Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”………Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together………But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son…..And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, …….and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Comment: Abraham is promised that in his progeny all the world will be blessed. Presumably through one special one individual. Abraham had more than one child. His first son (from a slave woman) was Ishmael from whom many tribes have come but the the one who stands out is Mohamed who started Islam. Abraham requested that the promised blessing which God had given him should fall on Ishmael. God said, ‘“No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.’ Isaac passed His blessing onto Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel – hence the Israelites (Jews) of today. The bit about slaying a ram instead of Isaac reminds us the Jesus is called the Lamb of God who was crucified in our place! One could say that this is all presumption but we will look further in the days coming up to Christmas.
Prayer: Help me to look at these thoughts in the context of the whole Bible, my LORD.
As I read it! 