The Ram and the Lamb

Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

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Genesis 22:8

"And Abraham said: 'God will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So they went both of them together."

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Genesis 22:13

"And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son."

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The lamb is what Isaac was supposed to be. The lamb, the innocent son of a man, to be sacrificed unknowingly by his human father. The burnt offering represented the transformation of something. In the burnt offering the whole animal was sacrificed, and the smoke pleased God. The transformation was from the physical plain to transcendent plain. The lamb that was Isaac, was exchanged for a ram that the Lord provided.

One cannot ignore the circumstances surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus as a fulfillment of the promise that the Lord made with Abraham.

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John 1:29

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

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Before Jesus had even had disciples, the prophet John the Baptist who carried the Spirit of Elijah, called Jesus the Lamb of God. The lamb is the sacrificial lamb that had yet to be offered.

The thicket the ram was caught up in, represent the entanglements of sin upon creation. Thickets usually had thorns. The brow of Jesus was pierced with a crown of thorns, upon his head was the sin upon creation.

The blade held high by Isaac earthly Father Abraham, and the symbolism of the spear that pierced Jesus that came from a sinner standing below his crucified form. The blade represents intent. God stayed the hand of Abraham, but instead allowed His own son be pierced. The Lord commanded the sacrifice of Isaac then commanded it be halted. The Jews demanded the Gentiles to crucify Jesus, and the Father remained silent.

"It is done."

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Genesis 22:16

16

"and said: 'By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son,"

17

"that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;"

18

"and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.'"

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For Abraham's faithfulness and fear of the Lord, he became the Father of the chosen people. For Jesus' obedience, and service, he became the root of salvation for all mankind.

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Romans 14:8

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

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John 10:27

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

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Christ Jesus is our Shepherd. We are his sheep. As he atoned for our sin, he gathers us in, and keeps us safe. But if we live we life by him, and if we die, we die for him. This is faith that becomes obedience. This is the maturity of those of the body of Truth.

Be willing to set aside everything to do what your faith calls from you. Do not let yourself become entangled in what you wander into. For the ram was ready for Abraham to be burnt, it could not escape. Be instead the servant that gives what he has, that follows his faith into death, for the sake of others, or more importantly, for the love of God.

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