Abraham’s spiritual life was marked by one crisis after another and each one drew him nearer to God and increased his prayer life, do they yours? In Gen. 12:1-3, God called him to leave his home, his country, his kindred, and his family which he loved and his father died in Haran making him ‘The Family Patriarch.’ So what does he do, he builds an altar in Bethel Gen. 12:8, “the house of God.” In Gen. 13:1-8, God calls him to separate from Lot his nephew, his kinsman and fellow believer whom he loved. So what does he do, he builds an altar in Hebron, near Mamre Gen. 13:18 (Communion & Fatness) In Gen. 21:10-11 God calls him to lay aside his plans for Ishmael, his 14 year old son whom he dearly loved and send him away. So what does he do, he builds an altar in Beer-sheba, Gen. 21:33, “the well of seven oaths.” In Gen. 22:1-14 God calls him to surrender his only beloved son Isaac, the son of promise, the son of his old age, whom he and Sarah loved. So what does he do, he builds an altar on Mt. Moriah, Gen. 22:9 (Jehovah-Jireh)

What do you do when God calls you to give up something or someone you love very much? Cry, throw a fit, get depressed, step out of the circle, take drugs, get drunk, quit, what? What should you do? Build an altar and ‘Pray, Sacrifice and Worship.’ Job 1:21, “The LORD gives and the LORD takes away, blessed be the name of the LORD.” What was Job’s wife’s name, anybody know? How about Lot’s wife, hmm! We know from Gen. 17:17-19 that God promised Sarah age 90 and Abraham age 100 a son Isaac named, ‘Laughter.’ So, Sarah is 90 when she gives birth to Isaac and 127 in Gen 23:1 when Abraham returns from offering Isaac on Mt. Moriah. (do the math) So how old is Isaac when Abraham binds him and puts him on the altar? (37) What seemed impossible in their old age happened, Sarah gave birth at 90 and nursed Isaac, Gen. 21:7 and this would be the key to Abraham’s future. Thirty seven years pass in Genesis 21. Isaac would have sons and those sons would have sons and from one of their offspring would come the Messiah. One by Whom all the Nations of the world would be blessed; Jesus The Christ, Gal. 3:16.

Can you imagine the shock to Abraham and Sarah when God told him to take his only beloved son, the son of promise and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah as a burnt offering to God? Gen. 22:2. She is now 127 and he is 137 years old. A ‘Burnt Offering’ was a total sacrificial offering, all of it was offered by fire. All Of It! Listen, a burnt offering was of man’s voluntary free will and it was acceptable by God for atonement. That is what God was asking His ‘FRIEND’ to do! Listen only a Friend, can ask a Friend to sacrifice! Amen? And Abraham was a true Friend of God! John 15:15 says, “Henceforth, I call you not servants, for the servant knows not what the lord does, but I have called you friends…” We sing it, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear…”we mouth it, we pray it, but do we believe it? Better yet do we live it?

Gen. 22:2 says, “Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest…” This is the first time in the Bible we have the word ‘Love.’ It is the Hebrew word (ahab or ahav) and means to love, love, lover, lovest. In Hebrew the aleph means ox or strength and the bet means house and when put together they spell ‘AB’ or father or ‘the strong one of the house.’ When you put the Hebrew ‘hey’ in the middle to get (ahav-love, lover) it means, “the heart of the Father.”  Isa. 41:8 says, “But thou Israel, art My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.” (ahav-lover) Abraham My friend, My lover, Whom I lovest. Our word ‘Friend’ comes from the old English word ‘Freond’ – to love, attached to another by affection. We use this word to loosely, Jesus used it to be my Friend, someone who loves me and is attached to me by affection. Why because He died for me, to set me free from the prison of sin.

God tested His friend’s loyalty, sincerity and faith. God did not tempt Abraham, He tested him. To tempt is to appeal to the worst in a man, desiring him to yield to the wrong. To test is to appeal to the best in a man hoping that he will endure the trial and benefit by it.  Satan tempts to bring about evil, God tests to bring about good. James 1:13, “Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempts He any man.”  God did not bring Abraham to this test to determine whether or not Abraham would obey Him. NO! God is omniscient, He knows ever thing, He knew in advance that Abraham would obey! He knew it! Then why did He allow it? For the same reason He allows you and I to go through the waters, fires, trials and tribulations of life. There is a “Principle For Prayer” here. Listen, the purpose of this experience was not to enlighten the LORD, it was to enrich Abraham’s prayer life! God knows how it is going to come out in the end, He wrote the Book, but you and I need the experience in order to be assured and better prepared for the rough places in life. Listen, there is nothing happening in your life right now that God is not fully aware of or not totally in control of. NOTHING! You got that, Nothing! You are a King’s kid! He knows every hair on your head, He counts them so I’m sure He is aware of your mortgage, your job, your marriage, your cancer, your operation, your decision, you bills, whatever! Is He your Friend, your ‘Freond’ or just an acquaintance? Hos. 6:3              “Between The Lines”

“Father, we desire more than life itself to be Your friend, but we are so unworthy to claim that title even though we are Your children by adoption through the shed blood of Your only begotten Son. Though we cry out Abba Father many times we feel like orphans and not Your heirs, forgive our sins, cleanse our souls, renew a right spirit within us that we may seek Your face; humble our hearts and heal our land.” In the name of Your Son Yeshua/Jesus we pray. Amen!

“Portraits of Prayer in Genesis”  Mt. Moriah – Part #2