A Picture Of Christ In The Old Testament

God speaking to Abraham: "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:2 The Bible is filled with pictures of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. God has revealed him not only in word, but also in the stories showing the details of his life. These are called "types." From Genesis to Revelation, it's all about Jesus Christ the Son of God and his mission which he accomplished on the earth for all who would believe in him. "In the volume of the book it is written of me..." Hebrews 10:7 In the passage in Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to take his son Isaac, the son born from the promise God had made concerning him, and go to Mount Moriah to offer him there as a sacrifice. Abraham had already been told by God that the covenant God made with him is to be through Abraham, Isaac, and his descendants, so you can imagine the conflict that must have been in Abraham's heart as God tells him to sacrifice this son of the promises. But Abraham had total faith in God, so he took his son and two of his servants and they journeyed to Mount Moriah to do the unthinkable. He reasoned that if God made him sacrifice Isaac, then God would have to raise him from the dead because God had spoken of the multitudes that would come from Isaac. Abraham's faith is shown in verse 5: "Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, AND WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU.'” "WE" will come back to you. Abraham knew of a surety that however God was going to work this out, he would be returning with Isaac. So they left the two servants behind, and Abraham went up upon Mount Moriah with his son. Look at the picture that is portrayed for us: He takes the wood for the sacrifice and he puts it on Isaac's back as they went up onto Mount Moriah. This is a picture of God the Father sending his Son, to whom many promises had been made, up onto the mountain with the wood, the cross, on his back - to be sacrificed. As they were walking, Isaac asked his father, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham seals the picture with his answer: vs 8: "My son, GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF A LAMB for a burnt offering.” When they arrived on Mount Moriah, Abraham bound his son and laid him on the wood, raising his hand to slay him. Later, Jesus would lie on the ground upon Mount Moriah, upon the wood, the cross, as the centurion would raise his hand to drive the nails into him. As Abraham raised his knife to slay Isaac, God stopped him and told him the many blessings that would come to him and to his descendants because of his act of obedience, not sparing his beloved son but willing to sacrifice him. And he repeats his promise to Abraham: vs 18: “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” God did not spare Jesus, his only Son, but chose to sacrifice him; and for that, the blessing of salvation has come upon the multitudes of people who would believe in him. Then Abraham looked and saw a ram caught in the brush by its horns, and he took that ram and sacrificed it IN THE PLACE OF his son, showing that the sacrifice on Mount Moriah would be a SUBSTITUTIONARY sacrifice. Many years later, God the Father would send his only Son to go up that same Mount Moriah, with the wood on his back, to be the SUBSTITUTIONARY sacrifice, shedding his blood as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all who would believe in him. Jesus Christ is the sacrificial lamb, who came to bear upon himself the judgment on the sins of all who would believe in him. He was the SUBSTITUTIONARY sacrifice taking upon himself their judgment. And truly the blessings flowing from the atonement he accomplished for us would abound to the multitudes who would receive eternal life through faith in Him. In his atonement, believers in him in all the nations of the earth are blessed. An interesting side note: Isaac is not seen again in Genesis - until he is united with his bride. More: Who Is God?