For the Blessings of Jehovahjireh (Genesis 22:9-14)

For the Blessings of Jehovahjireh (Genesis 22:9-14)

 

9 하나님이 그에게 일러 주신 곳에 이른지라 이에 아브라함이 그 곳에 제단을 쌓고 나무를 벌여 놓고 그의 아들 이삭을 결박하여 제단 나무 위에 놓고

9 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 bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

 

10 손을 내밀어 칼을 잡고 그 아들을 잡으려 하니

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

 

11 여호와의 사자가 하늘에서부터 그를 불러 이르시되 아브라함아 아브라함아 하시는지라 아브라함이 이르되 내가 여기 있나이다 하매

11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

 

12 사자가 이르시되 그 아이에게 네 손을 대지 말라 그에게 아무 일도 하지 말라 네가 네 아들 네 독자까지도 내게 아끼지 아니하였으니 내가 이제야 네가 하나님을 경외하는 줄을 아노라

12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

 

13 아브라함이 눈을 들어 살펴본즉 한 숫양이 뒤에 있는데 뿔이 수풀에 걸려 있는지라 아브라함이 가서 그 숫양을 가져다가 아들을 대신하여 번제로 드렸더라

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

 

14 아브라함이 그 땅 이름을 여호와 이레라 하였으므로 오늘날까지 사람들이 이르기를 여호와의 산에서 준비되리라 하더라

14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

 

 

1. Today’s sermon will talk about the blessings of Jehovahjireh. “Jehovahjireh” means, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” In other words, God will provide us with all that we need. How great of a blessing is this? once you realize the awesome grace of God, each day becomes a precious and moving gift. You become thankful. You want to praise Him. Let this message become a great aid in your lives.

 

2. “Jehovahjireh” comes from Abraham. God tests Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham obeys and takes his son to a mountain in Moriah but just as he raises his knife, the Lord stops Abraham and instead gives him a ram caught in the thicket to sacrifice. God had prepared this ram for Abraham ahead of time.

 

Hence, Abraham named the area “Jehovahjireh,” because God had provided for him. God saw Abraham’s true heart and accepted it and blessed him for it. But this blessing is not something that anyone can receive. Who then is worthy of it?

 

A) The Blessing of Jehovahjireh is for Those Who Believe in God’s Word

 

Galatians 3:9 says, “9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” If we believe in the Lord, we too will receive the blessings of Abraham. It’s really very simple. Hebrews 11:17 says, “17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.”

 

Even though he did not understand God’s command, he trusted God and believed that He had a greater plan. Like Abraham, we need to place everything on God’s Words of promise, including our lives.

 

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:26-32:

“26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”

 

Do not doubt, but firmly believe that God watches over, cares, and provides for His children.

 

B) The Blessing of Jehovahjireh is for Those Who Obey

 

Genesis 22:3 says, “3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” Abraham obeyed God’s command, a command that is logically outrageous, without hesitation.

 

When the Apostle Paul was preparing for his second mission trip, he prayed to the Lord hoping to travel to Asia. But instead, God sent Paul to Macedonia, the start of the European continent. Although it was neither obvious nor tangible, God sent Paul to Macedonia with everything prepared; He did not arbitrarily sent Paul in the direction opposite of his desires.

 

Paul obeyed the Lord and it was in Philippi where he met a faithful and devoted woman named Lydia. Lydia actively supported Paul in his ministry and evangelism. She was an amazing heroine and advocate. And she was prepared for Paul by God. This is how far God’s plans reach.

 

Unfortunately, some people believe that they can only act once everything is settled and in place. This is the thought of those with weak and feeble faith. If what you need to do is truly from the message of God, then you must obey having faith that He will prepare and provide you with everything you need. When you obey Him, He will open a path for you.

 

When the Israelites were crossing the Jordan River from Canaan, the waters did not part until the priests stepped foot onto the water. But because they obeyed God’s command, the waters parted when they stepped out on the river just as God said. Hallelujah!

 

Shawn Bolz writes this testimony in his book, Keys to Heaven’s Economy:

An angel led Shawn Bolz to a storehouse that was so big he couldn’t see where the room ended. It was so large it was overwhelming just to look at. So he asked the angel in charge of the storehouse, “What is this place for?” The angel replied, “This is Heaven’s storehouse. It is filled with all the supplies needed to sufficiently provide for all of Jesus Christ’s followers. All these provisions are waiting to be used by any follower who needs it.”

 

Bolz says that he saw everything we would need from before we were born to Jesus’ Return. The storehouse held everything to cover the span of all lifetimes and nothing would ever run out.

 

The Bible also tells us of an infinite storehouse in Malachi 3:

“10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.”

 

In heaven, there is also a storage room just for our blessings. Matthew 6 instructs us to store up our treasures in Heaven:

“19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

All of these blessings and provisions are given to all those who obey.

 

C) The Blessing of Jehovahjireh is for Those Who Pass All of His Tests

 

Genesis 22:1 says, “Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.” There are three types of tests in the Bible: first is a test itself, second is temptation, and the third is trial.

 

For the first type, tests are given to us by God in order to reward us with greater blessings. Second, temptation is a test given by Satan trying to make us fall and descend into Hell. The third type, trials, are God’s way of training us for spiritual maturity and growth. These trials and tests help us grow and reap rewards, but temptation is Satan’s trickery so we must be ever vigilant and wise to overcome them.

 

Abraham passed a difficult test from God. The Lord asked 100 year-old Abraham to sacrifice his one and only precious son as a burnt offering. Typically, sheep or goats with the intestines removed were sacrificed.

 

This was a test of faith, love, and obedience. But Abraham was able to pass the test because he chose God over his own son and he was able to meet God, the God of Jehovahjireh. Not only did God prepare for Abraham a ram caught in the thickets, but He also had prepared a wife for Isaac.

 

If we take a look at Genesis 22:20-24, we see that just after the events on the mount at Moriah, Rebekah, the future wife of Isaac, is born. If you seek great blessings, pass God’s tests.

 

Genesis 22:15-18 tells us about Abraham and how he would bear many sons:

 

“15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.””

 

Hallelujah! Whenever you face a test of God, whatever it may be, I hope all of you stay away from sin and pass with flying colors.

 

D) The Blessing of Jehovahjireh is for Those Who Sincerely Seek God

 

Ezekiel 36:37 tells us, “37 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them…” God has all of our blessings already prepared, but to receive them we need to pray for them specifically.

 

In Genesis 16, when Hagar and Ishmael were driven out by Sarah into the desert, they were on the verge of dying of thirst when Hagar cried out to the Lord and He provided them with a stream to drink from. Hagar calls God “Beer Lahai Roi” which means, “I have now seen the one who sees me.” Our God, who knows everything about us, provides everything for those who pray to Him.

 

My wife originally attended Stone Gate Methodist Church in Dangjin, Korea. At this church there was a mother who always came to the church early in the morning, before the sun was up, and prayed. This woman was painfully poor. She always prayed for her son to be married and for a house. But they were so poor they could just barely afford to live in rented rooms.

 

Then one day, this woman was hit by a truck and passed away. Because of the accident her son received compensation payment. With that money her son was able to buy a house and get married. Of course it may not have been the expected or conventional way, but her prayers were answered. Some think that because the woman prayed so persistently every early morning God used drastic measures to answer her prayers.

 

Beloved congregation!

 

1. The greatest “Jehovahjireh” blessing for today’s Christians in Jesus Christ himself. Our Father sacrificed His Son to save us from our destiny of eternal damnation. Is there anyone who has yet to believe in Jesus? Accept Jesus as your Savior and believe. If you need help, come speak to me and I will help you.

 

2. Believe in the Heavenly Father who takes care of us and all our needs. We are all His children, therefore we have the right to receive His blessings. But to earn these necessities and blessings, we need to have a faith worthy of Him. Let us all become believers who pass God’s tests. Let us all become Christians who believe in all of the blessings of Jehovahjireh prepared by our Lord, obey His commands, and live with His abundant provisions.