THE HOLY BURDEN

READING: GENESIS 22:1-8

Verse 6: “So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.”

There are many passages of Old Testament scripture which contain inferences of Jesus to come. These passages are known as types and shadows because they give hints of future aspects of the ministry of Christ. One of these is found in the verse above as it describes Isaac carrying the wood for a sacrifice that was to be made. We know that Isaac himself almost became that sacrifice, but was spared. However, the point in today’s reading is that Isaac carried the wood for what was expected to be his own sacrifice. In Matthew 19:17 & 18, the Bible says that Jesus bearing His cross, went to Golgotha where they crucified Him. There we see that Jesus also carried the wood for His sacrifice. However, that which was only a hint in Isaac’s experience, was fully consummated in the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. Unlike Isaac, He was not spared death. Instead He experienced it, obtained the victory over it; and became our salvation from it. What was an Old Testament type and shadow in Isaac, became the full and completed Gospel in Christ! That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What other type and shadow is particularly striking for you?

2. Do types and shadows of spiritual realities still occur?