18 December 2004

Ram in a Thicket

If you see me pacing with Good Book in hand, it's because I'm reading the Lesson next Sunday at HTC, and I'm a man who prefers to practice so as to pull off the effect of not having put any practice in.

In fact, it's a good lesson that kicks off well and has some punchy lines, not least of which the promise to "possess the gate of His enemies".

Speaking - or rather, writing - of which, shouldn't all references to Him and His be CAPITALISED? That's how *I've* always punctuated His references, but on closer inspection I see that His Good Book is more casual. Anyway, I'm rehearsing my delivery of

GENESIS 22, 9-18

And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

And the angel of Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham": and he said, "Here am I."

And he said, "Lay not thine hand on the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I *know* that thou fearest God, seeing thou has not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, 'In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.'

And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time.

And said, "By myself have I sworn," saith the Lord," for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

That in blessing, I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

Thanks be to God

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