Isaac was the son Abraham had been waiting for his entire life—Abraham and Sarah’s only son.
So it’s pretty unexpected and bewildering when God commands Abraham in Genesis:
“Take your son, our only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you”
Genesis 22:2
How could a good and loving God demand Abraham participate in murder and human sacrifice, much less kill his own son?
Is God really that cruel?
After reading this article, you will understand the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac as you never have before.
The important key to understanding this story is hidden in the story that immediately precedes it in the Bible—the story of Hagar and Ishmael.
Read more to find out.
Abraham’s Response
Abraham responds to God’s command with silent obedience. He rises early in the morning to set out for the journey to the mountain that God will show him where he is to sacrifice Isaac. He puts the wood for the sacrifice on Isaac’s back to carry up the mountain.
God’s command here continues to appear arbitrary. In fact, Genesis 22 seems to represent God’s ways as cruel and unpredictable. Again we ask, how could a loving God ask this of Abraham?
The Key to the Story
Ancient Hebrew storytelling techniques require readers to see seemingly separate stories as inextricably related (after all, the Bible was not written in English or in the context of twenty-first-century America). The key to understanding this story lies in focusing on the parts of Scripture before and after it—the context.
The story of Abraham’s call to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac begins with a connection to the story of Hagar and her beloved son, Ishmael, in Genesis 21. The opening phrase of Genesis 22, “After all these things,” invites us to see these stories side by side and understand their important relationship.
The last time Abraham saw Ishmael, he was sending Ishmael and Hagar on a death march into the wilderness with just some bread and water because Ishmael’s existence (as Abraham’s first-born son by his wife’s maidservant) was a perceived threat to Isaac.
For all Abraham knew, Ishmael was now dead.
God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a “burnt offering.” Burnt offerings were one of the five major cultic sacrifices practiced by Israel, and the Jewish reader would know that burnt offerings were made for atonement. The technical term “burnt offering” is repeated five times in Genesis 22 to emphasize the importance of atonement in this story. The suggestion is that Abraham’s exile of Ishmael into the wilderness without sufficient supplies required atonement that was to be made in the sacrifice of his son Isaac.
There are other striking parallels between Genesis 21 (the story of Hagar and Ishmael) with Genesis 22 (the story of Abraham and Isaac). In both stories, a parent believes that the death of a beloved son is imminent. In both, an angel of the Lord comes with deliverance. God opens the eyes of Hagar, and she sees a well that will bring saving water, while Abraham lifts up his eyes and sees a ram that will replace Isaac as the burnt offering.
The Takeaway
These parallels point vigorously to the plot line of a larger story. God is making Abraham experience what Hagar experienced. God himself will spare both beloved sons, bringing home the point that although Isaac is the son of promise and Abraham is specifically chosen, God is the God of all.
Justice is universal, and no one is to be abandoned or treated with less than justice requires.
God hears the cry of Ismael and acts, and he sends his angel to keep Abraham from killing Isaac. God will see Hagar and reveal himself as defender of the alien, the orphan, and the widow, just as he will hear the cry of Sarah and give her a child of promise.
The pattern that emerges is that God is universal in both his justice and his mercy—justice because we reap what we sow, and mercy because God cares both for the child of the slave woman and the child of the promise.
In context, this story does not depict a cruel and unpredictable God, but a God of justice and mercy, who cares for all and wants to shape us into the most holy version of ourselves.
Deepen your faith by understanding the story of your salvation.
The Bible Timeline® study program will teach you how to read and understand the entire Bible and introduce you to the wonderful narrative of Scripture in a way that will transform your life.
Jeff Cavins is passionate about helping people understand Scripture and become disciples of Jesus Christ. Though he was born Catholic, Jeff went to Bible school and served as a Protestant minister for twelve years before reverting to the Catholic Faith. He then quickly became a leading Catholic evangelist and author. Jeff is best known for creating The Great Adventure Bible study programs published by Ascension, which have been used by hundreds of thousands of people to engage in Scripture in a life-changing way. Some of his recent projects include The Activated Disciple, The Jeff Cavins Show (his podcast), and the Great Adventure Bible studies, Ephesians: Discover Your Inheritance, and Wisdom: God’s Vision for Life.
Julia Amting is passionate about using modern communication channels to share the gospel and God’s beauty. A senior at Central Michigan University completing a Bachelor’s degree in Integrative Public Relations, Julia manages a small painting business and loves writing, hiking, trying new things, and adventures of all forms.
The post Uncovering God’s Character: Why God Asked Abraham to Sacrifice Isaac appeared first on Ascension Press Media.
