the cross. By trusting in God Abraham was justified by faith, from this perspective, man is also justified by faith in God´s provision, Jesus.

     Reginaldo de Melo

Pastor/Teacher/Writer

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