I’m a singer songwriter. There was a period in my life when I wrote a lot of songs. I also rewrote a lot of old Hymns. Now that I am a full time Pastor and father of 3 I don’t write much anymore. In this series I will be sharing with you some of the songs I have written and the stories behind them. (Abraham & Isaac; The God Who Saves; Mountainside; Abbe’s Song; Sway)
When I first read the beautiful and crazy passage about Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22:1-24 I was struck by 1. Abraham’s call 2. His Faith in God 3. Isaacs faith in his Father 4. The fact that Isaac as a sacrifice had to carry the object of his death (wood) 5. Isaacs question and Abrahams answer 6. How this passage foreshadows Christ.
“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 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 the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast 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. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba…(Genesis 22:1–24, KJV 1900)
I wanted so bad to write about this passage but nothing would come. When my wife became pregnant with our son Jack the passage became much more personal to me and so one day on my couch the lyrics just poured out. It was an amazing experince. What had taken me months of thought was finished in about ten minutes. John 1:29 says “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”. This is the verse that sparked everything for the song. I was imagining how refreshing it would be to experience Gods sacrifice in the place of ours.
Abraham and Isaac.
Words and Music by Able Baker
Abraham went to Isaac
he said my son pack your things.
For we must go unto the mountain
and bring the Lord an offering.
Chorus: Behold the Holy Lamb of God, Who takes away all my shame.
Isaac asked what will we offer God
For you have nothing in your hands
Abraham stood before his boy
and said our god provides the lamb
Chorus: Behold the Holy Lamb of God, Who takes away all my shame.
With Abraham over the altar
God had found a faithful man
touch not your son the Angel cried
For in the thicket theres a ram
Bridge: so on that cruel cross made by hands of wicked man the father poured his mighty wrath and gave to us his only lamb.
Chorus: Behold the Holy Lamb of God, Who takes away all my shame.
It’s amazing how song and story work so powerfully together. Good work, great word, and great worship, bro. Thanks for sharing all of this. Can’t wait for the rest.
Thanks for the suggestion Kenny.
Praising his word and commandments sharing with others so they may have the opportunity to meet Jesus as I have.
Pls does anyone know this song
“Behold the fire, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?
Behold the fire but where is the lamb?
A lamb that is holy, and acceptable unto the Lord
Behold the fire, but where is the lamb”
I heard a choir sang as a youth and want the lyrics. Very inspiring song.