Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/161

Rh good, God will provide himself a lamb. God will not disappoint those expectations of his people, which are of his own raising; but, according to their faith, it is to them. Thou shall decree a thing, and it shall be established. 3. Reference must be had to the promised Messiah, the blessed Seed. (1.) Christ was sacrificed in our stead, as this ram instead of Isaac, and his death was our discharge; "Here am I, (said he) let these go their way." (2.) Though that blessed seed was lately promised, and now typified by Isaac, yet the offering of him up should be suspended till the latter end of the world: and, in the mean time, the sacrifice of beasts should be accepted, as this ram was, as a pledge of that expiation which should one day be made by that great Sacrifice. And it is observable, that the temple, the place of sacrifice, was afterward built upon this mount Moriah, (2 Chron. 3. 1.) and mount Calvary, where Christ was crucified, was not far off.

IV. A new name was given to that place, to the honour of God, and for the encouragement of all believers to the end of the world, cheerfully to trust in God in the way of obedience; Jehovah-jireh, The Lord will provide, v. 14. probably alluding to what he had said, v. 8, God will provide himself a lamb. It was not owing to any contrivance of Abraham, nor was it in answer to his prayer, though he was a distinguished intercessor; but it was purely the Lord's doing. Let it be recorded for generations to come, 1. That the Lord will see; he will always have his eye upon his people, in their straits and distresses, that he may come in with seasonable succour in the critical juncture. 2. That he will be seen, be seen in the mount, in the greatest perplexities of his people; he will not only manifest, but magnify, his wisdom, power, and goodness in their deliverance; where God sees and provides, he should be seen and praised: and, perhaps, it may refer to God manifest in the flesh.

15. And the angel of the called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16. And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17. That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18. And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 19. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up, and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.

Abraham's obedience was graciously accepted, but that was not all; here we have it recompensed, abundantly recompensed, before he stirred from the place; probably, while the ram he had sacrificed, was yet burning, God sent him this gracious message, renewed and ratified his covenant with him. All covenants were made by sacrifice, so was this by the typical sacrifices of Isaac and the ram; very high expressions of God's favour to Abraham are employed in this confirmation of the covenant with him, expressions exceeding any he had yet been blessed with. Note, Extraordinary services shall be crowned with extraordinary honours and comforts; and favours in the promise, though not yet performed, ought to be accounted real and valuable recompenses.

I. God is pleased to make mention of Abraham's obedience as the consideration of the covenant; and he speaks of it with an encomium, v. 1, Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thy only son; he lays a strong emphasis upon that, and, v. 18, praises it as an act of obedience; in it thou hast obeyed my voice, and to obey is better than sacrifice. Not that this was a proportionable consideration; but God graciously put this honour upon that by which Abraham had honoured God.

II. God now confirmed the promise with an oath. It was said and sealed before; but now, it is sworn. By myself have I sworn; for he could swear by no greater, Heb. 6. 13. Thus he interposed himself by an oath, as the apostle expresses it there, v. 17; he did (to speak with reverence) even pawn his own life and being upon it, As I live: that by all those immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, he and his might have strong consolation. Note, If we exercise faith, God will encourage it. Improve the promises, and God will ratify them.

III. The particular promise here renewed, is that of a numerous offspring, v. 17, Multiplying, I will multiply thee. Note, Those that are willing to part with any thing for God, shall have it made up to them with unspeakable advantage. Abraham has but one son, and is willing to part with that one, in obedience to God; "Well," said God, "thou shalt be recompensed with thousands and millions." What a figure does the seed of Abraham make in history! How numerous, how illustrious were his known descendants, who, to this day, triumph in this, that they have Abraham to their father! Thus he receives a thousand-fold in this life, Matt. 19. 29.

IV. The promise, doubtless, points to the Messiah, and the grace of the gospel. This is the oath sworn to our father Abraham, which Zecharias refers to, Luke 1, 73, &c. And so here is a promise, 1. Of the great blessing of the Spirit; In blessing I will bless thee, namely, with that best of blessings, the gift of the holy Ghost; the promise of the Spirit was that blessing of Abraham, which was to come upon the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, Gal. 3. 14. 2. Of the increase of the church; that believers, his spiritual seed, should be as many as the stars of heaven. 3. Of spiritual victories; Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. Believers, by their faith, overcome the world, and triumph over all the powers of darkness, and are more than conquerors. Probably, Zecharias refers to this part of the oath, Luke 1. 74, That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear. But the crown of all, is, the last promise, 4. Of the incarnation of Christ. In thy Seed, one particular person that shall descend from thee (for he speaks not of many, but of one, as the apostle observes, Gal. 3. 16.) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, or shall bless themselves, as the phrase is, Isa. 65. 16. In him all may be happy if they will, and all that belong to him, shall be so, and shall think themselves so. Christ is the great Blessing of the world. Abraham was ready to give up his son for a sacrifice to the honour of God, and on that occasion God promised to give his son a sacrifice for the salvation of man.

20. And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, sayng, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; 21. Huz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, 22. And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. 23.