Doubtless distressed, Abraham chose to be obedient to the perplexing command of the Lord that he should sacrifice the son he loved, Isaac. When the young man asked where the sacrificial animal was, the King James Version says it best, “God will provide Himself a lamb.” (Genesis 22:8) The patriarch had hope that God would make some provision in the immediacy of the moment, and He did. But his prophecy, that God would provide Himself as sin’s atonement, only came as John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) God made flesh became the final sacrifice.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.

John 1:14

In this season of introspection in preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, take the time to reflect on the awful price sin demands. For Abraham, he thought he would lose his son; for God the Father, His Son – the provided Lamb – died to atone for the sins of the whole world.

Although mentioning sin is politically incorrect, pray for the men and women holding America’s governmental power to believe that they, too, were included in that final sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Recommended Reading: Genesis 22:1-14