Today Mr. Dr. J. Vernon McGee spoke on the sacrifice of Isaac. Isaac's a funny character to me who doesn't shine as distinctly as the other patriarchs. Mr. McGee is more of a character. It's hard to think of him as a doctor but I do consider him very learned. I think of him as Burl Ives sitting by a hearth somewhere just happening to tell the listener exactly what he needs to know at exactly the right time. He doesn't say too much and he doesn't say too little.
The parallels between Isaac and Jesus at the time of their sacrifice are clear and I don't remember them from early youth. They both carried wood to the place of sacrifice willingly. They both asked their (D)ad questions. They both traveled three days. There were witnesses close by but the transaction took place only between (F)ather and (S)on. It was a great reminder to hear again about the darkness that covered the earth while Jesus died. God put a little nighttime there to remove the actions of men. Men don't work during the night and by putting night there temporarily, God was taking man out of the occasion and fulfilling the requirements of the covenant unilaterally. People may have beaten Him and mocked Him and nailed Him and put Him up naked for ridicule in immense pain, but God killed Him. And Jesus accepted. They did it. We didn't do anything to fulfill that contract.
Then God decided to start a unilateral contract with Abraham and promised to bless the whole world with his seed. Abraham didn't have a part of the contract to live up to. And neither do we.
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