It doesn't have to take away from the importance of scripture, if one wants, but the
fact is god did want Abraham to offer up his son as a sacrifice to him in obedience. The
act of actually (not metaphorically) lifting the knife was an act to kill Isaac. Regardless whether god would have stopped him or not, the fact that he attempted it, is the fact that Isaac-a human being--was offered as a sacrifice to god. This isn't obedience or love, it's barbaric and highly pagan (by Christian definition).
Although most everyone already knows, it is important to note here that God stopped Abraham before he struck the child with the knife.
The important thing to note here is that Abraham trusted God so much that he thought God quite capable of resurrecting Isaac from the dead, if that had proven necessary. This is great faith.
1. Stopping him doesn't mean he didn't make the attempt. The attempt is important too. I would not
want to kill my son but if I loved god that much, I would make that attempt-which is just as important as the act itself.
2He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.’
Today, would a Christian offer their child as an offering to god if god
actually, literally told them to? Little over 2,000 years ago was not so far away. People sacrificed other people and it was done for a long time in many places. As of today, people sacrifice animals and the
freedom of human beings. We still make offerings. Saints made offerings of themselves to god. Offerings is important in Christianity (and in many many many religions).
He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill* his son.
If it was not a human sacrifice, Abraham would not have made the attempt. He loved god and was obedient to god than he loved his own son.
Also, if he said no to god, he would be offering
himself as a sacrifice and probably killed for disobedience. Yet, because he cared more for his son than god, the act of his sacrifice is worth more-he thought of his son's well being-than that of god. The sacrifice would be if Abraham said no. He did not. It isn't a true sacrifice because he didn't kill the child so Abraham lost nothing. Sacrifice is when you lose something in the expense for someone else's well being. Abraham story does not have that.
2. If this is so, Isaac would not be a sacrifice. Abraham trusted god that
he did the right thing not that Isaac would be resurrected.
By myself I have sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will indeed bless you, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.
Abraham was rewarded for attempting to kill his only child.
Today, if we did that we would get arrested. What is the value of trying to kill your own son? Does Abraham value more his life, obedience, and animal offering than he does his only son?
I know Christians today would not opt for that option; but, if you are Christian (or Jewish) that option should be just as Abraham. With that, you would trust "god to provide" by your actions and attempt to kill your son and daughter. You would trust god to stop you just as Abraham and not put a barrier between god's obedience by time period of only 2,000 some odd years.
Later God sacrificed his own Son so it is not unreasonable of God to ask us to sacrifice ourselves for others and for Him if necessary.
God can't sacrifice himself only his human image/flesh of him, if going by trinitarian view that christ is god. In order to be a clean sacrifice, you have to be a human being. In order for christians do rise as jesus (as in galatians 2:21 just as being crucified in him), he has to die-literally die-first. He cannot be resurrected and be called a sacrifice.
If you cannot sacrifice your own son or daughter (I don't know if you answered the question), how can you sacrifice yourself? What is the difference between sacrificing your child and sacrificing yourself if they are both in obedience to god?
If god told you to kill your child, that is showing obedience as down by abraham.
If god told you to kill yourself, that is showing obedience shown of what the human christ did himself (let himself be killed by holding back on why he claimed himself the son of god).
Would christians (and Jews) make these decisions?
If not, why? How does time period prevent one person from honoring god's commandments while today, in one post here they question his command by thinking if that question was asked of that poster, they'd think it's a hallucination?
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I haven't had these questions answered by questions before. I'm not thinking about likes but honestly curious as to why Abraham would do X but christians today would decline the same command.
