When I began looking into what the Bible says about money, I found innumerable articles that that used scripture out of context or stretched a verse’s meaning to teach a ‘Biblical’ lesson about how Christians should manage their finances.
While these teachings were well meant and, in many cases, offered sound financial advice, I needed something more. I was not looking for verses that could be applied to a financial context, provided we squint hard enough and tilt our heads at the right angle. I wanted to find scriptures that spoke about money unequivocally. Nothing less would do.
And, so, I was forced to disregard the many articles I read about Jehovah Jireh.
Why? There is actually only one Jehovah Jireh Bible verse to be found in God’s word — and it has absolutely nothing to do with physical or financial provision.
Jehovah Jireh Bible Verse
Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
Genesis 22:13-14
So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
The verses above are the culmination of the passage in which Abraham is called to sacrifice his son, Isaac. In the preceding verses, Isaac notes the fact that they don’t have a lamb for the sacrifice, to which Abraham replies that God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.
In this story, Abraham goes through the entire process of placing his son on the altar and is on the verge of sacrificing his own son — when God stops him at the last second. As we see in verse thirteen above, it is then that Abraham spots the ram caught by its horns; so God provided the sacrifice, after all.
This whole passage is a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice in which God would provide the lamb for the offering. Jesus is the Lamb of God, the sacrifice provided by — Jehovah Jireh — for the forgiveness of our sins.
Isn’t that a far greater gift than mere financial or physical provision? This is the crux of our Christian walk, and physical provision pales into insignificance next to the power of this verse.
So, in conclusion, there are many Bible verses that speak about money and how we should manage it… but Genesis 22:14 — the Jehovah Jireh Bible verse — is not one of them. And I, for one, think that the promise in this scripture is all the richer for this truth.