I had just come upstairs from putting Brielle, my four year old daughter, to bed, an hour past her bedtime—as usual. Earlier, as I sat down on her bed to tuck her in I noticed she was reading from her Children’s Illustrated Bible. She immediately fired a question, “Dad, why is this guy holding a knife?â€Â Not the sort of thing you normally hope to be your child’s last thoughts before drifting off to sleep. Caught off guard, I looked and saw that she was “reading†(or examining the picture of) the story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of his son, Isaac, in obedience to God (Gen 22). While I knew this could not be a quick answer, I immediately found myself struggling to say much of anything. I could just imagine her furrowed little brow communicating that I had left her with far more troubling questions than she had begun with. So, I rapidly regrouped and told her that I would love to explain it but that we’d need more time. “Remind me tomorrow and I’ll tell you all about it.â€Â This all happened last night. And tonight, right at bedtime, she reminded me. This time I skipped the several false starts of explanation and went right to the bit about needing more time. But to be totally honest, it really isn’t a “bit.â€Â I did need more time to explain the whole story. Jumping right in with a 30 second answer, neglecting the bigger context of the story, would have left her with understandable concern and even worry. And I think that for most of us adults, the situation is not all that different.Â
The Tension
Sure, we know that God was testing Abraham’s faith or trust in Him when He commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. The boy was Abraham’s only child and only hope of having offspring. And God had vowed that Abraham would have a multitude of descendents (Gen 12:2). In fact, the author of Hebrews tells us that in the decision to obey God and in his willingness to go through with the sacrifice of his son, Isaac, “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead†(Heb 11:19). So, clearly the event functioned to test the validity of Abraham’s trust in his God. We even see God extolling Abraham, after halting him from going through with the sacrifice, “now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me†(Gen 22:12). And later God reiterates His initial promises of great blessing to Abraham, “because you have obeyed me,†(vs. 18).Â
Okay, so God never really intended Abraham to go through with the sacrifice of his son, Isaac. Yes, He was testing Abraham’s willingness to obey in the face of enormous doubt. But what about the immorality of the act itself? Was God sanctioning an act which broke His own moral code? Consider, God clearly condemned those cultures surrounding Israel which practiced child sacrifice (the Canaanites, Deut 12:31; the Moabites, 2 Kings 3:27). He even passed severe judgment on His own people, the Israelites, when they decided “to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal.â€Â And to drive the point home, God concluded His comments on such a detestable act by saying, “I did not command or decree [human sacrifice], nor did it come into my mind†(Jer 19:5). If this is true—that such an act never even came into God’s mind as an intention—how are we to understand His seemingly schizophrenic command for Abraham to knife his own child, then burn his dead remains as an offering or act of piety to God?
Releasing the Tension
I think the answer lies in the contrast that God was making between the other gods of the ancient near east and Himself. Human sacrifice in worship is not an unfamiliar means of appeasing the gods in the various religions of history. And Abraham’s experience would have been no different. We must remember that Abraham came out of a context of polytheism in which he worshiped an assortment of gods (Josh 24:2). The call on his life came from a God whom he knew very little about; a God who only later become known to Moses as “Yahweh†(Ex 3:14). So, while we have the benefit of knowing God’s character more fully—expressed in His actions within biblical history—we must keep in mind that Abraham’s knowledge of this God came to him piecemeal. Abraham likely worked on polytheistic or henotheistic assumptions for many years after his first encounter with the one true God. God seemed to unfold His own character to Abraham from promise to promise, problem to problem, provision to provision. The concept of God which Abraham began with in Haran (Gen 12) was not the same concept with which he ended up at the dawn of his life (Deut 34). None of ours ever is!
When Abraham experienced what has become his most well-known encounter with God on Mt. Moriah—in which God commanded him to sacrifice his son—this new worshiper learned something of tremendous significance about this particular God. Abraham knew little about Him. Therefore, whatever God would do at the outset would forever set the tone for what Abraham could expect of his new Deity. We see the same sort of thing today in newly established presidencies in the White House. The President sends a clear signal to his nation about the nature of his presidency by which bills he decides to sign first. Similarly, in establishing with Abraham what sort of God He was, and what sort of “religion†this was going to be, the Lord’s initial actions would be telling.Â
So, what was God doing in this bizarre interaction with Abraham and Isaac? Was he asking Abraham to begin acting out a model of worship which was all too common in the ancient near east—appeasement? No. Rather, he was juxtaposing what Yahweh worship was to be with common pagan worship. He sets Abraham up to think that this was another appeasement religion in which devotees placate their god’s every whim. Yet, shockingly, like a playwright walking on stage in the middle of a performance, God yells, “Cut!â€Â And so we see that this new “religion†is not going to be like the standard appeasement approach but about relationship, about trust, and about love. God communicated the tone of his new “Presidency†in Abraham’s life. God was not simply reaffirming a well-known model of appeasing the gods. Rather, he was establishing a rival model—one of faith. And more powerfully than He ever could have with a mere moral proposition like, “You shall not engage in human sacrificeâ€, God established a clear path for how people were to relate to Him.
What does this say to us?
I don’t know about you, but I can easily slide into the “appeasement model†in my relationship with God. I may think that so long as my life is clean enough, if I go to church enough, or if I work hard enough, then I somehow earn points with God. I’m a bit more in His favor. And suddenly the “God†that I’m worshiping looks a whole lot more like the pagan gods of the ancient and modern worlds than He does the unique God of the Bible. Thankfully, we look to the great Patriarch Abraham and see the baseline for our relationship with God. This God who refuses to be appeased or pacified (and therefore controlled) by the puny gifts of His creatures, is the same God who pursues us today. And He pursues seeking nothing less than our whole selves surrendered and abandoned to Him in the intimacy of relationship.
But now the real intellectual challenge begins . . . how do I explain all this to my four-year old daughter?
7 Comments on “Why did God command a child sacrifice from Abraham?”
I am becoming more and more convinced that while we are looking for the in depth, cultural clues, and theological distinctives of each verse, it is also just as important to see where we can find Jesus in each passage.
While it’s good to look at Abraham and his faith, and to try to model that, if all it is is a simple morality play, I’ll feel inspired, encouraged, and I’ll try to model it, but eventually I’ll fail and beat myself up over it.
But if I see Jesus as the central point of each story, of each passage, He will be my strength, my encouragement, not my own actions.
So where is Jesus here? Where is the Gospel?
I believe in two places.
God is the true and greater Abraham who led his son, his only son whom he loved, up a hill, and where abraham stayed his hand when God provided a sacrifice, God made His Son the true sacrifice.
Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,†now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.†-Tim Keller
The Gospel continually points us away from ourselves and into the very heart of God who sent His Son to die, to be murdered, slaughtered, tortured, scorned and spit on for our sins. Where our sins were imputed to Christ on the cross, His perfect record was imputed to us, Martin Luther called it The Great Exchange.
When we see these shadows, these echoes of the Gospel throughout the scriptures, we see that God isn’t calling us to a life of rigid morality, but rather one of embracing the Gospel, the great Gospel.
Below I have put a long text that my pastor (Tim Keller) here in NYC has compiled where we can see Jesus in the Old Testament.
“Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.
Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.
Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.
Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,†now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.â€
Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.
Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.
Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.
Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.
Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.
Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.
Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk losing an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people.
Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.
Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.
Brent,
I do not think your explanation to Brielle has to be quite so complicated and thorough. I think that if you say that God was testing Abraham’s faith that Abraham would trust God’s word, that is sufficient.
Also, I stronlgly believe in the importance of one scripture you referenced: Hebrews 11:19. Abraham, long before Jesus ever came, BELIEVED IN RESURRECTION. As a result, He believed with true faith that somehow God would bring about the promise even if Issac was sacrificed.
This is think is the heart of the story. I agree with your post. I think the story prompts us to trust God, whatever seemingly illogical that He may send us to do.
Brent,
Your anaysis reminds me of an incident I read about several months ago. It’s an honest confession of weakness from a very strong man, Colts football coach Tony Dungee.
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Tony Dungee talked a few months after his son died about how difficult the experience had been.
He said that because his son died, his eyes had been given to another person who how could see. A man came up to him after a speech and said that he was going to re-establish a relationship with his son, to whom he hadn’t spoken in several years. A lady wrote him a letter and said that because of his testimony she had accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour.
Then Tony said that if God had come to him and asked me if he would allow his son to die so a person’s sight could be restored, so a relationship could be mended, so a lost soul could be saved, I think I would have said, “No, I don’t think I would. But that’s what God did. He sacrificed His sinless son for me.”
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Would I be as obedient as Abraham? I hope I would, but I doubt it. Whenever I get a bit too comfortable with the strength of my faith, I need to recall this prayer:
” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9: 23-24
You should have told your daughter she should just be glad she didn’t live in those days because yahweh the monster tribal god always commanded the ignorant nasty hebrews to kill, enslave and steal from all non-hebrews. They were also instructed to kill all females that had lain with man but keep the women and LITTLE GIRL virgins for themselves. Yahweh was a perverted pedophile. She should also read how these sick…[edited] decided who was a virgin…[edited]. Only the best for yahweh’s little chosen…[edited]. What a god.
Back in those days it was the father and mothers duty to prove their darling hebrew girl was a virgin if it came into question so the bible says that the daddy dearest…[edited]. There also is no prohibition against a father raping his own daughter. What a surprise.
The OT is one of the most savage and ignorant works ever penned by man and it by far one of the most pornographic books to be found. Any parent who teaches that sick… [edited] to a child is not fit to be a parent. Yahweh was nothing by a concocted tribal god just like all the other nations had. He was also one of the most insignificant petty gods of the entire pantheon. There is no better way to scare and control ignorant people than by creating a god who laws down the law through the lips of lying preists and clergy. Nothing seems to have changed.
Abraham was the original dead beat dad and pimp. Any man who would ask his own wife to lie to save his sorry… [edited] should have been killed. He allowed his wife to prostitute herself in order for Abraham to gain more wealth by extortion. They were cheap lying gypsies who trudged through the lands cheating, lying and stealing. BTW, the sickness that came upon Egypt for the poor Pharaoh who was a victim of the con was sexually transmitted. Not only were the Abraham cons liars and cheats but they passed on STD’s all over the place. Moses was just a sick…[edited] and it would take a book to describe what a maniac he was. You people are too stupid to breath good air and my heart breaks for your children.
Jake,
A couple questions for you:
(1) First, you wrote, “yahweh the monster tribal god always commanded the ignorant nasty hebrews to kill, enslave and steal from all non-hebrews.†Can you please tell me where in the Old Testament that God commanded the Jewish people to “kill, enslave and steal from all non-Hebrews� However, this is simply false. Let me past a couple paragraph from a post I wrote a while back on this very issue:
GETTING OUR FACTS STRAIGHT:
One of the big misconceptions about God’s actions of judging in the OT is that they were acts of genocide. Yet, in reality, they were acts of sin-ocide. God’s aim was not the destruction of the wicked, but of wickedness (Ezek 18:23). I say this for two reasons:
1. God used the nation of Israel as a means to carry out His own judgment of those nations which had become so perverted they were beyond cure. These were nations which had perverted the law of nature, engaging in rampant incest, homosexual practices, oppression of the poor, slave trading, even child sacrifice (Lev 18; Amos 1). There’s a fascinating statement by God in Genesis to Abram (Abraham) while he was in Canaan. When predicting the future Egyptian enslavement of Abram’s offspring (the Israelites), God disclosed that that after 400 years the people would come back to Canaan and possess the land (and assumedly push out the current inhabitants—the Amorites). However, God’s reasoning for the long wait is because “the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure†(Gen 15:16). So, we get a glimpse of some level of evil, which, before it is reached, God patiently waits for repentance, but after it is reached, God judges. God’s mercy and patience allowed the people of Canaan 400 years to repent. But they chose that avenue.
2. It is also important to notice that God’s judgment never favored one people group over another. While God often used Israelite warfare in the Old Testament as an act of judgment, it was a double-edged sword. The same God that used the Israelites to kill the Canaanites was happy to use other pagan nations (who were much worst) like the Assyrians, to fight against and destroy the Israelites. This clearly indicates that God is not hateful against a certain people group, but is serious about right living. Leviticus 18 recounts a warning to the Israelites before they entered the land of Canaan. God fiercely warned them not to engage in the perversions that the Egyptians and Canaanites did. After all, these sorts of practices were the reason for their rejection from the land. God swore an oath that Israel would also be driven out if they ever engaged the same sort of “defiling†behavior. And as the ancient Jewish prophets tell us, the Israelites were driven out of their land and judged severely.
The Jews were never “above the law.†Instead, they were actually held to a higher standard than were other peoples. If you read through the very short book of Amos you’ll see an interesting accounting of the sins of the pagan nations vs. the sins of Israel. God, acting as the prosecutor, lists the following crimes:
◠The Pagan nations’ guilt consisted of human rights violations such as slave trading, grave violence (e.g., “ripping open pregnant women†1:13), greed, breaking their word, etc, (Amos 1:1-2:3).
◠The Jewish nation’s guilt consisted of the above sins and idolatry (Amos 2:4). What’s interesting to me is that the pagan nations weren’t even judged for failing to worship Yahweh, but for violations of clear and weighty moral rules of the natural law which is written on the human heart. The Jews were judged for both knowledge of the natural law written on the heart, and God’s revealed Law written on stone.
Jake,
(2) Second, you refer to Abraham’s selfish/evil actions of allowing his wife to be taken by another man in order to save his own life. However, you’re only voicing the exact same criticism of Abraham that God has toward him as recorded in the Bible. So, you agree with the God of the Bible on this point. I agree with both you and God on this one–what a creep Abraham was! But do you know what the cool part is? I am a creep sometimes too. And if God is willing to love Abraham nonetheless, maybe he can love me to.
Y’all really reaching.
Jehovah at that time was just another local or family deity, one of thousands. You can try to make sense of this story by importing modern sensibilities and justifications, if it makes you feel better and/or if it makes you a better person.
But recognize what you’re doing.
The sacrifice in the scriptures quite clearly is murder.
All killing in the name if “god” or “allah” or whoever is also murder.
The crusades were murder and so is jihad. Just as the subordination of women in islamic countries is a crime. Just as how wrong is the way catholics etc controlled the poor so out of their “fear” of god they put up with being poor and constantly handing money over to the church.
Noone has the right to take someone else’s life simply because they believe in some superior being. If you believe in a superior being then keep it to yourself and leave other people alone unless they want to sing or pray with you but don’t go lecturing others and whatever you do don’t go MURDERING in the name of your superior being that you have decided to believe in.