PROCLAIMED - Angel proclaims to Abraham

SCRIPTURES
Genesis 22:9-18 | When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”  Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”


DISCUSSION

1. In this Old Testament passage, the Angel of Lord is Jesus (LONG before He came to Earth as a baby!!). Why does Jesus first speak to Abraham in this passage?
2. Instead of Abraham’s son Isaac being killed, what does God provide to take His place?
3. What is this passage showing us about what Jesus would do for all people in the future?
4. Jesus proclaims to Abraham that through his family line, all the nations would be blessed. What blessing is He referring to?
5. Abraham proved that he would not withhold or keep anything back from God.

• What about you? Is there anything you hold back from God or part of your life  you don’t let Him in? If so, where?
• Yesterday was Christmas. Did you give to God what He deserved as you celebrated the birth of Jesus?
• What about today? Are you giving God everything because He gave everything for you? In what ways? In what ways, if any, are you not?