February 19, 2024 

Today's Reading: Genesis 22:1-18

Daily Lectionary: Genesis 6:1-7:5, Mark 3:1-19

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. They were on a mountain, a mountain where a sacrifice would be made. A knife lifted high above his head; Abraham was ready to strike. Isaac, laying there bound and helpless upon the makeshift altar, terrified as one can imagine, looking up at his father. In an instant, at the last moment an angel speaks “Abraham, Abraham!” God would not pour His wrath out on Isaac, not this day. He would not cover Abraham with grief at the death of his only son. Instead, God would provide for them a ram, caught in the thicket. Abraham would then give this mountain a name, “The Lord Will Provide.” 

God certainly does provide. He provides all things, as the First article of the Apostles Creed teaches us, as well as the explanation in Luther’s Small Catechism. He provides us with food and drink, house and home, land, animals, and all that we have. But He not only provides for our physical needs, but He also provides for our spiritual needs as well. He gives us what we need, the only thing that can save us from death, is someone or something to die in our place. 

They were on a mountain, a place where a sacrifice would be made. A hammer lifted high above His head; the Roman soldier struck the nail again, and again, and again. Jesus, laid there as He was crucified, looking up into the heavens, to His Father. But there would be no angel to step in, there would be no ram in a thicket, The world would go dark, Yet God provides even here, even now. Unlike Isaac, Jesus would die. Unlike Abraham, God takes on the grief of a Father who sacrifices His one and only son. God provides not just any old lamb, instead He provides the Lamb of God, the one who takes away your sin, and the sin of the whole world. The Lord provides the offering of His son, for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Alas! And did my Savior bleed,  And did my sov’reign die? 

Would He devote that sacred head  For such a worm as I?  (LSB 437:1)

- Pastor Caleb Weight is associate pastor of Peace In Christ Lutheran Church in Hermantown, MN.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

The Lutheran Reader’s Bible helps you develop a habit of devotion and Bible reading so you can slowly but intentionally understand and grow in God’s Word. Through introductions to the sixty-six books of the Bible, guided reading plans, and more, this Bible builds your confidence to study Scripture on your own.