Jan 23

(1) Why does Abraham agree to the request made of him by God?

Why exactly God chose Abraham to begin a new family in Canaan isn’t totally clear. However, we do know that God caught Abraham in a time of discontent. Abraham, while able to love a beautiful women who was barren, was likely longing for roots, home, children, and settled ways. As a result, God’s offer of children and a new life in Canaan was a good alternative, so he took it. There, after Sarah had miraculously born their only son, God commands Abraham to offer him up as a sacrifice, which leaves Abraham with an extremely tough decision. Does he trust God, who has given him a new life and a son, or does he reject God’s command, and keep his only son for himself? Ultimately, Adam puts his faith in God, and agrees to head to the mountain to offer his son as a burnt offering, revealing his dependence and servitude towards God.

(2) Is Abraham lying in 22:5 and 22:8?

Abraham isn’t necessary lying as much as he is avoiding the truth. The truth is that he is going to the mountain to sacrifice his son. In Genesis 22:5 and 22:8, he sort of bends this truth without fully revealing his intentions, likely to avoid any intervention as he submits to God’s will.

(3) What is the God’s intention in making Abraham go through with this ordeal?

After putting Abraham through one of the biggest tests any father receive, it seems as though God wants to make sure Abraham’s heart is in the right place. It’d be easy for Abraham to reject God, since God has already given Abraham everything he could have wanted. As a result, it’s even more praiseworthy that Abraham held through.

(4) Is Abraham praiseworthy? Is God?

While at the surface it seems borderline psychopathic for a father to be willing to burn his son as a sacrifice, Abraham’s intentions are what make him praiseworthy. It is because of his faith in God that he was given a son, so he honors that faith once again when given a command to sacrifice his son. As for God, I’m not completely sure how to feel. On one side, I understand that God wants to make sure Abraham can be trusted, and one way to ensure this is to put him through a test. In addition, he didn’t actually allow Abraham to kill Isaac, further confirming that God was merely looking for Abraham’s intent. However, doesn’t this seem like a little much? Imagine the trauma a young child like Isaac might be put through after seeing his father go through all the steps of sacrifice until the very end. It seems like there ought to be a better way.