The Great I AM

God said to Moses, "I AM Who I Am;" and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I Am has sent me to you.'" God furthermore said to Moses...,"This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations."  Exodus 3:14-15

Do you ever get the what-if's?  This morning I sang "If That Isn't Love" and the what-if's started running through my mind.  Today it was, "What if Abraham had said no when God told him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice?"  Would God have decided that since mankind wasn't willing to go the extra mile for Him, then forget it; Jesus could stay home with Him?"  That may seem moot, and it truly is, because Abraham did NOT say no and Jesus DID come and die in our place, but my mind still wonders. 

The next why had an answer: Why did God ask Abraham to do this in the first place when He knew He was going to provide the ram substitute?  Why not just tell him to offer the ram?

At least part of the answer, the part I can understand, is simple - we learn through seeing, hearing, and doing.  Abraham's experience needed to take place in order for us to get a bit of a grasp of how hard it was for God to offer Jesus in our place.  It makes us think about how awful it would be to be the one to give up our only physical child so that others could live.  Granted, God knew Jesus was coming back.  Abraham knew that God would give him Isaac back as well, because He had to fulfill His promise of making a great nation through him and Abraham knew God never breaks a promise.  Just as Abraham had to suffer his child's cries of, "What are you doing Daddy?  Why are you tying me up?"  As his cries grew louder and more agonizing, Abraham had to want to grab him, hug him and cry out "NO!!  I'll not do it!!"  Instead, he took his knife and would have gone through with it in faith.  

God could have made Abraham go through with it and then simply raised Isaac back.  Look how many times He raised people; Lazarus, the widow's son, the woman's son Elisha prayed over, Tabitha and Jesus Himself, but He showed more mercy in staying Abraham's hand.  He didn't force him to do what he Himself was about to do.  Rather He showed through providing a ram that He would take care of all sacrifice Himself by sending Jesus as the Ultimate Sacrifice for us.  

God still had to suffer Jesus' cries of, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!"  This cry tells me God was angry at us, not just our sin - which He sent Jesus to deliver us from - but us, for putting His Son through this.  Jesus was crying out for God to forgive us for putting Him on that cross!!  Thank God for listening to those cries!!  But then He had to hear Jesus cry out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"  God could not look on the sin that Jesus had taken on Himself, so He turned away.  Perhaps there was more to it, like not being able to bear seeing His Son's suffering. When a child in a store wanders from his parent who has looked away and gets lost, he cries out, "Daddy, where are you?" when the child is the one who has wandered, not the dad.  To hear those cries grieves the parent and tears his heart.  Jesus willingly took on our sins which hid Him from God's view, but His cries still must have agonized His Father to the point of His heart tearing with grief, just as the earthly father's heart tears to hear his child in fear and anguish.

God truly is the great I Am.

I AM Healer.  I AM Deliverer.  I AM Love.  I AM Forgiveness.  I AM the Way to heaven.  I AM Truth.  I AM Life.  I AM Fortress, and so VERY much more!!

The song I was singing this morning was one my momma used to sing around the house.  It goes as follows:

He left His kingdom in heaven knowing His destiny was the lonely hill of Golgotha, there to lay down His life for me.

If that isn't love, the ocean is dry, there's no stars in the sky and the sparrow can't fly.

If that isn't love, then heaven's a myth, there's no feeling like this, if that isn't love.

Even in death He remembered the thief hanging by His side.  He spoke with love and compassion.

Then He took him to paradise.

If that isn't love, the ocean is dry, there's no stars in the sky and the sparrow can;t fly.

If that isn't love, then heaven's a myth, there's no feeling like this, if that isn't love.

And love it is, for, "God IS Love!!"  I John 4:8