The Father, the Son, and the Substitute

Welcome to another episode of the Lifespring! One Year Bible Rewind.
Today we are in the book of Genesis, reading chapters 20 through 23 and watching Abraham grow from a man with shaky obedience to a father whose faith is willing to trust God with the most precious thing in his life.

Today’s Reading

Passage: Genesis 20–23 on BibleGateway

• Genesis 20 – Abraham repeats an old pattern in Gerar, calling Sarah his sister and putting others at risk. God steps in to protect Sarah and corrects Abimelech.
• Genesis 21 – The long awaited promise finally arrives as Isaac is born. Joy and tension live side by side as Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, yet God still cares for them.
• Genesis 22 – God tests Abraham by calling him to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham obeys, knife in hand, and God provides a substitute at the last moment.
• Genesis 23 – Sarah dies, and Abraham buys the cave of Machpelah. The first piece of land he owns in Canaan is a burial place, a quiet reminder that God’s promises stretch beyond one lifetime.

The Father, the Son, and the Substitute

Genesis 22 is one of the most sobering and hope filled chapters in Scripture. God asks Abraham to take his “only son Isaac, the son you love” to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering. After waiting twenty five years for this child of promise, Abraham rises early, saddles the donkey, takes the wood, the fire, and the knife, and begins the three day walk toward the mountain.

Along the way Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice, and Abraham carries the fire and the knife. Isaac notices something missing and asks the question every listener hears in the story: “We have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb?” Abraham answers with quiet confidence, “God will provide the lamb.” Faith does not mean Abraham understands how God will keep His promise. Faith means he trusts that God will be faithful even when nothing makes sense.

At the top of the mountain Abraham builds the altar, arranges the wood, binds Isaac, and raises the knife. In that moment God sees that Abraham is willing to hold nothing back. Then the angel of the Lord calls from heaven and stops him. A ram is caught in a thicket, and Isaac is spared. The sacrifice is still required, but God Himself provides the substitute. Abraham names the place “The Lord Provides,” or Jehovah Jireh.

This is more than a dramatic test of one man’s faith. It is a preview of another Father and another Son. Isaac carries the wood up the hill, just as Jesus will carry the cross. Isaac goes willingly, just as the Son of God will submit to His Father’s will. On Moriah, God provides a ram in Isaac’s place. At Calvary, God provides His own Son in our place. The wages of sin are still death, but the Lamb of God takes that death for us so that we can live.

Abraham did not start his journey with this kind of faith. He stumbled more than once, and you can see some of that in Genesis 20. Yet over time, as God kept His promises again and again, Abraham learned that obedience does not depend on feelings or full understanding. It depends on the character of God. When you and I fail, we can do the same thing Abraham did: confess, learn, ask God to strengthen our faith, and keep walking with Him.

On This Date in Church History – November 24

In the episode we also look at three moments from November 24 that show how God guides His church through questions, conflicts, and renewal.

In AD 380, Emperor Theodosius issued a decree in Constantinople that affirmed the Nicene understanding of Christ’s full divinity as the standard of Christian belief. The church had wrestled for decades with Arianism, which said that Jesus was a created being. Theodosius’ action did not end every argument, but it helped protect the confession that the Son is truly God, not a lesser spirit. The way we speak about Jesus today still reflects those fourth century struggles.

On November 24, 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. The book sparked debate that is still with us. Some rejected it outright, some tried to blend it quickly with Christian belief, and others took time to think more carefully. However we respond, this moment pushed Christians to speak clearly about God as Creator and about the unique place of human beings made in His image. It is worth revisiting these questions with an open Bible and a prayerful heart. You can read more background on the book and its impact here.

Finally, in 1904 during the Welsh Revival, newspapers in Britain began carrying widespread reports of overflowing chapels, late night prayer meetings, and transformed lives. Those stories traveled far beyond Wales and stirred believers in other nations to pray for fresh renewal in their own churches. God used simple printed pages to magnify what He was doing in one small country and to encourage the wider body of Christ to seek Him more earnestly.

Put together, Theodosius reminds us of the importance of truth, Darwin’s book reminds us to think carefully and biblically about the world around us, and the Welsh Revival reminds us that God can renew his people in powerful ways whenever he chooses.

Prayer Focus

In today’s prayer we thank God for His mercy and grace, for the gift of His Son, and for the example of Abraham’s growing faith. We ask the Lord to help us walk closely with Him, to make wise decisions, and to stand firm when our faith is challenged. As you listen, you might want to ask the Lord to show you one area where He is calling you to trust Him more deeply and to obey even when you cannot see the whole picture.

Join the Conversation

I would love to hear from you. What stood out to you in Genesis 20–23? How has God provided for you in ways you could not see at the time?

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Episode Links

• Today’s reading: Genesis 20–23 on BibleGateway
• Background on Darwin’s On the Origin of Species
• In Touch With God’s Character – Jehovah Jireh (link to archive to be added)