Obedience and Revelation

When Abraham offered up his only son, the God who sees obedience, knew that here was a man who feared Him.

“…for NOW I know that thou fearest God,
seeing thou hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son from me…”
Genesis 22:12

Here, in Abraham’s greatest test, he was afforded the incredible revelation of God’s eternal plan. Faith which brings obedience will always be accompanied by the revelation of God Himself.

Abraham’s obedience resulted in him seeing the “ram caught in the thicket”; an offering “in the stead of his son”! Let the immensity of this truth spur us on in our own journey into obedience. In the offering up of his best Abraham was enabled to “lift up his eyes” and SEE heavenly things!

“And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son”
Genesis 22:13

Without obedience we will see little. Obedience is our participation with God in His purposes in the earth! In that participation we are afforded His Revelation!

Of Abraham seeing the Ram given in the place of his son, Jesus declared over a thousand years later:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day:
and he saw it, and was glad”
John 8:56

Abraham’s obedience in offering all that he held dear, revealed God’s offering of the ONE He held so dear!

Regardless of our station, our situation and our present circumstances let us trust and obey God. Give unto Him your best for in so doing He will give unto you the greatest gift of all: Himself.

It is not the size of the offering which matters but the value to the offeror!

“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:41-44

The religious offer according to their estimation of themselves. The more they view their own importance the less they feel the need to give. Likewise, those who allow their circumstances to dictate their faith will give less than they are capable of giving. The law of the New Covenant is the living testimony of a heart which has discovered the way into His Life: “give and it shall be given unto you…”. Give of yourself to Him and of Him you shall receive in the corresponding measure. We are not speaking of the “unrighteous mammon” of the world, but of the true riches of Christ Himself.

“He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully…”
2 Corinthians 9:6

The New Covenant has brought us the One supreme offering: all our offerings spring from His heart becoming ours.

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“…the greatest thing each person can do is to give himself to God utterly and unconditionally – weaknesses, fears, and all. For God loves obedience more than good intentions or second-best offerings, which are all too often made under the guise of weakness.”
Soren Kierkegaard

See Obedience and the Tree of Life

Brian Troxel