Well, it's Easter/Passover and I believe Genesis 22 is worth at least a brief mention on this special day. The Old Testament is like one of those pictures we used to see in our childhoods where, concealed within one big picture, you see pictures of smaller objects, and if you don't look closely, you'll miss them altogether. If you look closely at the OT, you'll see "pictures" of Jesus Christ concealed throughout it in the form of other people and objects, but Genesis 22 has got to be one of the best because of its striking similarity to the traditional Christian Easter story.
When pointing out the similarities between Genesis 22 and the Easter story, most people will always point out the following New Testament "pictures" found in this Old Testament chapter:
(1) Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac, his only son. Abraham symbolizes God the Father and Isaac symbolizes Jesus, the only begotten son. See John 3:16, of course.
(2) The sacrifice was to take place on Mt. Moriah, believed to be the same hill, Calvary or Golgatha, just outside Jerusalem on which Christ was crucified.
(3) Two young men and a donkey accompanied Abraham and Isaac to Mt. Moriah. Some say Isaac rode the donkey to the place he was to be sacrificed, just as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The scriptures are unclear about that, but whether or not Isaac rode the donkey or the donkey was used to carry the wood for the sacrifice, or whatever other combination of people walking or riding you can come up with, a donkey did accompany both Isaac and Jesus to within walking distance of Mt. Moriah/Calvary/Golgotha. I personally believe that Abraham insisted that Isaac, his only son whom he loved dearly, ride the donkey, just as Jesus would eventually ride one.
(4) Verse 8 says God will provide a lamb. Of course, God did just that and provided a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. The ram, of course, is a picture of Christ, or as John called him, "the lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." Just as Abraham was able to substitute the ram for Isaac (Isaac, who now no longer symbolized Christ, but symbolized the Christian who has someone else to die in their place), God the Father accepted Jesus Christ as the substitute sacrifice that would pay the entire sin debt of all that believe in him.
But here's the real kicker to Genesis 22 that a friend pointed out to me some time ago and is always left out of any discussion of the chapter:
Verse 13 is a picture of Christ, the lamb of God, on the cross wearing a crown of thorns! A thicket is thick growth of bushes and/or vines that are full of thorns! So if the ram were caught by its horns in the thicket, it's very likely that it would have thorns stuck in the top of it's head, just like Christ did at his crucifixion<i/>!
That's all. Just a little food for though. Hope everybody had a good Easter/Passover.
RW |
