Worship - 13 July

We saw God provide a substitute sacrifice for Isaac on Wednesday. Today we will see the results of Abraham’s worshipful obedience to God.

And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.  Gen 22:11-19 (ESV)

God made one-sided promises to Abraham as a result of his worshipful obedience. God promised that:

1.       He would be greatly blessed;

2.       His seed would be as many as the stars of heaven and of the sand;

3.       His seed would possess the gates of their enemies;

4.       His seed would be the vehicle to bless all the nations of the earth.

Abraham clearly passed his test! Have you ever been at a point where you felt God was calling you to do something far outside your comfort zone – perhaps moving without the prospect of a job, or taking a job in a different field, or giving up something that was important to you? If you have, you know that your faith, obedience and desire to worship was tested. It amazes me to think that worship and obedience go hand in hand. As we continue this study we will see more aspects of worship.

This week we’ve seen many firsts:

LOVE was first used in Genesis 22:2.

It’s used in connection with a father offering his only son as an offering.

WORSHIP was first used in Genesis 22:5.

It’s used in connection with obedience.

OBEY was first used in Genesis 22:18.

It’s used in connection with God’s blessing.

Can you see the parallels between God’s love for us and His Son’s obedience and willingness to be sacrificed so we can receive God’s blessing of eternal life? Do you see that worship is more than a song, or a prayer? Worship should be the very essence of our being. We will see more aspects of worship as we continue through this study.

I pray that you will take some time to thank the Father for Jesus’ act of obedience and worship. If you have not accepted the free gift of eternal life offered because of Jesus’ death, I pray that today will be the day you choose to believe, receive and become a member of God’s family.

Please let me hear from you with your questions, concerns, prayer requests, and insights! See you Monday.