“亚伯拉罕举目观看，不料，有一只公羊，… 〔他〕就取了那只公羊来，献为燔祭，代替他的儿子。” – 创 22:13
亚伯拉罕的信心受到一个具极限挑战的考验：他是否愿意把他最珍贵的宝物献给神呢？在最不可能的时刻，神出手干预了，衪吩咐亚伯拉罕住手。以撒因此存活下来、从濒临死亡的境地被解放出来。神预备了一只公羊作为燔祭，来代替以撒。那个地方因此被称为“耶和华必预备。”
当日的亚伯拉罕不可能知道，在大约2,000年之后，将会有一场更重要的献祭。神会再次亲自预备作为代赎的祭物，这个祭物便称为“神的羔羊，除去世人罪孽的！”（约翰福音 1:29）。这个作为代替的祭物就是神的独生子耶稣，衪舍弃了自己的性命，替我们偿还我们所有的罪债，叫一切相信衪的人获得永生（约翰福音 3:16）。
神对罪的刑罚完全落在了衪自己的爱子身上，代罪的羔羊耶稣替代了我们。在那一天，藉着耶稣在耶路撒冷城外十字架上的牺牲，神预备了一个足以代全人类赎罪的祭物（参看马可福音 15:33-39）。
尽管亚伯拉罕不知道这些事，然而，因着神的恩典，他已经得蒙神赐给他信心，并且信神必定会用衪的方法来成就衪的应许。
祷告
神的羔羊，感谢你做我们的代替，为我们受死，为我们打开救恩之门。求你赐我们信心来相信你，并且天天服事你。阿们。
创世记 22:13-18
13亚伯拉罕举目观看，不料，有一只公羊，两角扣在稠密的小树中。亚伯拉罕就取了那只公羊来，献为燔祭，代替他的儿子。
14亚伯拉罕给那地方起名叫耶和华以勒，直到今日人还说：“在耶和华的山上必有预备。”
15耶和华的使者第二次从天上呼叫亚伯拉罕说：
16“耶和华说：‘你既行了这事，不留下你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，我便指着自己起誓说：
17论福，我必赐大福给你；论子孙，我必叫你的子孙多起来，如同天上的星，海边的沙；你子孙必得着仇敌的城门；
18并且地上万国都必因你的后裔得福，因为你听从了我的话。’”
The Lord Provides
“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram. . . . He . . . took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” – Genesis 22:13
Abraham’s faith is tested with the ultimate challenge: Is he willing to give up his most precious treasure to God? And at the last possible moment, God intervenes, telling Abraham to stop. So Isaac is spared, delivered from a death sentence. And God provides a substitute, a sacrificial ram to be offered instead. The place is then called “The LORD Will Provide.”
Abraham could not have known that about 2,000 years later an even greater sacrifice would be made. God would again provide a substitute, who actually became “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). That substitute was Jesus, God’s only Son, who gave up his own life to pay for all our sin so that all who believe in him may have eternal life (John 3:16).
God’s judgment against sin fell on his own Son. Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, stepped in and took our place. On that day, through Jesus’ death on a cross outside Jerusalem, a sufficient sacrifice was provided (see Mark 15:33-39).
Abraham could not have known all this, but by the grace of God he had received the gift of faith and could trust that God would somehow keep his promises.
Prayer
Lamb of God, thank you for being our substitute and dying in our place, opening the way for us to be saved. Give us faith to believe in you and to serve you every day. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
