Journey to Moriah

Genesis 22:1-3  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

 

The test was not to see if Abraham had faith, he had already proved that several times. (See Genesis 12; 14; 15; 17)

 

Rather this was about who he loved and trusted! The Lord or what the Lord had given to him.

 

He did not confer with flesh and blood, Sarah or even Melchizedek. He did not delay and pray to see if he had heard from the Lord he just obeyed.

 

He loved and trusted this God who had called him. He started on the journey to Moriah without hesitation.

 

My question is, on this three day journey did Abraham have opportunity to question or doubt?

Was there an opportunity to waver and get into unbelief and disobedience?

 

The thing that was happening here was momentous. Actually on the same level as Jesus in Gethsemane.

 

The scripture does not tell us of Abraham questioning or doubting but surely “the enemy” was around to do his work just as he did in Gen. 3 and what happened in Matthew 4.

 

We could speculate as to what the questions and doubts that Abraham had were and might come up with some good ones. This would give us no further illumination or so it seems to me.

 

What we do see though is that Abraham did go to Moriah regardless of the doubts or questions that came to him as fiery darts from the wicked one. We can see that he overcame the same way that we do;

 

1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

 

Abraham had a word from the LORD:

 

Genesis 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

 

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

It would seem that when Abraham left to go to Moriah that Sarah did not know the full intention that he had because no where is she mentioned in this chapter. Neither Isaac nor the servants knew anything other than;

 

Genesis 22:5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

 

Only Abraham and the LORD knew of the full intention of this journey to Moriah.

 

Sarah had long ago settled in her heart that Abraham was God’s man and she was God’s woman and each had learned to trust the God who was leading the both of them.

 

Isaac had been with his father Abraham on other occasions to worship and was well acquainted with what was being done.

 

Genesis 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

 

What Isaac didn’t know yet was what the LORD had told his father.

 

It would seem though that Isaac had enough experience to know that the LORD and his father were on speaking terms and he trusted that. Here is why I believe this to be so;

 

Genesis 22:8-9 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

 

Abraham did not have to force Isaac in any way to allow him to bind him. Isaac could have outrun the old man but he submitted to his father. I believe that Isaac heard his father’s voice as the voice of God, he trusted his father fully.

 

Abraham went to Moriah full of faith, that at the place the LORD had designated, and as the name Moriah states

“seen of Jah” that the LORD would see and that “He would be seen” to move in Abraham’s behalf.

 

Just as the temptation, test, trial at Gethsemane was important so was the test at Moriah. As Abraham held back

nothing from the LORD neither did Jesus hold back anything from HIS FATHER at Gethsemane.

 

It could be said that the “journey to Moriah” was a precursor to the “night in Gethsemane.”

 

The next question is:  do we each have to make the journey to Moriah or to Gethsemane? It would seem so as each of us have to come to the place of abandonment to God.

 

We, as Abram, have to leave and go to the land that HE will show us:  the kingdom of God.

 

Jesus told the disciples to “follow me.”  They had something to leave and so do we.

 

Then there comes the time that the LORD asks for our Isaac. It can be a business, a ministry, a home or whatever our heart may be set on.

 

Abraham’s heart was set on his son Isaac and to fully follow the LORD it had to be set on the LORD alone.

 

What is my heart or your heart set on?  Are we willing to go to Moriah and fully set our love on the LORD?

 

The following is a poem written by Prophetess Jeanie Olinger during the service while this lesson was being taught.

 

Moriah

You can’t expect

People to understand

When you go to Moriah

And there you stand;

Looking at the sacrifice

With a knife in your hand.

 

You took the journey

To the top of the hill

You’re standing there ready

For the promise to kill;

Ready to lay it down

And follow His will.

Then God’s provision meets you there

And says, “Just be still.”

 

Hold on to God tighter

Than the promises He gave;

For there is a ram in the thicket

And God is here to save

 

Jehovah Shammah!

The Lord is near!

He will provide;

Hold on to Him.  He is here!

 

Grab hold of God’s faith

And don’t let Him go.

God sees you on the altar

Don’t’ think He doesn’t know –

Don’t think He doesn’t see

A willing heart; full of faith

Because He saw you

Here yesterday.

 

Trust Him and believe Him

And let go of all you know.

Hold on to Him with all your might!

Trust Him and never let Him go!

  

© Prophetess Jeanie Olinger – June 1, 2008