Abraham failed the test.

[Ebionite]

Abraham's actions led to irreparable rupture with Isaac, Sarah and even God

And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Genesis 26:4-5

A self righteous zealot isn't perfect. Abraham showed he was insane.

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.
Numbers 25:11

The story, and the people ... there are people who praise Abraham for raising a knife and preparing a fire -

People who worship under a bloody cross, manged pierced body - whose pinnacle is child sacrifice.

But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matthew 9:13

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of Elohim more than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6

And they built the high places of Baal, which [are] in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through [the fire] unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.
Jeremiah 32:35

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

See Genesis 25:9:
"His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre"

Yep.

 

[crossfire]

We Jews actually have a midrash that Abraham failed the test--I heard this in a sermon. He should have argued with God about the morality of sacrificing an innocent human, and neglected to do so. I wish I had the citation for you, but was not able to find it. You will find many Jewish sites that discuss Abraham failing the test.

He did argue with god about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18.

 

[nPeace]

We do have the account in the Bible and it says:
Genesis 22:6-12
6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,

7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

In verse 8
Abraham, because of his faith and trust in God believed somehow God was going to either provide the sacrifice or bring his son back to life even if he made him go thru it.

And in verse 12,
God stops Abraham and then God honors Abraham and says he now sees that Abraham fears him and would not even withhold his Only Son from God.

This the place where God is first called The GOD WHO PROVIDES........Yahweh Jire

Abraham is the Patriarch of all those who have believed in God and his Word since that time. He was declared Righteous by Believing in the Rhema (spoken) Word of God. We too can be declared righteous by believing in God's word Today!
.

Excellent!

This was an ultimate test of faith.
Abraham trusted that God is righteous.
Abraham had faith in God's stated promise.
(Genesis 21:12) . . .Then God said to Abraham: “Do not be displeased by what Sarah is saying to you about the boy and about your slave girl. Listen to her, for what will be called your offspring will be through Isaac.

Abraham demonstrated that he knew God well enough to trust him explicitly. So that even if God did not allow Isaac to die, and he put the boy to death, God would restore the boy to him.
@idea Thus, Abraham passed the test.

Was it immoral to kill the boy?
This is where the atheist fails and Abraham passes.
Abraham trusted that God - the creator of all things - the source of life, light, and truth, has the sovereign right to determine what is good, and bad. Abraham was humble enough to accept that, and not assume that right upon himself.
He showed that he acknowledge and submitted to God's sovereignty.
Like a little child, who looks to his wise experienced dad,

It's knowing the difference between a match-stick, and the sun.

..................................................

The wise person will chose what they know won't burn out.

Spoiler

(Isaiah 40:28-31) 28 Have you not come to know or have you not heard? Jehovah, the Creator of the extremities of the earth, is a God to time indefinite. He does not tire out or grow weary. There is no searching out of his understanding. 29 He is giving to the tired one power; and to the one without dynamic energy he makes full might abound. 30 Boys will both tire out and grow weary, and young men themselves will without fail stumble, 31 but those who are hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not tire out.”

Abraham did that.

One more thing @idea, perhaps it's on your mind.
Abraham is under the leadership / authority / sovereignty of the almighty. It was his choice to submit to God as his ruler.
A person does not have to submit to God's sovereignty. That's their choice.
Yes. They get to choose the match-sticks in the image on the left.
...if they want to.

 

[InChrist]

Convincing explanation Did Abraham pass the test?

Afterwards
- God doesn't speak directly to Abraham again
- the entire family splits apart, no longer living together

Some religious people use Abraham 's story as justification to do things like kill kids - that doing anything God supposedly commands is righteous.

It is not good to kill your kid, or anyone else's kids.

It's not good to follow any supposed command.

If God asked you to kill your kid, would you do it?

If God asked you to kill someone else's kid, would you do it?

Do you view those who kill in gods name as righteous?

According to the scriptures, Abraham passed the test. Obviously, there was a specific one-time purpose in this request made by God to Abraham. It is not something that was ever asked of any other person in the biblical scriptures; OT or NT. Nor would ever be asked, so I think the questions posed are irrelevant. If anyone thinks that God tells them to kill their child today, I’d say they have mental illness or are likely hearing demonic voices.

On another interesting note is that the account reveals that Isaac carried the wood himself up the mountain ( Genesis 22:6 ), so he wasn’t a little kid. He was was at least old enough and strong enough to carry a load of wood and have some understanding of what was going on, yet he trusted his father Abraham and God. And as the account ends up showing God did not have Abraham sacrifice Isaac

 

[nPeace]

On another interesting note is that the account reveals that Isaac carried the wood himself up the mountain ( Genesis 22:6 ), so he wasn’t a little kid. He was was at least old enough and strong enough to carry a load of wood and have some understanding of what was going on, yet he trusted his father Abraham and God. And as the account ends up showing God did not have Abraham sacrifice Isaac

This is a good point.
God illustrated to Abraham what was required for all mankind to be saved - the sacrifice of his own son, who submitted to God's will.

Abraham and Isaac didn't fully understand the significance, but the knew that God's purpose is always for the good of those that love him.

We don't know how much Abraham knew, but we have a good example of great faith. So that Abraham came to be called God's friend.

This is the faith Jesus was helping his disciples to cultivate.
If we have such faith... whoa.

 

[idea]

... while keeping a very low profile so that no evidence of such a fairy-tale ending shows up in the Torah. Sounds nice.

According to the Torah, the two brothers do come together.

just curious on your thoughts...

Orthodox Jews oppose zionism... why would Jews support the Christian version of the 2nd coming? That's who started all of this - Christians started the Zionist movement. Descendents of Ishmael and Isaac are fighting one another for a Christian agenda.

Jews and Muslims sacrificing their children for Christian Zionist agenda. Parents killing kids, its the central theme of Christianity. ... playing everyone like puppets. How many forced Armageddon scenarios will the world continue to play out for the Christians?

 

[Ebionite]

God illustrated to Abraham what was required for all mankind to be saved - the sacrifice of his own son, who submitted to God's will.

That's a popular misconception in Christianity.

There's context for the near-sacrifice of Isaac in the book of Jasher.

And when Isaac was thirty-seven years old, Ishmael his brother was going about with him in the tent.
And Ishmael boasted of himself to Isaac, saying, I was thirteen years old when the Lord spoke to my father to circumcise us, and I did according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to my father, and I gave my soul unto the Lord, and I did not transgress his word which he commanded my father.
And Isaac answered Ishmael, saying, Why dost thou boast to me about this, about a little bit of thy flesh which thou didst take from thy body, concerning which the Lord commanded thee?
As the Lord liveth, the God of my father Abraham, if the Lord should say unto my father, Take now thy son Isaac and bring him up an offering before me, I would not refrain but I would joyfully accede to it.
And the Lord heard the word that Isaac spoke to Ishmael, and it seemed good in the sight of the Lord, and he thought to try Abraham in this matter.
And the day arrived when the sons of God came and placed themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with the sons of God before the Lord.
And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
And the Lord said to Satan, What is thy word to me concerning all the children of the earth? and Satan answered the Lord and said, I have seen all the children of the earth who serve thee and remember thee when they require anything from thee.
And when thou givest them the thing which they require from thee, they sit at their ease, and forsake thee and they remember thee no more.
Hast thou seen Abraham the son of Terah, who at first had no children, and he served thee and erected altars to thee wherever he came, and he brought up offerings upon them, and he proclaimed thy name continually to all the children of the earth.
And now that his son Isaac is born to him, he has forsaken thee, he has made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the land, and the Lord he has forgotten.
For amidst all that he has done he brought thee no offering; neither burnt offering nor peace offering, neither ox, lamb nor goat of all that he killed on the day that his son was weaned.
Even from the time of his son's birth till now, being thirty-seven years, he built no altar before thee, nor brought any offering to thee, for he saw that thou didst give what he requested before thee, and he therefore forsook thee.
And the Lord said to Satan, Hast thou thus considered my servant Abraham? for there is none like him upon earth, a perfect and an upright man before me, one that feareth God and avoideth evil; as I live, were I to say unto him, Bring up Isaac thy son before me, he would not withhold him from me, much more if I told him to bring up a burnt offering before me from his flock or herds.
And Satan answered the Lord and said, Speak then now unto Abraham as thou hast said, and thou wilt see whether he will not this day transgress and cast aside thy words.
Jasher 22:41-55

This relates to the story of Job:

Now there was a day when the sons of the Elohim came to present themselves before YHWH, and Satan came also among them.
And YHWH said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered YHWH, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
And YHWH said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth Elohim, and escheweth evil?
Then Satan answered YHWH, and said, Doth Job fear Elohim for nought?
Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:6-11

 

[crossfire]

If the goal was to substitute animals for sacrifice instead of humans, and to denote that the meaning of sacrifice was not the actual flesh as a sacrifice, but rather to sacrifice the animal nature within you and turn away from base reactionary emotions and instincts in favor of a reasonable nature, and pass this understanding onto his son, then yes, he passed the test.

<edit to add>
I could see the usefulness in a ritual setting where you really had the urge to do something harmful, and was struggling with this urge, and really want reason to win out over the more base part of your nature. Having the animal separate from you would tend to stave off the side effects of depression and suicidal tendencies that sometime result from a purely inward meditation where you meditate directly on the impurities within yourself. (As many Buddhist monks in the past became suicidal when they meditated on the impurities of the body/flesh without the proper detachment.)

 

[Ebionite]

If the goal was to substitute animals for sacrifice instead of humans, and to denote that the meaning of sacrifice was not the actual flesh as a sacrifice, but rather to sacrifice the animal nature within you and turn away from base reactionary emotions and instincts in favor of a reasonable nature, and pass this understanding onto his son, then yes, he passed the test.

The origin of animal sacrifice in the Abrahamic religions was the covenant of the land. Heifers, goats, rams, turtledoves, and pigeons are all sacrificial animals. Abram was not told to kill the animals, and what followed was described as his horror.

And he said unto him, I [am] YHWH that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
And he said, Lord YHWH, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
Genesis 15:7-12

What the Bible describes here is “cutting a covenant.” In verse 18, the English translation says “the LORD made a covenant”, but the Hebrew says “the LORD cut a covenant.”

This was a well known rite in the ancient Near East in which animals were cut in half. The two parties who were to be bound by a covenant walked between the halves of the animals. The idea is that just as the animals were cut in half so shall it be done to the one who violates the covenant.

The Bizarre Story Of Abraham Cutting Animals In Half - Ready4Eternity

Why did Abraham resort to cutting animals in half in Genesis 15? What kind of strange ritual was this and what could it possibly mean?

ready4eternity.com

Separation or cutting in half is reflected in the prophetic context of the betrayal of the crucifixion:

And I took my staff, [even] Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people.
And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it [was] the word of YHWH.
And I said unto them, If ye think good, give [me] my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty [pieces] of silver.
Zechariah 11:10-12

 

[joelr]

Abraham passed the test of what his character was created to do. So did Adam.
In fiction characters are often named after their purpose.


In Hebrew:
Abraham - Father of multitudes; Father of nations.

Adam - means "man" or "humanity"


also ,
Joshua Messiah (Philo writes of many in the 1st century) - Jesus Christ. Jesus' name was really Joshua or Yeshua (same ) Joshua means “saves, rescues, delivers.” delivers.

 

[RabbiO]

Orthodox Jews oppose zionism... why would Jews support the Christian version of the 2nd coming? That's who started all of this - Christians started the Zionist movement. Descendents of Ishmael and Isaac are fighting one another for a Christian agenda.

The Orthodox Jews of my acquaintance, both lay and in the rabbinate, will be surprised to learn that they oppose Zionism. I will have to let them know. Slight sarcasm aside, there are groups within what is often referred to as ultra orthodoxy that are opposed to Zionism, but they represent only a segment within the Orthodox community,

I am curious why you believe that Christians originated Zionism.

 

[nPeace]

That's a popular misconception in Christianity.

There's context for the near-sacrifice of Isaac in the book of Jasher.

And when Isaac was thirty-seven years old, Ishmael his brother was going about with him in the tent.
And Ishmael boasted of himself to Isaac, saying, I was thirteen years old when the Lord spoke to my father to circumcise us, and I did according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to my father, and I gave my soul unto the Lord, and I did not transgress his word which he commanded my father.
And Isaac answered Ishmael, saying, Why dost thou boast to me about this, about a little bit of thy flesh which thou didst take from thy body, concerning which the Lord commanded thee?
As the Lord liveth, the God of my father Abraham, if the Lord should say unto my father, Take now thy son Isaac and bring him up an offering before me, I would not refrain but I would joyfully accede to it.
And the Lord heard the word that Isaac spoke to Ishmael, and it seemed good in the sight of the Lord, and he thought to try Abraham in this matter.
And the day arrived when the sons of God came and placed themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with the sons of God before the Lord.
And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
And the Lord said to Satan, What is thy word to me concerning all the children of the earth? and Satan answered the Lord and said, I have seen all the children of the earth who serve thee and remember thee when they require anything from thee.
And when thou givest them the thing which they require from thee, they sit at their ease, and forsake thee and they remember thee no more.
Hast thou seen Abraham the son of Terah, who at first had no children, and he served thee and erected altars to thee wherever he came, and he brought up offerings upon them, and he proclaimed thy name continually to all the children of the earth.
And now that his son Isaac is born to him, he has forsaken thee, he has made a great feast for all the inhabitants of the land, and the Lord he has forgotten.
For amidst all that he has done he brought thee no offering; neither burnt offering nor peace offering, neither ox, lamb nor goat of all that he killed on the day that his son was weaned.
Even from the time of his son's birth till now, being thirty-seven years, he built no altar before thee, nor brought any offering to thee, for he saw that thou didst give what he requested before thee, and he therefore forsook thee.
And the Lord said to Satan, Hast thou thus considered my servant Abraham? for there is none like him upon earth, a perfect and an upright man before me, one that feareth God and avoideth evil; as I live, were I to say unto him, Bring up Isaac thy son before me, he would not withhold him from me, much more if I told him to bring up a burnt offering before me from his flock or herds.
And Satan answered the Lord and said, Speak then now unto Abraham as thou hast said, and thou wilt see whether he will not this day transgress and cast aside thy words.
Jasher 22:41-55

This relates to the story of Job:

Now there was a day when the sons of the Elohim came to present themselves before YHWH, and Satan came also among them.
And YHWH said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered YHWH, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
And YHWH said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth Elohim, and escheweth evil?
Then Satan answered YHWH, and said, Doth Job fear Elohim for nought?
Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
Job 1:6-11

Is that the 18th century A.D forgery, and spurious writing you are quoting?

 

[Rachel Rugelach]

We Jews actually have a midrash that Abraham failed the test--I heard this in a sermon. He should have argued with God about the morality of sacrificing an innocent human, and neglected to do so. I wish I had the citation for you, but was not able to find it. You will find many Jewish sites that discuss Abraham failing the test.

As a midrash is merely a story intended to interpret or elaborate on what is written in the Torah, people are still writing them today. I know of teachers in Hebrew schools who encourage children to write their own midrashim to express their understanding of Torah.

The talmudic-era Midrashim written by the sages of old are what we usually reference, and these Midrashim are rabbinic works based on a great deal of study in order to have arrived at the interpretations given. I don't think that there have been rabbinic Midrashim that state that Abraham "failed," although I don't doubt that there have been more recent midrashim that might explore that concept, based on modern-day context. I could be wrong, and if you can find a talmudic-era Midrash that states that Abraham failed, I would be interested to read it.

In the Midrash Beresheet Rabbah 56, Isaac is presented as being a willing participant in the test of Abraham. Isaac is not a child, but a young man of the age of 37 or 26. He even tells his father to bind him very tightly, in order to prevent himself from trembling in fear of the knife and thereby perhaps causing Abraham to slip with the knife and render the sacrifice unacceptable.

Another rabbi continuing this Midrash implies that Abraham might have already suspected that God would not permit him to go through with the sacrifice, for God had previously told Abraham that it would be through his son, Isaac, that the people would be called Abraham's descendants. (If Isaac had actually been sacrificed, this would have contradicted how God had already assured Abraham regarding Isaac's future.) Additionally, God later tells Abraham that he never said for Abraham to actually slaughter his son, but instead to "take him up" to the place of sacrifice.

Taken in context of these ancient times in which Abraham lived, child sacrifice to various gods was both an acceptable and common practice for demonstrating one's faith to a deity. The story in which God commands Abraham to "take up" Isaac to a place of sacrifice (and Abraham does so willingly) was God setting the stage for a shocking object lesson against human sacrifice -- so shocking that it would assuredly never be forgotten by Abraham and his descendants.

The point of the story was not that Abraham unquestioningly went along with the mores of his times and accepted as a legitimate and not particularly surprising request from God that he should sacrifice his own son, but rather the point was that Abraham stopped when God ordered him to do so. Not only did Abraham stop short, he learned, when God provided a ram in Isaac's place, that only non-human sacrifice was to be acceptable to this God that Abraham called his own above all the other gods that were acknowledged in the land where Abraham lived. It was a hard lesson, but a necessary one. It was a lesson that Abraham passed.

 

[1213]

...

If God asked you to kill your kid, would you do it?

If God asked you to kill someone else's kid, would you do it?

Do you view those who kill in gods name as righteous?

God tells in the Bible, don't murder. I think that is a good rule. And I think that is why no one can really murder others in the name of Bible God.

 

[Ebionite]

Is that the 18th century A.D forgery, and spurious writing you are quoting?

AFAIK it's the original.

And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Joshua 10:13

 

[Ebionite]

In the Midrash Beresheet Rabbah 56, Isaac is presented as being a willing participant in the test of Abraham. Isaac is not a child, but a young man of the age of 37 or 26. He even tells his father to bind him very tightly, in order to prevent himself from trembling in fear of the knife and thereby perhaps causing Abraham to slip with the knife and render the sacrifice unacceptable.

This is consistent with the account from the book of Jasher.

There's additional context for animal sacrifice from Genesis 15. This text is the focus of the doctrinal split in Christianity between James the Just and Paul. For Paul, it was Abraham's belief that mattered, but for James it was his actions.This relates to animal sacrifice because Abraham's killing of the animals didn't follow from his belief, but from a request for confirmation.

And he said unto him, I [am] YHWH that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
And he said, Lord YHWH, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
Genesis 15:7-8

 

[IndigoChild5559]

This is consistent with the account from the book of Jasher.

And we should care about this why?

 

[nPeace]

AFAIK it's the original.

Nothing original exists today, unless it's preserved in stone.

The Book of Jasher (also spelled Jashar; Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַיׇּשׇׁר sēfer hayyāšār), which means the Book of the Upright or the Book of the Just Man, is a lost book mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, often interpreted as a lost non-canonical book. Numerous forgeries purporting to be rediscovered copies of this lost book have been written.

And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Joshua 10:13

The Book of Jasher - What is it? Should the Book of Jasher be in the Bible?

The Book of Jasher - What is it? Should the Book of Jasher be in the Bible? Is the Book of Jasher inspired?

www.compellingtruth.org

Quote
In the 1700s a Book of Jasher was published that alleged to be a translation of the Book of Jasher by Alcuin, an eighth-century British writer. Another work named Pseudo-Jasher and written in Hebrew is dated to the 1600s but is also not connected with the version mentioned in the Old Testament. Though its claim to be the original is inaccurate, its introduction notes other attempts at a Book of Jasher "by Zerahiah Ha-Yevani of the 13th century. There is also known to have been one written by Rabbi Jacob ben Mier of the 12th century, and one by Rabbi Jonah ben Abraham of Gerona of the 14th century. We are told of a work by that title from the Amoraim period (3rd to 6th centuries) that is characterized as containing 'for the most part sayings of the sages of the first and second centuries.'" Again, however, the original work of the Book of Jasher is apparently lost and is now only known through its two references in the Bible.

Because the Book of Jasher no longer exists, it clearly cannot be part of the Bible. Yet even if it did exist today, there is no reason to believe it would need to be added to the Bible. The Old Testament writings were already affirmed and had been translated into Greek before the time of Christ. No biblical writer claimed the Book of Jasher was divine; only that it served as another source to confirm for two biblical references.
Unquote

Since you can't be sure of the truthfulness of the contents, because 1) it's not an inspired book, 2) the oldest copy is perhaps 12th century A.D., 3) many forgeries containing spurious texts are claimed as authentic, it doesn't seem to be a good idea to use it as a source or reference of information on Biblical accounts... even if two of its reports match Bible accounts.

 

[Ebionite]

And we should care about this why?

Because the more context you have about something the better the odds are that your interpretation of it will be useful.