When Jehovah is compounded with another name his new name describes an aspect of how he relates to his people. Jehovah Jireh literally means I Am Will Provide or I Am Will See to It. The first time God revealed this name was in the middle of a very intense familiar passage, Genesis 22, the offering of Isaac.
The First Use of the Name Jehovah Jireh
I bet you know the story, Abraham was told to take his son, his only son, whom he loved and go to a distant mountain in the land of Moriah to offer him as a burnt offering. His son, Isaac was the son for whom Sarah and Abraham had prayed to conceive for many years, the son in whom all the promises of God were fixed. Just reading this passage anew I am struck by the immediate obedience of Abraham. He had waited so long for this promised son, been through so much to have him, and now God lays out this horrific request, yet, we see immediate obedience on the part of Abraham.
Hebrews 11:17-19 gives us an insight into what Abraham was thinking. “And he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son, it was he to whom it was said, in Isaac your descendants shall be called. He (Abraham) considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead; from which he also received him back as a type.” This is how Abraham understood this command from God to sacrifice his precious son, he believed that God would raise Isaac back to life.
Whew! We can infer that Abraham knew about resurrection and he believed that God would resurrect his son Isaac from the dead. That is faith!
After the three day journey as they were approaching Mount Moriah, Isaac asked his father, Behold the fire and the wood but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Genesis 22:8. Abraham answered God will provide (Jehovah jireh) for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.
Even though Abraham did not understand all the details of how Isaac could be resurrected after he had been sacrificed, he was certain of God’s ability to keep his promises. And those promises were wrapped up in Isaac, so somehow Isaac would live. The faith of Abraham in God was settled. He could be steady and resolute in his step by step obedience. Abraham placed his faith in Jehovah Jireh even before Jehovah jireh-ed!
Just at the last second as Abraham was about to take the knife to his son, the angel of the Lord stopped him and he saw a ram caught in the thicket. Jehovah Jireh, God provided a ram— God provided God’s provision. God saw the need beforehand, God anticipated the need and then he met it.
Jehovah Jireh is the God of provision. He is still doing the same thing today. He is concerned about your daily needs. He knows exactly what your situation is. When you turn to him, you can release your burden and request, then rest in his word and his character. You can be steady and resolute, you can obey him step by step. God will provide, Jehovah Jireh.
He provides for our daily needs, he also provides for our deepest need. The self-existent One who stands outside of time, the one who was and is and is to come, the covenant keeping God, stepped into our world and into time and bound himself to his covenant to his people. He had pro-vision, he saw ahead and knew our need. He knew that we would be trapped in our sins and need a sacrificial lamb to be our substitute in judgment. He provided the lamb for you and me. His handle is Jehovah Jireh. In the sacrifice of Isaac, Isaac didn’t have to die because Jehovah provided the substitute. In the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, Jesus had to die, because God provided his death as our substitute. God has provided the lamb, Jehovah Jireh. Get a handle on it!
