Explaining about Eid ul-Adha, one preacher instructed Muslims to sacrifice with the right intention. He emphasized heart issues, rather than focusing merely on external things such as blood and meat. What he said reminded me of the scripture, "I don't need the bulls you sacrifice; I don't need the blood of goats. What I want instead is your true thanks to God; I want you to fulfill your vows to the Most High." (Psalm 50)

The ayat (verse) on which the preacher based his remarks goes on to say that Allah has made sacrificial animals "subject to you, that ye may glorify God". (surah 2.37) After giving these things much thought I have discovered an interesting link between this Quranic principle and the familiar story of Abraham’s sacrificial ordeal.

Based on surah 2.37 and Abraham’s example, the speaker urged his audience to show God-consciousness (taqwa) while performing sacrifice. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son showed he was whole-heartedly devoted and submissive to God. Abraham acknowledged and glorified God for the way he miraculously intervened and provided a ransom, but notice there was something else that glorified God. The way the story ends keeps our focus on God.

Abraham was deeply stirred by this awesome ordeal. It made an indelible impression on him and he felt inspired to give a special name to this place. Scripture tells us Abraham called the place, "The Lord Will Provide." Then it adds, "And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided'." (Genesis 22:14)

Notice Abraham did not call it, "The Lord HAS Provided" but rather "The Lord WILL Provide" suggesting there is another provision yet to come. Let us remember that earlier, Abraham had said to his son, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." The story ends with a peculiar twist - Abraham sees an animal caught by its horns in the thicket and sacrifices it instead of his son. But what animal was it? A ram or a lamb? Scripture states it was a ram, which makes sense, because only a ram has horns.

Could this help to explain why Abraham named the place, "The Lord WILL Provide"? It is clear that God provided the ram, on the other hand, Abraham also foresaw that God would one day provide a lamb. By calling this place, ‘The Lord Will Provide’, Abraham focused on this future provision, which again shows he was conscious of God. This choice of a name was, in effect, confirmation of his earlier words to his son, "God Himself will provide a lamb for the burnt offering." Abraham’s prophecy inspired future generations to have an expectant attitude. Not only so, when God’s promise is finally fulfilled it will probably result in much thanksgiving to God. As we give God the credit for what he does we glorify him.

Exactly how God will be glorified will only become clear when we see the full meaning of Abraham’s prophecy of a lamb. As we ponder what this lamb might be, we think of Moses, the next great prophet. Perhaps he mentioned something about a lamb? If so, it might provide a clue to answering this puzzling question. Anyone familiar with Moses’ story will recall how a lamb plays a critical role in rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

As you may recall, the pivotal point in Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh was the 10th and most severe plague which forced him to let the Israelites go free. This turning point cannot be properly understood without looking at the Passover lamb which Moses instructed every Israelite family to sacrifice in the place of their first-born sons. This event, which marked the first Passover festival, was commemorated annually thereafter. Like Eid, which commemorates the ransom of a son by slaughtering a sheep, Passover was also celebrated by slaughtering a lamb in place of a son. It is true that Eid ul-Adha does not focus on a lamb, as such, however, the ransom principle was clearly taught by Abraham and Moses. God is the great Provider and Redeemer (Al-Faadi – the One who ransoms, compare surah 101:37). No God-fearing person would want to deny this attribute and rob God of the glory he deserves.

This clue from Moses’ life has been helpful, but our earlier question still awaits an answer, "What is the lamb that Abraham foretold would be provided by God?" Certain aspects of this prophecy start coming into clearer focus through the writing of Asaph the psalmist. Hundreds of years after Moses, Asaph reminded his generation of the Passover story. During these centuries this story was rehearsed and ingrained in the minds of Jewish children, yet it was necessary for them to be reminded in a hard hitting message like Psalm 78. The psalmist sets the tone for the whole psalm by emphasizing at the beginning, that the lessons of history should not become ‘hidden’ because we neglect telling them to our children, "O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old - what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power and the wonders he has done." (Psalm 78:1-4)

Furthermore Asaph introduces a parable, suggesting there is a hidden moral or kernel of truth. "What is the kernel in this psalm?" I suggest that you read through the entire Psalm and then look at the turning point - the moment of intervention where God redeems the Israelites (vv. 35-51). But notice too, how the psalm ends by mentioning a special mountain where God’s sanctuary is located. This mountain, as we shall see, is a vital theme woven through the writings of the prophets, indeed, it is on this mountain that the final and decisive turning point happens.

Do you recall how Abraham’s story ends? "And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’" (Genesis 22:14) This scripture specifies where the provision of a lamb will take place – on the mountain of the Lord. Earlier in this story God had directed Abraham to make this sacrifice at Mount Moriah. This mountain is mentioned again in connection with Solomon but first let us see whether Moses or the Psalmist had anything to say about a special mountain chosen by God.

Moses predicted that God will "plant them (Israel) on the mountain of your inheritance – the place, O Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established." (Exodus 15:17) Similarly, Asaph speaks of Mount Zion as a special place on which the Lord "built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever." (Ps. 78:68,69)

Naturally we are curious to know more about this special mountain of the Lord that Abraham, Moses and the Psalmist esteemed so highly. Second Chronicles 3:1 says, "Solomon began to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where the Lord had appeared to his father David." It is truly remarkable to see how these prophets, who spanned more than a millennium, could provide clues that connect like pieces of a puzzle.

Not only so, this worship center in Jerusalem was the very place where Israelites brought their yearly sacrifices of a Passover Lamb. Surely this is no coincidence – that these lambs were sacrificed at the very place where Abraham promised God would provide a lamb!! Obviously God knows the future and makes things work out according to his purpose so we should not be too surprised to see these details fitting together.

Let us review what we’ve learned so far: The prophets consistently teach the principle of ransom, the sacrifice of a lamb and they point to a particular place where God will provide the promised lamb. There is, however, something that still seems unclear. At Solomon’s temple thousands of lambs were sacrificed but Abraham’s prophecy implies he was only expecting one lamb. How can we make sense of this?

The prophet Isaiah sheds light on this by focusing people’s hope on the coming of God’s Messiah. Notice how he describes the Messiah being "pierced for our transgressions ... crushed for our iniquities ... and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter ... the Lord makes his life a guilt offering". (Isaiah 53)

No doubt you noticed that Messiah is likened to a ‘lamb’. Also, he is described in terms of a ‘guilt offering’ whose life is given as a sacrifice. Furthermore, Isaiah describes the Messiah’s punishment and death in terms of a ransom – i.e. he will die in the place of others. It is clear that Isaiah’s description fits the first two principles mentioned above. Notice also that Isaiah focuses on a single person. This helps us get a clearer picture of what Abraham meant when he promised God would one day provide a lamb.

Hundreds of years after Isaiah, another prophet also spoke about the Messiah as a Lamb. His name was John (Yahya in the Qur’an). He said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

A careful look at Christ’s life shows that he fulfilled Abraham’s prophecy in three ways.

1) Jesus predicted he would die as a ransom, "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45) These words are consistent with the ransom principle which we’ve seen is so foundational to our understanding of God.

2) Jesus predicted that he would be put to death in Jerusalem, i.e. Mount Moriah. "Jesus took the twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.’ The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them and they did not know what he was talking about." (Luke 18:31-34)

3) We find further confirmation that Jesus is God’s Lamb in Luke 22 which says he was put to death at the same time when Israelites were sacrificing Passover Lambs (compare 1 Corinthians 5:7)

Connecting this series of interlocking puzzle pieces gives us strong reason to believe Jesus died to take away the sins of the world. I realize that some readers may disagree, indeed, some may resist this conclusion so strongly that they suspect Abraham’s prophesy about the lamb is a fabrication. Possibly they would even argue that the entire Bible is corrupted. They would imply that the way later pieces seem to fit into the puzzle only confirms the lengths to which Satan has gone to falsify and twist the entire Bible. Certain Muslims could draw this conclusion because the Qur’an emphatically denies Christ’s death on the cross and Muslims believe that Jesus will destroy Satanically inspired forces in the last days, including burning all crosses.

Let’s suppose, for the sake of discussion, this so-called ‘fabrication’ is removed. Imagine that Abraham did not predict God would provide a lamb. Since no future provision is in view, this would mean that Abraham didn’t name the place of sacrifice, "The Lord Will Provide". He may have named it, "The Lord Has Provided".

By making these hypothetical changes, we subtly diminish God’s role and put the spotlight on Abraham. Seeing Abraham’s story this way – through ‘Quranic glasses’ – tends to focus our attention more on Abraham than on God. We admire Abraham because he passed an extremely difficult test showed such incredible love for God by being willing to give up his son.

But according to the Bible, Abraham’s admirable example of love pointed to (prefigured) an outpouring of Divine love that surpassed anything the world has ever known, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) God showed how much he loved us by giving his ‘one and only Son’. John Gilchrist observed that "Muslims once a year remember a man’s love for God by being willing to sacrifice his son for him. But for us every day of the year we commemorate God’s love for us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins so that we may be totally forgiven."

Seeing Abraham’s story through ‘Biblical glasses’ makes sense. We recognize the cross for what it really is – the ultimate expression of love, where God gave his only Son as a sacrifice for us. The cross shows what a ‘momentous ransom’ the lamb was – a sacrifice that takes away the sin of the world. The provision of a ram in Abraham’s case was significant because it foreshadows a greater ransom.

The Quranic story glorifies man’s love for God rather than God’s love for man but the Bible glorifies God. Jesus Christ said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) The cross, on which the Lamb of God died, is a fitting demonstration of God’s love.

Mysterious Message?

In this article we’ve probed hidden meanings and searched for clues to piece together Abraham’s puzzling prophecy of a lamb. Having the benefit of hindsight, we discovered that this mystery is solved by the Messiah. We saw, through the centuries, how God gradually unveiled various clues, including the parable in Psalm 78. It is not surprising that the Messiah also used parables, "He did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.’" (Matthew 13:34,35) This quote has a familiar ring – it comes from Psalm 78.

The psalmist implied that most people are slow to discern what the lamb means. Even those who were privileged to be Messiah’s companions did not understand when Jesus foretold that he would die in fulfilment of prophecy, "Its meaning was hidden from them and they did not know what he was talking about." (Luke 18:34)

Considering how appropriate it is to couch truth in parables, it is not surprising that the gospel is called a mystery. For example, the apostle Paul wrote about his commission to "present the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints ... God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians1: 25-27)

Questions for Further Reflection

We’ve seen that ransom is an underlying principle of sacrifice from the time of Abraham to the Messiah. However, there is another aspect of sacrifice – purification – which was introduced at a later stage in our discussion. The question might arise in the mind of a Muslim reader, "Why was purification not mentioned in connection with the Passover Lamb sacrifice?" Could it possibly be, that purification from sin was inserted later as a corruption?

In answering this question we note the Qur’an teaches that Mosaic sacrifices involved purification from sin, thus removing the basis of this objection. Yusuf Ali, a widely respected translator of the Qur’an, explains in his footnote to surah 2.62 that this Mosaic sacrifice was for "purification from sin". Gaining forgiveness of sin by means of sacrifice is a theme that pervades scripture.

Why then is it not found in the Passover story? If we take a closer look at Passover we see that it does imply purification from sin. The Passover story unfolds with a series of increasingly devastating plagues striking Egypt because of Pharaoh’s continuing hardness of heart. The final plague struck the one whom Pharaoh cherished the most – his first-born son (and all other Egyptian first-borns). This was such a crushing blow that it forced Pharaoh to let the slaves go free.

However, there was something unusual about this plague – it wasn’t restricted to the Egyptians. Scripture makes it clear that the threat of death was issued against both Israelites and Egyptians. If Moses people did not take advantage of the ransom lamb provided by God, the death angel would have entered their homes, killing their first-born sons. We might ask, "If God was intending to free the Israelites – and we know he was – why was it necessary for the death angel to go anywhere near the Israelite homes?" "Surely God could have instructed the death angel to strike only the Egyptians." Wouldn’t this have been an equally effective way of forcing Pharaoh to release Moses’ people?

The puzzle behind these questions begins to make sense when we realize that the Egyptians were not the only ones who were sinful – the Israelites were also guilty. God would have been unfair if he had only penalized one nation and implied that the other one was innocent. Justice demanded that he pronounce a death sentence on all. The Qur’an bears testimony to this, as does also the Bible: "If God were to punish men for their wrong doing he would not leave on the earth a single living creature." (surah 16.61, compare also Romans 3:1-23; 6:20-23)

In conclusion we see that although the story of the Passover Lamb did not explicitly mention purification from sin, it was implied.

If you have other questions pertaining to sacrifice that you would like to ask the writer, address them to: starsign77@hotmail.com

Another mystery to ponder: The temple in Jerusalem, where thousands of sacrificial animals were slaughtered for purification, is now the most disputed real estate on earth – desecrated by a bloody conflict that threatens world peace. Both disputants – Jews and Muslims – claim this holy site belongs to them. Ironically, both groups expect the Messiah will bring an era of peace in the last days. Is it possible that Jerusalem will eventually fulfill its meaning – city of peace? If God’s Messiah is the solution to the puzzling prophecy of the lamb is it not possible that he will also fulfill prophecy and bring worldwide peace? These questions are answered in an article, entitled "Converging Destinies: Jerusalem, Peace and the Messiah".