Sacrifice

Often obedience calls for sacrifice.

I get your point. But when He gets us to the place where we can obey Him without complaining and with complete trust in His loving will, it's no longer a sacrifice. ❤

Yes, I have sacrificed things. It's hard, until you remember that they are just things, and ultimately are God's anyway.

Isaac was a picture of Christ. I don't think his near-sacrifice has anything to do with Ishmael. God said to Abraham, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering...." (Gen 22:2)

1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Obedience is better than sacrifice, for if you do not obey then the sacrifice does not count in your life, which the Bible is speaking of the sacrifice of animals, which would also be the sacrifice of Jesus, for if you do not obey by doing the will of God to repent, and turn from sin, then the sacrifice of Jesus does not count in your life, which is why the Bible says if we wilfully sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, hold unto sin, being disobedient, then there is no more sacrifice for sin, for the blood of Christ cannot wash it away.

And when we come to God we sacrifice the ways of the world that we had that we enjoyed according to the flesh, the outer person that is seen.

We sacrifice bragging and boasting.

We sacrifice exalting ourselves above other people.

We sacrifice belittling people, and cutting people down.

We sacrifice being rich, and having many material things, all in an attempt to brag about ourselves.

We sacrifice worldly entertainment, and fleshy pleasures.

We sacrifice the fighting, and arguing, and beating the crap out of a person that we enjoyed while in the world to exalt ourselves.

We sacrifice the ways of the outer person that is seen to exalt ourselves above people, and to try to appear better than them, and to enjoy the ways of the world in money, and material things, and fleshy pleasures, and worldly entertainment, and travel, and fine cuisine.

But many who claim Christ do not make that sacrifice as they are trying to still enjoy the ways of the outer person that is seen, which they have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.

Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

For there is pleasure according to the flesh when we are in the world, but we sacrifice that pleasure, and Moses refused being called the son of Pharaoh's daughter to identify with the people of God, and suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Exo 2:13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
Exo 2:14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

Gen 43:32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Also Moses was not the man that many people think he was that they think he was great in the kingdom of Egypt, and a prince, and maybe take over the throne in Egypt.

But look how the Hebrews talked to Moses, saying who made you a prince, and a judge over us, for the Hebrews knew Moses was a Hebrew.

Moses knew he was a Hebrew, and Pharaoh, and the Egyptians knew he was a Hebrew, and the Egyptians look down on the Hebrews, so Moses was only a lowly Hebrew that did not have to be a slave for being the daughter of Pharaoh, but not anything great in Egypt, for they would not permit him to be anything great.

There was nothing in Egypt for Moses anyway for he was a lowly Hebrew to the Egyptians, and being the son of Pharaoh's daughter did not change that for he was not Egyptian.

But many people think he was great in Egypt, but he was not, and Moses was considered a lowly Hebrew, but he still got to have it better than the other Hebrews for being the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

Movies, and animated movies, portrays Moses as a man of influence, and power, in Egypt, calling him the prince of Egypt, but it is not true, for Pharaoh would not let a Hebrew have any kind of position of power in Egypt, and the Egyptians looked at the Hebrews as lower than them, and Moses did not want it anyway if he could have it choosing to suffer affliction with the people of God, his people, rather than enjoy whatever benefits he did get being the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

God wanted to see if Abraham would offer his son, which Abraham was going to do, but God stopped him, to see if Abraham loved Him more than the physical life of his son.

Which God loves us more than the physical life of His Son, the man Christ Jesus, and sacrificed Him for the salvation of the world.

Have you ever had to sacrifice anything?
Is obedience better than sacrifice?

I was thinking this as I was reading the story of Abraham. Would he have had been called to sacrifice Isaac if he'd obeyed God in the first place? But no he had Ishmael..and had to send him away because sarah feared Isaac wasnt going to inherit Gods promises.

If abraham had not gone ahead and had Ishmael with Hagar, God may have not asked him to sacrifice Isaac.

Likewise, if the Israelites had actually obeyed God first, maybe Jesus wouldnt have had to give his life as a sacrifice.

If adam and Eve had obeyed God in the first place, a lamb wouldnt have had to give its life to clothe them.


Something to think about. Moral of story trust and obey. Otherwise you may need to sacrifice something you love to pay for your sin of disobedience.

your assumptions about Ishmael are completely wrong, Ishmael was also part of the prophecy because God said Abram will be the father of many nations, if Abraham only had Isaac he would have only been the father of one nation but he is the father of many nations through Ishmael as well as Isaac

I get your point. But when He gets us to the place where we can obey Him without complaining and with complete trust in His loving will, it's no longer a sacrifice. ❤

It's only ever a sacrifice when we trust in or love something/someone more than Him.

I think it does as Abraham had already sent Ishmael away at this point.

Really, but abraham did have further children with Keturah..however it was only Isaac that God established the covenant with. Also God said Sarah would be the mother of nations, kings of people shall be of her. See genesis 17:6

I may be wrong, but the Bible is not wrong. Am quoting what the Bible says, not my opinion.

Note that God appeared to abaram again AFTER Ishamel was born to repeat the promise to abram and sarah. And he told them to circumcise their promised son when he is eight days old. At the time Ishamel was already 13 years old, and abraham 90 they still got circumcised. Abaraham fell on his face and laughed about the news of Isaac being born, but because he cared about Ishamael he asked what would become of him, see genesis 17:18

Read the genesis story again. Ishamael actually wasnt part of the prophecy, to begin with, but God did bless him anyway. It was because abram and sarah disobeyed God in that area by rushing on ahead and getting a surrogate birth.

So why would Abraham circumcise all the males, if God's covenant was only with Isaac?

Genesis 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
Genesis 17:23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.

I acknowledge verse 21 which states "But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." But the context seems to me to be that God's covenant with Abraham is for all of his house, although it is through Isaac that his offspring would be reckoned.

The covenant is through Isaac, then Jacob called Israel, and the Twelve Tribes………….from thence to the nations.

All who understand know this covenant is the New Testament long before the law was given.

Yea I think some people seem a bit confused over what a covenant is or means.

Maybe we need to take another look exactly what a convenant with God entails.

Many people seem to think its up to man to make it, but actually its initiated by God.