Jehovah Jireh - The LORD will Provide

My dear friends in Christ,

     This Sunday we are two-thirds of the way through our summer series on the names of God. Let’s take a minute and quickly review the names we’ve covered so far: 1) Trinity—Father, Son, Holy Spirit; 2) Jehovah-Shammah—The LORD Is There; 3) Adonai—Lord; 4) El—The Mighty God; 5) El-Roi—The Mighty God Sees; 6) Jehovah-Tsidkenu—The LORD Our Righteousness; 7) Jehovah-Sebaoth—The LORD of Hosts; 8) Elohim—God; 9) Jehovah / Yahweh—I AM, LORD; 10) El Shaddai—God Almighty; 11) El Olam—God Everlasting, and 12) Jehovah Mekadishkem. Today we’ll take a closer look at the second to last name in our series.

     Jehovah-Jireh. Here’s what it looks like in Hebrew: יְהוָ֣ה יִרְאֶ֑ה . It’s pronounced Je-ho-vuh Yeer-eh or Jeer-eh. Literally the name means, “The LORD will see.” This name occurs only once in the Bible, here in Genesis 22. You might wonder how the word that means “will see” takes on the meaning “will provide.” The answer to that lies in Abraham’s words to Isaac as they walk up the mountain. Isaac had asked his father where the lamb was for the sacrifice. Abraham answered, “God will [jireh] see to it, my son.” We say the same thing in English. When someone “sees to” something, they make sure it gets done. It will be provided!

     Two key words in this story will help us learn more about this special name. The first word is SACRIFICE. When I hear the word “sacrifice,” I remember my high school phy ed teacher and football coach, Prof. Loren Dietrich. He used that word a lot. He taught us that sacrifice played an important part on a team. Sacrifice meant giving up something valuable for something much more valuable. We needed to forget about playing for individual honors and work hard to make the team better.

     In Genesis 22:2, God said to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Who was Isaac? Abraham’s one and only son, the one he loved.

     Abraham first heard God promise him a son when he was 75 years old. Abraham and Sarah waited and wondered for 25 years, “Will God keep his promise this year?” Both of them were long past the days when they could have children. Paul wrote in Romans 4, “He [Abraham] faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead" (Romans 4:19). Finally, God did the impossible and provided a son, Isaac. No wonder God called Isaac “your son, your only son, whom you love.” What did God tell Abraham to do? Sacrifice Isaac. What is a sacrifice? “Giving up something valuable for something else considered to be more valuable.”

     Abraham did not hesitate. The next morning he packed up and set off for the place God would show him. For three days Abraham rode with his son next to him. For three days, Isaac was as good as dead to him, because he had heard the LORD’s command—sacrifice. Abraham was going to give up something valuable, the life of his son Isaac for something even more valuable—the Word of his God.

     Sacrifice. Abraham never lost sight of that word. Look at verse 5. "He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you’” (Genesis 22:5). What evidence of his faith do you see? Abraham didn’t say, “I will come back to you.” He said, “We.” Years later, the writer to the Hebrews marveled at Abraham’s faith. He wrote, "Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead" (Hebrews 11:19). Abraham was confident that even if he sacrificed Isaac in the fire, God would bring Isaac’s ashes back to life!

     Father and son trudged up the mountain. Abraham’s heart must have ached as he watched the sacrifice trudging up the mountain with a load of wood on his back. Isaac wasn’t an ignorant young man. He had worshiped the LORD with his father many times before, and so he asked the obvious question, “Father? The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7). Let’s take a look at Abraham’s answer.

     “Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together’" (Genesis 22:8). Where is Jehovah-Jireh in Abraham’s answer? God himself will provide. God will see to it. There will be a lamb for the burnt offering.

     Sacrifice. Abraham did not hesitate. He bound Isaac and laid him on the altar. “Then Abraham raised his hand and took the knife to kill his son” (Genesis 22:10). Abraham trusted that God’s word and promises were more valuable than his son, Isaac.

     How would you respond if God asked you to sacrifice your oldest, maybe even your only child? I know what’s in my heart—I couldn’t do such an awful thing, and I’d throw it back in God’s face. How can you ask me to do something like that? Aren’t you supposed to be a kind and loving Father? How can God demand such a horrible thing?

     God asks us to make the same kind of sacrifice today. In Romans 12:1 the apostle Paul tells us, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship" (Romans 12:1). What does God ask us to sacrifice? Ourselves! He asks because he wants, no, he demands to be the most important part of our lives.

     We don’t treat him that way. What do we consider the most important thing in this world? Ourselves. “Self” wants to be first. “Self” wants to be most important. “Self” wants to be loved. “Self” expects that it comes before everything and everyone else. That “self” is what gets us in all kinds of trouble. We put our own needs and wants before we take care of our spouse. Children ignore parents because “I don’t want to” do what they tell me to do. We hurt our friends and family when “Self’s” career comes before time spent with them. We hurt our church family when “Self” says that our talents and time and money are much better spent on ourselves instead of the work we do as a congregation. It comes down to this: sacrifice hurts. We don’t want to sacrifice ourselves. Even if we could, it wouldn’t change all the things “Self” has done wrong.

     That’s where the second important word in this story comes in. SUBSTITUTE. When I think of the word “substitute,” my high school and college basketball career flashes in front of my eyes. My place was firmly secured at the end of the bench. I even had my own personalized towel in college to wave during the game. Near the end of the game, usually with just a minute or so remaining, I’d hear my name. “Brohn, get in there for…” I was the substitute, and I’d take the place of one of our better players.

     Substitute. That word brought relief, thankfulness, and joy to Abraham. Just as he was about to strike his son and kill him, God stopped him. He said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12). Then God sent in the substitute.

     "Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son." (Genesis 22:13). Who was the substitute? A ram, sacrificed in Isaac’s place. That’s the definition of “substitute.” Someone or something that takes the place of another. Abraham and Isaac worshiped the LORD, just as Abraham had said.

     “So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided’” (Genesis 22:14). What name did Abraham give to that place? The LORD Will Provide.

     Almost two thousand years later the LORD showed that he only asked of Abraham what he was willing to do himself. He sacrificed his one and only Son, the Son whom he loved: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16).

      Jehovah-Jireh sent our perfect substitute. He didn’t come in as a lowly benchwarmer to replace someone who has better talent. He came as the one and only Substitute who could rescue us from ourselves. John the Baptist pointed to Jehovah-Jireh and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). This innocent lamb wouldn’t escape with his life as Isaac did. The Lamb of God was slain to pay for the sins of our “self”. Isaiah predicted it: “By his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

     Jehovah-Jireh, the LORD Will Provide. He provided a sacrifice and a substitute to take Isaac’s place. If he can give up the one thing that is most precious, do you think he’ll let us down with any of our needs? We have challenges with our budget as a congregation and as a synod. It’s tempting to think that our offerings will never cover our budget. Jehovah-Jireh won’t let us down. He’s already given us everything we need to support his work here in Stillwater. He’s given over 800 members, over 600 adult members to support this ministry with time, talents and abilities. He’s given us amazing blessings already with our facilities and property. The LORD Will Provide!

     Jehovah-Jireh has provided both sacrifice and substitute. This name deserves as much of our reverence and respect as all the others. As we think about all that the LORD provides, we can join with the hosts of heaven and shout, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:12-13). Amen.

      To God alone the glory!          Pastor Jon Brohn