Jan. 10, 2021

Genesis 21 and Genesis 22

Imagine how confused Abraham must have been when God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Why would God give him a gift, only to take it away? 

We have the benefit of reading the end of the story right after the beginning, but Abraham did not know God’s plan when he started up the mountain. Abraham had to listen to God’s voice and obey one step at a time. 

Because of Abraham’s faith, he saw God provide and witnessed a miracle. In providing a ram to take Issac’s place, God foreshadowed what would happen with Jesus — the Lamb of God, who would be sacrificed in our place. 

Matthew 8

Just like God praised Abraham for his great faith, Jesus praised the Roman centurion for his great faith. 

The centurion seems to understand what Jesus’ Jewish brothers and sisters keep missing: Jesus is the Messiah. The centurion trusts Jesus’ word without having to see the results, basically telling Jesus, “I know if you say it’s done, it’ll be done.”

The disciples don’t even have this much faith yet. Stuck in a storm, they panic even though Jesus is with them in the boat. They’ve seen Jesus heal and heard His teaching, but they still have “little faith.”

Matthew was showing his Jewish readers that sometimes outsiders can understand God’s kingdom even better than insiders. And in the coming chapters, we’ll see Jesus expand His ministry, traveling across the sea to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people).

Make It Personal
  • Would you recognize God’s voice if He spoke to you as He spoke to Abraham? Take some time to really listen for His voice today. 
  • Jesus calmed the storm despite the disciples’ small faith. What does this tell you about the nature of God? Does this change how you think about faith?
Learn More About Abraham

Powdersville Fuse Director Lawton Barnwell shares why Abraham is known as the father of faith in this 5-minute video

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