HE SAW THE PLACE AFAR OFF
Thursday – April 19, 2018, Iyar 4, 5778
Greetings and welcome back to this enlightening and faith building study of the Word of God from the Book of Hebrews. We are studying the Book of faith and the chapter of faith. Let’s now turn our attention to and read aloud our primary Bible text.
Hebrews 11:8-10 (KJV)
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
The promised child (Isaac) has come, Abraham has been assured that God will provide a land for the children to follow. He will not see this nor his immediate descendants however in about four hundred years Joshua the son of Nun will lead a great nation into this Promised Land. Later when Isaac is perhaps as old as thirty-three (estimated age of Jesus on the Cross) God tests the Blood Covenant into which He and Abraham has entered. Let’s read aloud the following text from the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. Twenty-two is the number of light. The faith of Abraham and of Isaac would bring The Light into the world. Following the Cross, those who accept the gift of eternal life by faith in that name become the light of and to the world for THE LIGHT has ascended on High.
Genesis 22:1-2 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Sounds kind of familiar don’t you think? Notice above that it is “God” who is tempting Abraham. Remember that “God” in the Hebrew is the plural form of God meaning all three persons of God. There are four persons or parties to this New Blood Covenant, Jehovah, the Word, the Holy Spirit, and Abraham.
Abraham and Isaac are immediately obedient to the command of God. Isaac is not a little child that Abraham can just overpower and control, he is a grown man and likely stronger and more agile then his father Abraham. Notice in verse two above that God tells Abraham to go into the land of Moriah and offer Isaac on one of the mountains there. It is thought that Mount Moriah is where Jesus paid for our sins and it is no doubt where Abraham lifted his knife to sacrifice Isaac. Jerusalem sits on seven mountains (see map above).
Genesis 22:3-5 (KJV)
3 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 clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
In the preceding passage notice the phrase: “saw the place afar off”, and notice they arrive there on the third day. Abraham did not just notice ‘a place’ but “the place”. The word place here is a Hebrew word transliterated to English as māqôm according to Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary. This terminology “the place” is the location of the future Temple for God, where God places His name, that name is Jesus, and it is the same mountain upon which God in the form of a man will pay the price of sin. What did he see “afar off”? Was it simply a piece of real estate or was it something else? It seems to be something else based on the following Scriptures.
Genesis 22:8 (KJV)
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Don’t be thrown off by the lamb Abraham speaks of and the provision of a ram. A ram is a male lamb. We see the faith of Abraham on high by his actions (faith without works is dead). However, God has shown him something. He showed him something wonderful.
Hebrews 11:19 (KJV)
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Abraham is in Blood Covenant with God and he knows that Isaac is the son of promise and a great nation is to come of him therefore God will need to raise him (Isaac) from the dead. Because Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son so must God be willing to sacrifice His Son. Let’s read the following extraordinary Scripture and speak of the goodness of God.
Galatians 3:6-9 (KJV)
6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
As we part for today let me ask; who is “the scripture”? Yes, that is right it is the Word who is our Redeemer, Christ Jesus. Lord willing, we will pick up our study and move forward tomorrow. Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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