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It was confusing to Abraham, too. God made a covenant with Abraham that his descendants would outnumber the grains of sand and the stars in the sky. By being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, this would put an end to that covenant and God doesn't do that.
But, God never intended for Abraham to sacrifice his son. It was an examination, a test, of Abraham's heart to see if he loved God more than the son he longed for for many, many decades. An idol is anything in our life that comes before God's place in our lives. To many people TV has become an idol because they spend hours in front of it and very little, if any, time with God.
So, God tested Abraham. When Abraham was about to go through with it, God stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice instead.
The wonderful thing about this is that it foreshadows what would happen later in the New Testament. Where Abraham left off, God continued, by sacrificing His own Son, Jesus (the lamb of God), for the sins of the world. But this time, the sacrifice was completed.
I hope this helps with your understanding.
So god is ok with human sacrifice, just not with "burning" human sacrifices?
It was confusing to Abraham, too. God made a covenant with Abraham that his descendants would outnumber the grains of sand and the stars in the sky. By being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, this would put an end to that covenant and God doesn't do that.
But, God never intended for Abraham to sacrifice his son. It was an examination, a test, of Abraham's heart to see if he loved God more than the son he longed for for many, many decades. An idol is anything in our life that comes before God's place in our lives. To many people TV has become an idol because they spend hours in front of it and very little, if any, time with God.
So, God tested Abraham. When Abraham was about to go through with it, God stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice instead.
The wonderful thing about this is that it foreshadows what would happen later in the New Testament. Where Abraham left off, God continued, by sacrificing His own Son, Jesus (the lamb of God), for the sins of the world. But this time, the sacrifice was completed.
I hope this helps with your understanding.
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Originally Posted by laysayfair
So god is ok with human sacrifice, just not with "burning" human sacrifices?
Please read the above post by Simple Living. God wanted Abraham to sacrifice his heart. And Abraham said when they left WE WILL BACK, he knew God would provide, that's what he told Isaac and God did provide and He still provides today.
In my opinion, there were far more other "tests" God could have used. Look at Job. Allow Issac to be killed, his fortune to evaporate and/or Sarai to run off with Abimilech or something. Why "tempt" Abraham with something you loathe and then we are told he tempts no one. What if Abe never heard voices to stop?
Those tests would not have accomplished what God intended. His intention was 1) to test Abraham's faithfulness to God; that Abraham knew that God would keep the covenant He made with Abraham but trusted God's ways even if He didn't understand them. (A lesson many of us need to learn today.) That couldn't be accomplished by walking naked to Siberia or allowing Isaac to be killed, say, in a battle. The whole premise of the covenant was that if Isaac died, the covenant would be broken. And God doesn't/can't break covenants.
And 2) the test to see if Abraham loved God more than he loved Isaac.
The one factor that you aren't considering here, and I wouldn't expect you to, is that God is sovereign. He can do whatever He chooses. BUT, we know that what He DOES choose to do is 1) always for our benefit, even if we can't see it at the time or understand. As scripture says, who can understand the ways of God? If God could be understood fully, He wouldn't be God. And 2) the ways God chooses to act in are ALWAYS significant and meaningful. They aren't just random, willy-nilly reasons. They have incredible meaning and power behind them.
Not being a believer, that is, no doubt, something that you won't be able to wrap your head around. (I don't say that to be mean, I'm just stating it as Biblical fact.) You aren't supposed to, though. The Bible was written for believers and those who are truly seeking Him with their whole hearts.
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Simple living, I hear your point, but c'mon, doesn't it sound a little too far fetched? If you or I saw our neighbor doing tat with his only son, born to him after year of being told he and his wife could not have a child and that he is doing it because he heard God's voice, would you think he was sane? Now, if you are sitting with your children and trying to teach them a lesson on loyalty an faithfulness and you whipped up a story to prove it and started with "Once upon a time," then that might be be more plausible because in the end they should know that it is all a story of fantasy designed to teach a lesson.
First, nobody saw Abraham do it because it was a three day journey to the mountain where they needed to go to perform the sacrifice. Those three days were part of the test. At any point, Abraham had the chance to do what most people today would have done. Say, "Screw that! That's whack! I'm outta here." But, most people today would have blown the test, too.
Also, what you aren't realizing is that people back then believed in God and lived by His laws and commands. Not like today where humanism is the demanded way of life and God has been made all but illegal. (And then the country wonders where He was during tragedies like Columbine and 9/11.)
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On another note, I wonder who heard all of this to record it?
Moses followed God's instructions and "wrote all the words of the Lord" Exodus 24:4. The New Testament concurs by citing Exodus 3:6 as part of "the book of Moses" (Mark 12:26), by assigning Exodus 13:2 to "the law of Moses," which is also referred to as "the law of the Lord" (Luke 2:22-23), by ascribing Exodus 20:12 and 21:17 to Moses (Mark 7:10), by attributing the law to Moses (John 7:19 and Romans 10:5), and by Jesus' specifically declaring that Moses had written of Him (John5:46-47).
The short answer. Moses did. God told Him what to write. That's why it's the inspired Word of God. The answer I gave above, traces how that could be the case right up to the very words of Jesus Himself. (Biblical facts.)
Question, if what you thought was god ordered you to sacrifice your children would you do it?
No, because my God commands me to care for my children. So if I 'thought' my God ordered me to sacrifice my child, I would immediately know that that command did not come from my God and I was being deceived.
Question, if what you thought was god ordered you to sacrifice your children would you do it?
Don't know who this was addressed to but my answer is this:
God doesnt speak to us anymore. We now have the bible to instruct us. So if some spirit force was actually talking to me, I would know it wouldnt be God. Also, Jesus was the sacrifice that took the place of all other necessary sacrifices. In Abraham's case, it wasnt that God spoke to him suddenly and instructed him to sacrifice Isaac. They already had a personal relationship in which they communicated freely to one another.
No, because my God commands me to care for my children. So if I 'thought' my God ordered me to sacrifice my child, I would immediately know that that command did not come from my God and I was being deceived.
Right! God is not going to ask anyone to do that today, what happened with Abraham in the OT days.
Thank you Simple Living, but on a side note, the book of Genesis provides internal evidence that the book was either written and/or edited much later then the events it states. An extrapolation would imply that could mean some later scribe wrote it, compiled it or edited it to suit a contemporary agenda. In either case, a writer or writers could have gotten pretty creative with the pen.
The book mentions the monarchy of Israel which did not come into existence until 400 years AFTER Moses. Moses knew about the "kings of Israel?"
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