Blog Post #5: Abraham
In the story, God speaks to Abraham and asks him to fulfill his request to test his faith
“Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Abraham did not react when he heard this and did what God told him to do. This is not only alarming, it is frighting to see a father who is willing to sacrifice their child to complete a task. A question I ask myself after reading this is this: was Abraham ethical for accepting this task? The answer to me is no because Abraham is willing to give up his child without thinking of the consequences. Because of this Abraham and Issac's bond is broken and Issac would lose faith in God. It could be that God is testing him to prove his obedience and faith in him which could explain why the angel stopped Abraham before he kills his son Issac. It could have been a tragedy if God's angel have not stepped in to stop Abraham. His character is what caught my interest because of how he is willing to be faithful towards God.
This story taught me about how we should be obedient to God no matter what. However, if he requested to sacrifice the child, I would refuse because not only is it wrong, it counts as murder. There would be consequences for using a child as a sacrifice which is unforgivable. Abraham accepted the request since he did not want to disobey God. If he did, it could mean he does not trust him. In the end, he did what God asked him to do and sacrificed an animal as a burnt offering instead of his son, to prove that he is faithful to him.
Sources:
https://www.swarthmore.edu/writing/impossible-ethics-a-response-to-sacrifice-isaac
https://lifebearingwilderness.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/genesis-22-the-significance-of-offering-the-firstborn/
Even though it is troubling to think about why God would ask Abraham to do this task it is important to look at the details. Before this whole event God promises Abraham a kingdom through his heir Isaac. For me I think of this as foreshadowing what God is going to ask of him next. It would be difficult for any person to have God ask you to sacrifice your child. I believe Abraham was going to obey God but also because he trusted him and remembered his first promise of the kingdom. It is also important to think about how Isaac was born. Abraham's wife was very old, so God blessed them with a baby. Why would he do this and then initially want the baby to eventually be murdered? Everything happens for a reason and even though what might not seem like a righteous plan God has it under control. We will never know why God asked Abraham to do this cruel task because we are finite, but all we need to know is that God is all good.
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