Some wood, a knife, and a fire (Genesis 22:6)
“So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.”
Genesis 22:6
The knife, the fire, and the wood are three things which lead to the Holy offering that God desired. Here we witness a sneak peek of what was to come just a few thousand years later on the same Mount between another Father and Son story.
On Mount Moriah we see Isaac laden with wood, while Abraham leads him up the mount to be offered as a sacrifice. He carried fire to consume Isaac entirely, and in the other hand a knife to spill his son’s blood as necessary for a sacrifice.
Fast forward with me a couple millennia, to when the Roman Empire was in power. There on what was once known as Mount Moriah, renamed Calvary, we see another Son shouldering some wood, in fact it was a cross. He was being led by His Father up the mount to be offered as a sacrifice as well. He was the pure and spotless lamb who would become the propitiation for mankind’s impending judgment. The fire in the hand of the Father isn’t a torch, but a fire of judgment and wrath which was poured out on the Son as He willingly received the penalty for our sins. The knife was now a spear as it drew blood from His side and the Son breathed His last and said, “It is finished!”
That’s it folks, the hereditary sin of mankind is finished only through the blood of Jesus Christ. Just as Isaac and Abraham were able to celebrate life instead of partaking in death, we too as the recipients of salvation can celebrate life through the blood of Jesus Christ without having to fear death, sin, and hell. Jesus Christ has paid the price and given us the opportunity to enjoy entrance into heaven as well as this wonderful gift of freedom and relationship with the Father, Almighty God.
As it is with any gift, it’s the recipient’s responsibility to receive it. So if you find yourself today in a position where you know that you have not yet received the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, what are you waiting for?
It’s available to anyone, go ahead and enjoy it!
Habakkuk 2:3 Excerpt from Streams in the Desert
L.B. Cowman worked as a pioneer missionary with her husband in Japan and China from 1901 to 1917. When Mr. Cowman’s poor health forced the couple to return to the United States, Mrs. Cowman turned her attention to caring for her husband until his death six years later. Out of Mrs. Cowman’s experiences and heartbreak arose “Streams in the Desert”, a compilation of writings filled with insight into the richness of God’s plans and provision for those that seek to know Him deeply.
Recently as I read an expert from these writings I was so deeply moved that i couldn’t help but set aside one of a day to share this vignette of Truth from “streams” as I like to call it. I pray that it blesses you, the reader, as wonderfully as it did me in my personal walk with Jesus Christ.
“The revelation awaits an appointed time…Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
(Habakkuk 2:3)
In the captivating booklet “Expectation Corner”, one of the characters, Adam Slowman, was led into the Lord’s treasure-house. Among the many wonders revealed to him there was the “Delayed Blessing Office,” where God stored the answers to certain prayers until it was wise to send them.
For some who pray expecting an answer, it takes a long time to learn that delays of answers are not denials. In fact, in the “Delayed Blessing office,” there are deep secrets of love and wisdom that we have never imagined! We tend to want to pick our blessings from the treewhile they are still green, yet God wants us to wait until they are fully ripe.
“The Lord longs to be gracious to you…Blessed are all who wait for Him!” (Isaiah 30:18). The Lord watches over us in all the difficult places, and He will not allow even one trial that is too much for us. He will use His refining fire to burn away our impurities and will then gloriously come to our rescue.
Do not grieve Him by doubting His love. Instead, lift up your eyes and begin praiseing Him right now for the deliverance that is on its way to you. Then you will be abundantly rewarded for the delay that has tried your faith.
O you of little faith,
God has not failed you yet!
When all looks dark and gloomy, You do so soon forget–
Forget that He has led you,
And gently cleared your way;
On clouds has poured His sunshine,
And turned your night to day.
And If He’s helped you to this point,
He will not fail you now;
How it must wound His loving heart
To see your anxious brow!
Oh! doubt not any longer,
To Him commit your way,
Whom in the past you trusted,
And is just the same today.
(Mrs. L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, Pg.260)
July 4th
Dear Scribbles Fam,
Happy Independence day! It’s kind of Ironic how on the United States day of independence i’m residing in the country we won independence from. 
As it is July 4th and many of you prepare for your get togethers, fireworks, and Bar-B-Que’s I wanted to remind you of another day of Independence. It happened over two thousand years ago, it was fought by one man, and it was a victory over the greatest oppressive force of all time…sin.
Jesus Christ won independence not just for a nation, but all nations, for anyone who would believe and confess Him as Lord and Savior. Most countries around the world celebrate a day of independence at least once a year in one respect or another, how much sweeter it is to know that beyond our ethnicity, culture, country, or gender we all have a celebration that we are invited to enjoy…the day of Salvation.
Is Jesus Christ your Savior and Lord?
Have you accepted His victory of freedom and liberty from sin that He claimed on your behalf?
If the answer is, “NO”. Then perhaps today is the day where you can choose to receive that wonderful gift.
Just believe that Jesus has completed the work that you thought you needed to do to get into Heaven and confess it with your mouth through this prayer:
“Jesus, I recognize that without Your death on the cross for my sins, I would be handling the penalty for my sin which is death and Hell. Lord I believe that You paid the price, You died on the cross, and You rose again to life giving me the same opportunity to be liberated from sin and free to truely live. I confess You as Lord of my life and receive Your salvation. Thank You!”
If You have prayed that prayer today, feel free to leave me a comment below, I’d love to be in contact with you and help you understand better the Bible and Jesus Christ.
God bless you today
-Dan
Early To Rise Proves You as Wise (Genesis 22:3)
“And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the young man and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
Genesis 22:3
As we’ve learned before, the midday sun of the Middle East is no joke. So when it came to difficult manual labor or traveling long distances one would desire to rise early to beat the heat (Genesis 18:1). So it was no surprise to see Abraham rise early in the morning to complete that which God had instructed him; the man knew what it would take to make the trek that day, and the labor it would involve. Before the day got too hot, before the interruptions of everyday life got in the way, Abraham was up and heading towards Moriah, which literally translated means “Where the Lord Provides” or “Where the Lord Appears”.
In the same way we have the choice to prepare and get a jump start before the heat of each day. We too can set out for our “Moriah”, meeting with the Lord and receiving the provision as we present our offerings of prayer and praise. All too often we wake up just in time to roll out of bed and run out of the door finding that we’re a leg behind and the day fully works us with distractions and derailments, at best we’re unsettled and unprepared for the journey ahead of us and the tasks that are to come in that day’s events.
We have such a valuable lesson here with Abraham, when we are early to rise we will also be those who are receiving the Provision on Moriah in the hotter moments of the day, we’ll see the appearance of God’s wonderful presence in the moments where God doesn’t give clarity He simply gives instruction and asks us to obey.
Instead of wondering what’s going on, we’ll have the faith to say things like “WE will come back worship”. What a statement of faith on Abraham’s part. He fully knew God was asking Him to not just wound His son…but kill him. But we see that Abraham is so acquainted with the character of the Father that he knew God was going to work it out for good. Abraham was prepared to fully obey God and see Him glorified even with a fatal offering.
The same will be true for you and I, as we are diligent to seek God in the beginning of our day and get freshly acquainted with Him we’ll have ample faith to handle the hard moments.
We’ll Praise instead of Panic
Worship instead of Worry
And Walk away full instead of wanting.
Taking a closer look (Genesis 22:1-2)
“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, you only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Genesis 22:1-2
The one thing I loved about Biology in High School was the fact that we got to use microscopes. When placed beneath the lens the things that seemingly were insignificant and small became alive and I was one who received an entirely new understanding.
This is often how I look at the story of Isaac, seemingly small and less significant than his father or his son, to whom much more time and reference is given to the ins and outs of their lives. In reality however, as we take a closer look, as through a microscope, we see that what was seemingly insignificant and small is more wonderful than what was percieved at first glance, taking on a whole new life and meaning. When you take a closer look you’ll see that Isaac is a type of image of Jesus Christ.
When confronted by an angel, Abraham and Sarah were told of their son to come and what they would name him, so too when met by an angel, Joseph and Mary were told of their son and what they would name Him.
Isaac was the son of promise given by a miraculous birth; Jesus was the Son of promise given by miraculous birth.
Isaac was in His early thirties when bound to the altar as a burnt offering, Jesus too was 33 when bound to the cross as a sin offering.
Isaac meekly obeyed the will of his father trusting that he fully knew best, so did Jesus when in “word and deed” He lived out His Father’s will.
The similarities run deep and are so much fun to look at. When we consider and meditate on the truth that lies in the life of Isaac, we can’t help but see what is to come, the Greater-than-Isaac, Jesus Christ, Who would bring new life and meaning to all that would believe and receive Him.
Responding to Injustice (Genesis 21:24-34)
“And Abraham said, “I will swear.”…Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.”
Genesis 21:24-34
After the arrival of Abimelech and company we see Abraham’s response to the accusations, manipulations, and intimidations that was presented Him (Genesis 21:25, 26).
This makes me wonder about what I would have done in his situation. Oftentimes when confronted with accusations I get defensive or even deceitful, when I’m being manipulated I get vindictive, and when others seek to intimidate me I often rise up in pride to show myself as no push over. However, we see a different, more God honoring and Christ-like example, from Abraham. Here we get a special look at this man’s meekness.
When Abraham was confronted by Abimelech He simply trusted himself into the Lord’s hands, which made possible his response:
Instead of defensiveness or deceit he responded with humility and honesty
When manipulated he answered with generosity and charity
When intimidated he meekly trusted himself to the Lord in wisdom
Here in Abraham we have our example when faced with the injustice that life often confronts us with.
Then the question is often raised, “should we be doormats?”
The question of injustice and doormat character is easily answered with the condition of one’s heart. If you are being abused and victimized into a situation the issue is not with the initiation of conflict but your response to the conflict. Quite honestly there’s really nothing we can do about the “when’s and the why’s” of life’s injustice, this fallen world will continually attack us with injustice. The issue more lies in how we respond, whether we choose to lie down and receive the defeat, oppression, and bondage that injustice often brings, or the response of Abraham…a response of meekness (otherwise defined as controlled power).
What power is there when being a doormat?
The power of Jesus Christ, a power that chooses to become a servant instead of exalting one’s self. While ministering love, He quietly went to the cross and died so that others might live, saving the very ones that sought His destruction, afterwards rising again and in the same way bringing new life to a hopeless situation.
You see, we can choose to surrender our rights by the power of Christ and watch as He overcomes the world in our situation and at the very same time we’ll see our lowly position be exalted as we allow Jesus’ glory shine through our broken situations.
Abraham could have tried to prove something. He could have met the attack brought by Abimelech with an equal amount of manipulation, intimidation, or accusation, but as one who knew the Most High God he didn’t allow himself to sink to that level. He just goes about his business in faith, and after observing from the outside Abimelech and his crew finally come to Abraham and say, “I can see that God is with you.” And the opportunity for ministry, for change, and for salvation surfaced. Be patient, be steadfast, be uncompromised, and watch as the Lord uses you for great things and His glory.
No Compramise (Genesis 21:22-23)
“And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you do. Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”
Genesis 21:22-23
Abimelech and Phichol are presenting a deal to Abraham, but notice the manner in which they present. Abimelech isn’t alone this time, his general is with him. It almost seems like an intimidation tactic. Peer pressure was just as present in the day of Abraham. In addition to that we see them lay on the guilt so that they might manipulate Abraham to do things their way. Abimelech asks Abraham to “swear by God that he would not deal falsely with him” in other words he was pulling out the dirty laundry, reminding Abraham of his failures so that Abraham would feel bad and do whatever Abimelech wanted. And if that wasn’t enough he goes a step further in reminding Abraham of “how good and loyal” he has been to Abe even after Abraham lied.
This is exactly how the world works. When looking for what they want they Intimidate, Accuse, and Intimidate. Often this is how believers in Jesus Christ get into a compromising situation. Friends from the past come around and start pulling out the dirty laundry, reminding of past mistakes, or how you might owe them something.
“Ever since you accepted Jesus you’re not fun anymore”
“After all I’ve done for you, this is the thanks I get?”
“Come on man, all the old gang is going to be there.” or “Everyone is doing it!”
In these following verses we see an awesome example of how to handle these situations. Abraham truly portrays the work that God has been maturing in his character. He doesn’t bend to their accusations, intimidations, or manipulations; Abraham stands firm in the identity he has in the Lord, He remembers the promises that God has told Him.
When in similar situations it’s our responsibility to do the same.
“I’ve been crucified with Christ; it’s no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When this world tries to strong arm you into compromise, or pin your back against the wall so that you dishonor the Lord, simply call on the Lord and remember His promises. He will fight for you and defend you in your situation, because you’re His kid.
When the prophet Zechariah had a glorious vision from the Lord, He saw Satan come and start accusing the nation of Israel (God’s children) of all the mistakes, screw-ups, and sins they had committed and how they were deserving of death and damnation. (Zechariah 3) But God responds in the most beautiful way:
“And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”"
Zechariah 3:2
God rebukes the accusations against those who are His own, His “Jerusalem”, or the ones that He has chosen. In John 15 we are told that we didn’t choose God, but He chose us, meaning He desired to be with us, He made it possible for our redemption. When Jesus died on the cross He initiated the reconstruction of a broken relationship between God and man. By placing your faith in Jesus there is then nothing that can separate you from the truth of God’s love for you and His redemptive work over you. (Romans 
So when the accusations fly, when the manipulations bend you backwards and the intimidations stand in your face…stand strong right back, because Jesus has your back!
He’s for you and not against you and He’ll fight so that you can remain uncompromised.
Crying out to God (Genesis 21:16-21)
“Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 21:16-21
Hagar lifted her voice and wept. It seems as though she was captive to her circumstances and the cruel reality was that she and her boy were done for. She was completely desperate and crying out, and who shows up…Jesus. Who is the angel of God, or the angel of the Lord? It’s the preincarnate Christ…its Jesus. That’s the way it is, when we in desperation cry out to God, when we lift our voices, when we passionately make known our case before the Lord, no matter your background or past, He hears and responds.
How do I know?
Take a look at a guy named Jeremiah. He was what some might consider a model of failure and futility. He was God’s prophet for over forty years, yet not one convert, not even a re-dedication, all he got from the people he tried to help was mockery and beatings. He was put in prison, thrown into a well, and taken captive to Egypt against his will. He was no stranger to crying out to God; in fact his nickname is the “weeping prophet” for penning the book of Lamentations. But even a guy like Jeremiah heard from God, in some of his hardest most troubling moments God spoke to Jeremiah and said:
“…I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts I have toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity…”
Jeremiah 29:10-14
You see, it doesn’t matter if you’re the head of a seemingly failing ministry, or the cast away that is hopelessly bound for death. Jesus is there, He hears your cry, and He’s responded. He desires that all would be saved and none would perish. He says He desires to bring good towards you, that when you seek Him with all your heart…then you will find Him and He’ll bring you out of your gnarly situation.
Where are you today?
Do you feel as though you’re wandering through the wilderness of life, things are dry and you’re getting nowhere fast?
Perhaps you’re like Jeremiah who thought you were called and anointed but all you seem to receive is boos and hiss’ from your friends and your ministry has no apparent fruit?
Cry out to Jesus! Call to Him! Seek Him with all your heart, and God will “Open your eyes” to find the hope, peace, and joy that will never go dry, leave you hanging, or forsake you.
Count on it!
Spiritual Dehydration (Genesis 21:14-15)
“So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs.”
Genesis 21:14-15
I love survival information; stories of survival in less than welcoming conditions have always caught my interest. When reading this passage it struck me that in the conditions of the wilderness of Beersheba, a sunspot of sorts with arid and hot climates, two people wandering with only a small ration of food and water wouldn’t stand much chance for survival. As I looked for information on how long the average healthy human being could survive while in conditions like the wilderness of Beersheba, I came to find the average survival rule of thumb is: 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food.
After Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael off in the early morning with some food and water the situation dried up rather quickly. Conditions were more than likely pretty rough and as we see in the verses that follow it wasn’t just dehydration that ailed Hagar and Ishmael…it was loss of Hope as well.
In the Bible water often represents the Word of God (John 4, John 15:3, Ephesians 5:26) and the Spirit of God (Isaiah 44:3, Zechariah 14:8, John 7:37-39). Just as Hagar and Ishmael didn’t stand much chance for survival in the heat of the day while wandering through the wilderness without water, when “the water in the skin” or the living water of our hearts dries up, we too are bound for dehydration and gradual death both physically and spiritually. The common mistake that we as believers often make is that because we have a Bible in hand and are reading the scriptures we are okay, the truth is that’s only part of the equation.
Have you ever made the mistake of putting a bottle of some type of beverage to your lips and didn’t realize that the cap was still on the bottle? The satisfaction of the beverage is there but it’s not accessible unless the cover is removed. The Bible is like that bottle of water, and the only way that the cap comes off and we are filled with the living water of the Word and the refreshing Spirit of God is through intimate relationship and faith in Jesus Christ. We can read all we want but when the Spirit of God isn’t present things get pretty dry and our time in the Word isn’t fully satisfying.
“But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
2 Corinthians 3:14-16
When times get hot and arid in life and it seems as though all hope is lost we often find ourselves looking for shelter in the most insufficient places, Ishmael wasn’t the only guy that found himself under a shrub, Elijah went under a broom tree, and Jonah tried to find some shade under some leaves as well. All these guys were in a hopeless state in their respective “hot” situations…perhaps you’re looking to duck under some shade from the heat of your circumstances? King David tells us that safety is found in abiding in the presence of God.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2
Where are you today?
Are you looking for refuge from the heat of the day?
Are you dry and thirsty when in the Word of God?
Turn to Jesus, get back to intimacy with Him, He’ll take the cap off your bottle and pour you a fresh glass of satisfaction.
A fist full of faith let’s go of what it’s holding (Genesis 21:12-13)
“But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice, for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”
Genesis 21:12-13
God isn’t a liar. He holds strong and true to His word. He told Abraham that He would make a nation of His seed. Now Abraham was put into a position where he just needed to trust the Lord. Why was Abraham able to just let go and send Hagar and Ishmael off into the desert with no provision? Because Abraham was beginning to understand that God is faithful.
“Every crooked place shall be made straight and the rough places plain.” (Isaiah 40:4)
“And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten…and you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that has dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.” (Joel 2:25-26)
Today you might be faced with the decision to trust God and let go of a certain situation. It may be hard, you might wish there was another way, but God reassures us to “not let it be displeasing”.
She might want a divorce.
He is making bad choices and going down the wrong road.
Don’t give up, don’t be displeased… “Listen to the voice” of the Lord as He says, “I will also make a nation”.
God will care for your situation. As you let it go into God’s hands, he’ll deal with it properly. We see here the father of the faith maturing in his faith. He’s letting go, giving matters over to God, and trusting Him to redeem the mistakes he was responsible for. Sure it’s hard, but God will do just as He has said He would.
Law Vs. Grace (Genesis 21:9-11)
“And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she and borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.”
Genesis 21:9-11
The story of Sarah, Isaac, Hagar, and Ishmael gives us an in depth illustration of the conflict within every man between the flesh and the Spirit, and the Law versus Grace (Galatians 3:19-4:31). We’re told by Paul in the book of Galatians that Ishmael is a picture of the flesh and Isaac a picture of the Spirit, as well as Hagar a picture of the Law (or Mt.Sinai, where the Law was given) while Sarah is an illustration of the new covenant, also referred to as Jerusalem where Jesus shed his blood and sealed the deal for salvation.
“For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children—but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
For it is written:
“Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband.”
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.” So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.”
Galatians 4:22-31
Abraham was in a hard spot. On one hand he had the love of his youth, his first wife Sarah, with whom he’d trekked for so long, waiting for the day when the desire of their hearts, Isaac, would arrive. On the other hand he had this relationship with Hagar that should have never happened, the path that should have never been taken, and the responsibility that he couldn’t put off due to the results of pursuing what he thought was best.
Sound familiar?
It’s exactly like us, when we choose to pursue our own desires instead of the way, God (the love of our lives), has called us to walk.
Now the time arrived for Abraham to choose which will be nurtured and which will be cast off. Will it be his first love and God given son, or will he choose the path which he tried to establish, the woman which wasn’t his wife, and the son which was birthed from disobedience and disbelief?
The option to raise and nurture both boys wasn’t available. Enmity was present between Ishmael and Isaac. That’s the way it is with the flesh and the Spirit. The fleshy sinful desires will always look to overcome, smother, and destroy the God given spirit-filled promises for your life. If Abraham didn’t choose, more than likely Ishmael would have killed Isaac, this might seem like speculation, but it wasn’t uncommon that a surrogate son who was old enough to realize all that he had coming to him as heir would do everything within his power to secure his inheritance, even if it meant killing the biological son. And so it is with the Spirit and the flesh, if we don’t choose which to nurture and which to cast away we’ll see that the flesh will grow, the things that were birthed from our own desires will seek to dictate over the Spiritual things of God, moving ever so slightly into the position to smother, destroy, and dispose of the promises of God for our lives.
This story seems kind of odd and a bit harsh, but in reality it’s a stark contrast to the human condition of sin and sanctification.
When confronted with the failures of the flesh we’re tempted to embrace the Law (Hagar) to control the flesh (Ishmael). We think, “If I crack down on the flesh, if I show it who the boss is and lay down the law, then I’ll be okay. A couple practical rules here and there and this will all be under control.”
The problem with that answer is the control never lasts, you’ll do fine for a day, a week, or even a couple months…but just when you think you’ve gotten things sorted and you let down your guard the flesh rises up and overcomes you. That’s why the Law can’t bring salvation. It will always condemn mankind, the Law isn’t bad, it simply shows us for who we are…fleshy and sinful. Hagar and Ishmael needed to go.
The answer is Grace, God’s promise of salvation through the greater-than-Isaac, Jesus Christ the Son and the deliverance of God’s desired outcome (Sanctification). We must embrace our Sarah and Isaac if we desire to see life and the best that God has in store for us, otherwise we will be living with conflict, strife, and under the oppression of the Law instead of the Liberty and Love of our Savior.
A Healthy Diet (Genesis 21:8)
“So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.”
Genesis 21:8
Just as Isaac was growing and weaned from feeding off of mom, we too as the children of the Lord are to grow and be weaned from the milk and child-like things of the faith, ever moving and maturing towards the great feast that the Father has in store for us. King David described God’s law as the sweetest thing he had ever tasted; fulfilling him entirely. Jesus would later describe Himself as the bread of life. So we see a key truth for our growth in the faith is a balanced diet of both the Old Testament Law and statutes of God’s Word, holding us in check with our lives practically, and a wonderful helping Jesus Christ and the New Testament truth of His gracious work on the cross; filling us with true life positionally.
As we take in a balanced meal of both consistently we will find ourselves growing and developing in our taste for the word and enjoying the feast that the Father has prepared. Everyone knows this to be true in their physical lives…We can’t stay in the child like stage forever, it’s cute to see a toddler sucking on a bottle of milk, but when you see a forty year old grabbing for the baby bottle it’s a bit ridiculous. The fact is we are all being weaned per say of our child-like paradigms and actions and moving on into the mature meat and potatoes of the word of God.
What happens when we have a balanced diet of God’s Word?
“The word becomes flesh and dwells among us!” (John 1:14) Just like when I eat something it becomes a part of me (The older you get it tends to be a lot more true!). As we chew and digest God’s word and really take it in we see that the word takes on a part of us and we become Jesus with flesh on. He lives through us as we insert Him into our lives with our intake of the living and active word (Heb.4:12).
“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
John 6:32-33
The more we take in of Jesus Christ the more we really live!
