Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. — Genesis 22:8 (ESV)

Christmas is the best. As it approaches, each day is filled with new experiences and old memories intertwined. While we give and receive gifts on other occasions, the excitement and joy of Christmas gifts surpasses all others. It’s because Christmas is undergirded by the fact that we are celebrating the greatest gift ever given: the promised lamb of Christmas—Jesus.

Abraham’s faith wasn’t a theoretical faith; his was a practical faith developed from walking with God and witnessing his faithfulness firsthand, including the miraculous birth of his beloved son Isaac.

The Old Testament is full of hints and shadows of the promised Christmas lamb, but the story of Abraham and Isaac tops them all. Abraham’s faith wasn’t a theoretical faith; his was a practical faith developed from walking with God and witnessing his faithfulness firsthand, including the miraculous birth of his beloved son Isaac. But God commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. In the Old Testament, burnt offerings served as a temporary propitiation for sin. They also symbolized total commitment and surrender to God. However, these offerings were inadequate and could not deal with the problem of sin. Consequently, they needed to be repeated regularly.

This created a problem as Abraham only had one true promised son. He had no other sacrifice to make, no other offering to give. Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). This was God’s test for Abraham. Was Abraham willing to give his only son, the son of promise, back to God? Would Abraham trust in God’s provision? Abraham passed God’s test and received the substitutionary gift that God provided through the ram stuck in the thicket.

The gift God gave Abraham was a shadow of the gift he has given us in Jesus.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Those words should have clicked for the Jews and they should click for us. The gift God gave Abraham was a shadow of the gift he has given us in Jesus. He is not only the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham; he is the lamb of God, born in a manger, and sacrificed on the cross for us. Because of him, our sins are forgiven. He is the King who blesses the nations and rules forever. He is the promised lamb of Christmas.

Liturgy

Almighty Father,
Your wisdom is great and our understanding is so small.
Your love is not divided, misguided, or tainted like our love.
There is no one more trustworthy than you,
yet we confess that obedience is often difficult.
We struggle to believe that your ways are best,
that your law is good.
Yet you have proven over and over that
you are the perfect Father, the greater Abraham.
You are worthy of our obedience, God of all creation.
Your heart for the broken, ashamed, and lost
pours out of the pages of Scripture.
We could not save ourselves, so you sent your Son.
We could not revive our dead hearts,
so you sent your Spirit.
Teach us to trust you,
even in the valley of the shadow of death.
For you are with us.

Amen.