Even more interesting is the discovery in the Hebrew text that there is no "yireh" word used there in Genesis or in other verses of the Bible. The Hebrew verb is actually רָאָה (rā'â) which literally means to see. So, although almost all Bible versions translate Abraham's sentence as, "God will provide," the old King James Bible translation of Genesis 22: 14 sticks literally to the Hebrew verb and says, rather quaintly, "In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen."
Does that mean that our proclamation of Yahweh Yireh or Jehovah Jireh is based on a mistake? Doesn't the Bible teach that God is our Provider?
No, we're not dealing with a heresy here. The idea of God's provision is woven all throughout scripture. In the Old Testament books of Exodus and Numbers, we see Yahweh providing food and water for His people in the desert. When Jesus was on earth, He told His disciples that they could trust the Father to care for them, to provide the food and clothing they needed. (Matthew 6: 25 - 34)
And Paul tells New Testament believers that God will supply or provide for all their needs (Philippians 4: 6) - that if He already gave His own Son for us, we can have confidence that He will also, "freely give us all things." (Romans 8: 32)
So, when Abraham tells Isaac (Genesis 22: 8) that God will rā'â a lamb for the sacrifice, he's clearly saying that God will provide an animal and not simply see an animal. For Abraham, the concept of God seeing our need and God meeting our need are so closely related that he needs no special word for provision.
This seems to be a pattern in other parts of the Bible. The concept of uniquely material provision of things or resources isn't found very often; it's more usually included in the idea of God's care for us - as in Psalm 23, which does include food and water, but also includes protection, healing, peace and presence. It's much more holistic than simply meeting physical needs. So the verb rā'â is translated several times in scripture as "provide." There's no concept of God seeing a need but failing to meet it. Yahweh rā'â transliterates seamlessly into Yahweh Yireh - the Lord provides - which was not only the name Abraham gave to a place, but also a name that countless generations have used to describe who God is.
So, if it's true that God already sees and knows what we need, why does the Bible teach us to present our needs to the Father and ask Him to provide for us? Even Jesus, when teaching the disciples to pray, told them to say, "Give us this day our daily bread," or "Give us today the food we need."
I believe it's because God longs to have a genuine relationship with us. He's not just throwing food at us like someone might do with a fish in a goldfish bowl. He wants us to have a relationship of friendship and confidence, where we can tell Him about our needs, thus demonstrating that we truly trust Him to care and provide for us.
What I noticed this morning, though, is that those Bible verses about God's provision all seem to have an implied condition attached to them:
- Abraham experienced Yahweh Yireh when he was being radically and sacrificially obedient.
- Jesus promised provision to those who, "seek first the Kingdom of God."
- Paul told the Philippians that the Father would meet their needs if they refused anxiety, if they prayed to God and if they were generous to others.
It reminded me of a scripture that had been significant for me personally. Back in 1985, God used a short passage, Isaiah 33: 15 - 16, to confirm His direction for the next season of my life (that's another story!) and also to promise His provision. In those verses, He promises that "bread and water will be provided," but spells out first that the promise is addressed to the person who walks in integrity, avoiding any kind of unrighteous gain or evil.
We see in the Bible that God's loving care is for all people, and even for the birds and animals... but there seems to be a special promise of provision from Yahweh Yireh for those who trust and obey Him.
