He Will Be Seen--Genesis 22:13-14--Making the Invisible God Visible

He Will Be Seen---Genesis 22:13-14

Reflect 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. So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided." Genesis 22.13-14 | ESV Receive "Provided." Where did we get that? A Jewish friend recently asked me that question. "Where do you Christians get 'provide' in translating the name of God 'the LORD will provide' ('YHWH Yireh') and 'in the mountain of the Lord it will be provided'?" Very good question. We assume what is being spoken of here is provision or gift of the lamb - and it is. The ram caught in the nearby thickets becomes the provided sacrifice. Yes. But there is something far more basic here. "Yireh" is simply the third person singular passive imperfect verb form in Hebrew meaning "seen" (the imperfect tense implying an action is which is not done or completed yet implying an ongoing "seen-ness"). In other words,YHWH Yireh = the LORD is seen. Abraham called the name of that place, "YHWH-Is-Seen!" because "on the mountain of the Lord he is seen." The Invisible God is made Visible. On a mountain of sacrifice, in the crucible of faith, at the intersection of trust and trial, the invisible God is finally seen. From Voice to Visible. What had started off as the Voice when Abram was called all those years ago to leave hearth and home and venture out to God knows where, is now Visible on the mountain of Abraham's final test. This is the climax of this journey of faith with Abraham, friend of God. Waiting yielding to realization, the not seen to the seen. It has taken us nine weeks - and it took Abraham a lifetime. Yes, Lord. Bring us to that mountain...and give us the courage to lift up our eyes. Relate Where in your life is the mountain on which the Invisible God has been most recently, most fully been seen? Or are you still walking towards it, waiting for it? Respond Visible God - oh yes, let me truly be blessed to address you so, not by a shot in the dark, a leap of faith, or a religious rehearsal of what I know I should be able to say. No. Let me say it because I see it. Because I see you. Lift up my eyes today, that you may be seen. Through Christ.