King James Daily Bible Study: Put To The Test
Date: Saturday January 08, 2011
Chapters: Genesis 22-24
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-january-8
Details of Today's Reading: God tests Abraham faith with Isaac, God's covenant with Isaac, Sarah's death, Abraham sends for a wife for Isaac, and Isaac and Rebekah get married.

Hello My Friend/Guest,

The word tempt means to entice or allure someone to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral, but there is also another meaning for the word and that is to put to the test. The Bible says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” - I Corinthians 10:13. The word temptation means the act of tempting, enticement or allurement. There are two people capable of tempting us, God, who can not tempt us with anything evil, tempts our faith by giving us tests. And Satan, who is the source of all evil, and also tempts our faith in God, but tries to get us to do evil. Temptation from Satan itself is not sin, it only becomes sin when we act upon the temptation.

Once in a while God will use strange ways to tempt our faith, but if we trust Him with all our heart we would not question Him, but know that something good will come out of it. After twenty-five years of waiting for God to bless them with a child Abraham and Sarah were blessed with Isaac. You can imagine the thoughts that were going through Abraham's head when God asked him the unthinkable. “And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” - Genesis 22:1,2. Abraham could have questioned God, but he did not, he did exactly what God asked him to do. “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.” - Genesis 22:3.

God was not tempting Abraham like the devil would, He was testing his faith, but Abraham knew that Isaac must live since God had said he would establish His covenant with him, so he continued, by faith, to offer up Isaac. “And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” - Genesis 22:9-12.

Abraham's offering of Isaac foreshadowed God the Father offering His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross on that same mount about 2,000 years later. God did not want to harm the child, He wanted to see just how much Abraham trusted Him. When we call upon Jesus Christ as our Savior we are trusting in Him, who did offer Himself as a sacrifice, to save us from the fiery furnace of hell. “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” - II Corinthians 1:9,10. Praise God!

Abraham, mourning over the death of Sarah thought it might be best that Isaac have a wife, he did not want him to take a wife from Canaan instead he sent his most trusted servant to find a godly wife back in his hometown. This servant embarked on a journey that only faith could send him on, not knowing who he was looking for he trusted in God to lead him on his mission. “And he said O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.” - Genesis 24:12-14.

Whether we are doing things for ourselves or others it is wise to seek God for guidance, in fact, it is the only way you can know that you are even doing the right thing. Especially when it comes to choosing the person you are going to marry. History proves that when we seek God for guidance we always see the best outcome. “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” - Isaiah 48:17.

The servant found Rebekah just as he had prayed and she willingly came to meet her future husband. “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.” - Genesis 3:63-67.

We all have been tempted, the more faith you have in God the more your faith will be tempted, even Jesus was tempted, but God promises, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” - James 1:12. God will never tempt you with something evil, He can not, He will allow Satan, but He always gives us a way to escape any temptation from him. There is a big difference between God testing our faith and Satan testing our faith. What is the difference? “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” - James 1:13,14. God will never tempt us with anything that would make us commit sin.

The key to remaining faithful and enduring temptation is Jesus Christ, we are to daily present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. Why? It will show our faithfulness, it will help us to discern whether or not we are being tempted by God or Satan, and above all it will get us to fear and trust God. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” - Romans 12:1,2.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Jesus is revealed through Isaac's submission to his father when he placed him on the altar. Jesus willingly submitted to His father and offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins. “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” -John 5:30.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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