Why read with curiosity?

I’m writing this, kind of hoping you’ve already finished the One Year Bible Reading for today.

In today’s reading, when Abraham is going to offer Isaac, the Angel of the Lord speaks to him. Now, what I'm going to say is meant to be an encouragement to you to take time and observe and get curious. If you missed this, that's OK. It is something to learn. Texts like these are what form our theology, literally "knowledge of God." You don't have to read theology or go to a seminary. All you have to do is take time with your Bible.

Who is the Angel of the Lord? I mentioned a couple of days ago that He is often recognized as God in human form, as Jesus before He became man. How do you know? Read what He says to Abraham. These are not the words of a messenger, an Angel. The speaker is saying what only God can say.  Think about that.

Why do people say this is God the Son before He became flesh? This is where just reading the entire Bible through over years helps. You know from Paul and Jesus and others, that no one has ever seen God, the Father. No one has ever seen the Spirit. But the Son has been seen. It makes sense, and the Son is the only candidate, but it only makes sense if you've read these texts and grappled with some of the "apparent" inconsistencies, i.e., "No one has ever seen God? But they saw that Angel and the angel was God, and people saw Jesus and Jesus was God and…..Holy cow!"

So back to Abraham. Notice what the Angel of the Lord says to Abraham, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

Notice that this has to be said by God. You don't sacrifice to an angel. The other verses support this too. In this section, God the Son is telling Abraham not to offer his son, his ONLY SON. Interesting words considering that the speaker, God the Son, would become man, the Son of God, and His Father would give Him, "His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him would not perish, but have everlasting life."

It takes time to become sensitive to stuff like this. For my part, I thank the Lord that my first years in Christ were in a Brethren Assembly where there was an excitement because of the young men and women who had come to faith and that the key men, though not formally trained, had a deep love for Christ and His Word. Their probing and insights and curiosity and delight in finding stuff in the Word became the measure of all things. I just thought it was normal. I didn't see as much in every piece of furniture in the tabernacle like Frank did, and I don't see some of the connections in Daniel that Casey did, but all these guys modeled something for me that has become a gift of God in my life.

I hope you catch the bug.