Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:2
This is the first appearance of the word love in the Bible. In a book we often describe as God’s love letter to us, it seems strange that it doesn’t occur until this far along in the text. When our Jewish brothers and sisters study, they mine the meaning of words by going back to its first occurrence. They call this method “first use.” The original usage of a word is thought to give added insight to its true meaning.
The Designer and Author of our text delights in the details. While we’ve seen His love portrayed as far back as the creation account in Genesis 1, I don’t believe it is any accident that the word is first used to describe a father’s relationship with his son. This episode in Abraham’s life foreshadows the sacrifice of Christ to come. It points to the ultimate and definitive act of love.
This theme is advanced in the New Testament. While not a Greek construct, the first use of love in each of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) all record the same event at the baptism of Jesus.
“This is my Beloved Son.”[1] (Son that I love)
We see an echo of love’s first use from Genesis. As Jesus begins His ministry, the Father declares His love for the Son, and in so doing, reminds us of the sacrifice to be paid.
John’s gospel completes this picture of love. It’s first use? John 3:16.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son.
The picture of the Father’s love is transferred to us in the sacrifice of that Son.
The love that is revealed in the Bible points to the perfect example of God’s love for us. That love has been woven through the text. It is about His love for us and about His sacrifice to bring us into relationship with Him.
The apostle John later instructs his disciples:
This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:9-11
God has revealed what true love is. It is sacrificial. It makes the first move, without reciprocity. He pours it on us. And because we have received, we can now, by His grace, pour it on others.
[1] Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22
