Genesis 22:23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
God is Our Provider
What does God need? More specifically, what does God need from you? We are talking about the Creator of the entire universe. Does He need you? In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son Isaac. This was a test, but let’s be clear: God did not need Abraham, his son, or anything else. God doesn’t need you. God loves you and wants you, and God made you to have fellowship with Him.
This heartrending story in Genesis 22 is about God’s giving not Abraham’s giving. God is our provider, and He is worthy of everything we could possibly give Him. This truth is illustrated in this story.
First, verse 2 says, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest.” Was this Abraham’s only son? Didn’t he have Ishmael? He did, but this was the only son who was the “son of promise.” God had promised this son to make of Abraham a great nation. God would bring His own Son, the Lord Jesus, into the world through Abraham’s descendants. God gave His own Son and promised Abraham that he would give him a son. So, God was the One Who was providing, not Abraham.
Secondly, in verse 8 Abraham replies to his son who is asking where they would get the sacrifice, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb.” Was that ever prescient! God did provide a lamb on this day, and ultimately when He gave His Son to be the spotless Lamb Who was sacrificed for the sins of the world.
Thirdly, in verse 14 Abraham called the name of this place Jehovah-jireh which means “the Lord will provide.”
Fourthly, my favorite reminder that God is the provider is found in quirky, little verse 23. Now get the picture. This is an epic story. You can almost see the camera moving back from a tight shot on the altar where Abraham was about to sacrifice his son. God has stayed His hand and provided a sacrifice in place of Isaac. You can see Abraham, the knife on the ground, the vast mountain range in the background, and a wilderness vast and broad. Then God speaks to Abraham, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” God’s voice is bouncing off the walls of these massive mountains.
Then, all of a sudden, “It came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor.” Then there is a list of Nahor’s children ending with “and Bethuel beget Rebekah.” Rebekah was the wife of Isaac, the wife of promise. God had promised Abraham a great nation and a son. How was there to be a nation of that son if there was not also a wife? God was planning for Isaac’s life even as Abraham was plotting his death.
Anytime God asks anything of you He has already planned for your provision. God is worthy of anything you give him. He already owns it, and He wants the fellowship that comes from total surrender to Him.