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The scripture for December 6th is all about temptation and the ultimate sacrifice. It is a fabulous story and also another sign in Abrahams life of what is to come. A son given by faith, loved and cherished. Then the story turns to a special son who has to be sacrificed; it seems a terrible end to a promise God had given, after all how would Abrahams descendants fill the earth if his son was sacrificed. But when Abraham showed faith and trusted God an alternative was given and Abraham named the place God Will Provide. 2000 years later God kept his promise hidden in this place and provided his Son, through the line of Abraham to provide the ultimate fulfilment of the story. Only God could put in Genesis, so close to the sin coming into the world, the heavenly solution to come, when his anger would be turned away through the sacrifice of his Son. In this story we see something of the amazing love God has for us. Passage Genesis 22:1-14: After all this, God tested Abraham. God said, "Abraham!" "Yes?" answered Abraham. "I'm listening." He said, "Take your dear son Isaac whom you love and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I'll point out to you." Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants and his son Isaac. He had split wood for the burnt offering. He set out for the place God had directed him. On the third day he looked up and saw the place in the distance. Abraham told his two young servants, "Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I are going over there to worship; then we'll come back to you." Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac his son to carry. He carried the flint and the knife. The two of them went off together. Isaac said to Abraham his father, "Father?" “Yes, my son." "We have flint and wood, but where's the sheep for the burnt offering?" Abraham said, "Son, God will see to it that there's a sheep for the burnt offering." And they kept on walking together. They arrived at the place to which God had directed him. Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood. Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood. Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son. Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes, I'm listening." "Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn't hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me." Abraham looked up. He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-will-Provide). That's where we get the saying, "On the mountain of God, he sees to it."
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