God Will ProvideRead Genesis 22:8, 14, 18. How did God fulfill His promise that Hewould provide? What was provided?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________When Isaac asked about the sacrificial animal, Abraham gave anintriguing answer: God will “ ‘provide for Himself the lamb for a burntoffering’ ” (Gen. 22:8, NKJV). Yet, the Hebrew verbal form can actu-ally mean “God will provide Himself as the lamb.” The verb “provide”(yir’eh lo) is used in a way that can mean “provide Himself ” (or liter-ally, “see Himself ”).What we are being shown here, then, is the essence of the plan ofsalvation, with the Lord Himself suffering and paying in Himself thepenalty for our sins!Read John 1:1–3 and Romans 5:6–8. How do these verses help usunderstand what happened at the Cross, which is prefigured in thesacrifice here on Mount Moriah?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________There, at Mount Moriah, long before the Cross, the sacrificial ram“caught in a thicket by his horns” (Gen. 22:13) was pointing right toJesus. He is One that is “seen” here, as Abraham explains later, “Inthe mount where the Lord is seen” (Gen. 22:14, author’s translation).Jesus Himself had pointed to Abraham’s prophetic utterance here, whenHe said, echoing Abraham’s statement: “ ‘Your father Abraham rejoicedto see My day, and he saw it and was glad’ ” (John 8:56, NKJV).“It was to impress Abraham’s mind with the reality of the gospel, aswell as to test his faith, that God commanded him to slay his son. Theagony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial waspermitted that he might understand from his own experience somethingof the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man’sredemption.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 154.How does what happened here help us better understand whathappened at the Cross and what God has suffered in our behalf?What should our response be to what has been done for us?