Before answering why a ram was sacrificed, let’s lay some groundwork. The Bible is a book of progressive revelation. Beginning in Genesis 3, God began to reveal His plan of redemption that would come thousands of years later through a promised seed (Gen 3:15), God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we understand that everything in the Old Testament pointed to Jesus, including what the Jews call the “binding of Isaac,” described in Genesis 22. This is the account of Abraham being instructed by God to take his son, Isaac, up to the highest mount, Mount Moriah, to be offered as a sacrifice.
Gen 22:2-3
Then [the Lord] said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
Gen 22:9-13
Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
Why a Ram Instead of a Lamb?
We know that Jesus came as the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). We also know that Jesus was our Passover Lamb, sacrificed for us (1 Cor 5:7). So why wouldn’t God have provided a lamb rather than a ram? The answer is really quite simple.
- Young sheep are lambs.
- Adult female sheep are ewes.
- Castrated male sheep are wethers, and
- Intact (not castrated) adult male sheep are rams.
While the Passover sacrifices were lambs (young sheep), like the ram God provided, Jesus was an adult. Just as the ram was a male sheep, Jesus was a man. And, just as the sheep were perfect and without blemish, Jesus was sinless, having lived his life in perfect obedience. For these reasons, the ram that God provided clearly pointed to the Lamb of God that He would one day provide. As the sacrificial, pure and sinless, Lamb of God, Jesus was able to take on our sins upon Himself and make atonement for them. He was able to pay the penalty by His death, and His great love made Him willing to do so.
In Summary
God providing a ram on Mt. Moriah, as a substitute for Isaac, clearly pre-figured Jesus being sent by God and being offered on Mt. Calvary as a substitute for us.
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About Lent
***Lent: 40 Titles for 40 Days (Download NOW: 40 Titles for Lenten Devotions)
What is Lent? Should I Give Up Something? (Article and Video)
This Time Called Lent (Video)
Prepare for Lent (Video)
Lent Reflections (Video)
How Should You Observe Lent? (Article)
How Should You Observe Lent? (Reflect and Prepare short video)
Have You Sat At The Master’s Table? (John 13-17)
What's Wrong with This FB Lenten Fast?
About Holy Week
Jesus’ Last Days Timeline: the Cross and the Resurrection
Palm Sunday
Blessed is the King -- A Palm Sunday video
Hosanna -- Palm Sunday (Jesus Wept) (video)
Walking with Jesus – Tested by the Chief Priests and Elders
The Last Supper
What is Maundy Thursday? The Basin & The Towel
What Was the Seating Arrangement at the Last Supper?
Maundy Thursday until Easter Sunday (video)
What’s your Judas experience? The Pain of Betrayal
What Do We Know about Judas? This Might Surprise You.
The Last Supper was NOT a Passover Seder?
A Maundy Thursday Devotion
Crucifixion Day
Was Jesus crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday?
Thursday Crucifixion? Do these two reasons “nail” it?
Why do we call it good [Friday]?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
How is Jesus Like a Worm? What’s the Crimson Worm? A Remez In Psalm 22?
Who do you need to reconcile with today?
Who Killed Jesus?
Since Jesus was the Passover LAMB, Why Didn't God Provide a Lamb in Genesis 22?
Did Pilate Proclaim Jesus to be God?
Was Jesus Forsaken by His Father?
The centurion's song from the foot of the cross: “Surely This Was a Righteous Man”
Journey to the Cross: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
How Do We Know Psalm 22 Is About The Cross?
Q & A: Thursday Crucifixion Discussion
Three Days in the Heart of the Earth
The Days of Darkness
Sadness and Despair: The Darkest Days of All Time
Obituary of Jesus: Body Stolen or Risen? What do you say?
About Easter and Resurrection Life
The Father's, Son's and Believer's Perspectives of the Cross
Because He Lives, I Can Face Tomorrow (video)
Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia (video)
A Place in the Sun (Son) (video)
You'll Never Walk Alone (video)
How to Close Your Eyes and Really SEE Jesus!
Open Your Eyes to The Full Gospel
Are you glad to see Jesus?
Ponder the Prophecies of Jesus’ Mission (video and downloadable file)
What If We Skipped Easter This Year?
He’s back….and it changed everything!
The Lord is Risen Indeed! Hallelujah!
Because He Rose: The resurrection changed everything! (video)
What’s the Meaning of the Folded Napkin in the tomb?
Keep Easter Alive in Your Heart: He Came Back (video)
The Only Soul-Saver, Sin-Forgiver, Chain-Breaker, Pain-Taker, Way-Maker, Hope-Giver: Jesus
Keep Looking Up
Praise God, He’s Alive
Christian Internet Forwards? The Rest of “The Birdcage” Story? (video)
Ways to Glorify God - Bookmark
Watch NOW...You will be blessed.
Read: Is Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” a Christian Song?*******
Remezes in the Bible
In Jewish hermeneutics (interpretation of Scripture), a remez is a hidden message, or a deeper meaning found below the surface or behind the words.
- Why Did Satan Rebel Against God?
- The Names of Jehovah hidden in Psalm 23! This will surprise you!
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- Why Was a Ram Sacrificed in Genesis 22 Instead of a Lamb?
- What do Zelophehad’s Daughters have to do with Christmas?
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Hear, See, Speak No Evil -- A Practical Guide for Guarding the Mind -- This book will cause you to think before you speak, to close your eyes to that which you should not behold, and to stop listening to the lies of the world and the evil one. Learn to guard your gates and process everything according to God’s perfect will and by His Word. The three little monkeys, Hear, See, and Speak No Evil, can teach us a lot. And there’s a fourth monkey that can help stop the spread of ungodly thinking and living in our world.
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There is much to be learned from those who have gone before us in the faith. Check out our Cloud of Witnesses category that features the words of departed saints who are now with the Lord in glory. Their words equip and encourage us even to this day. Take a few minutes to hear...
- ONLY ONE LIFE, Twill Soon Be Past – by C.T. Studd (1860 – 1931)
- “The Love of God is Greater Far” by Frederick M. Lehman (1917)
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