Abraham's Test
OK, so here's my take on (one possible reason) why God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and what we can take from it.
God didn't need the test. He is omniscient, he knows everything. He knew Abraham would do it. He wasn't testing Abraham to see if he would.
Abraham needed the test.
Specifically, he needed to know that he was willing to follow God anywhere, and do anything God requested.
Remember, Abraham had a habit of lying to save his skin, trying to short-cut around God to get a child, and generally taking the easy way out of most jams. By this time, he had probably changed, but how did he know he wouldn't bail again when things got tough? God gave Abraham a chance to prove it - to himself.
Abraham walked away from the mountain with a certitude set in stone that he would never run ashamed from God again. He would never lie to anyone to try and save his skin. He had really changed. This was the final proof.
Sometimes I wonder if God doesn't do this to us all - force us to face up to an issue, not because He needs us to, but because we need us to - to show us what we're made of, and what we're capable of. To show us that the change we think we see within us is, in fact, also manifest on the outside.
What do I need to know about myself? At this point, that's between me and God. I know that I am very good at running from conflict, and avoiding issues. I also know that when I do confront things I have been avoiding, things in my life open up.
I need to know what I'm made of.
I don't want to hurt enough to find out.
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1 comments:
Hi Steve,
This is one of the most inciteful entries that I've seen in your archive of postings.
I believe there is something more out there, beyond the grasp of the tangible. That I am certainly convinced of!
Now as for GOD - the bible, and how it has been represented in the King James version. I have a hard time with it. Human beings living 900 years? Men being formed from clay? A loving god flooding away sinners?
I'd like to call my self christian and desperately want to believe in GOD and the biblical version, but I'm not convinced yet.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of the moral backbone and many of the stories included in the bible that help to shape us to be better people.
However, it seems that there might be a different truth than the word of the bible.
Reading your entry gives light, and makes it easier to swallow this passage.
I must be honest with you to say that I was pretty shocked GOD would ask Abraham to offer up his son for a sacrifice. Doesn't that conflict with the "thou shalt not kill" commandment. Or was that commandment given after that test? I'll have to crack open my bible to check that one out.
I don't mean to tarnish your blog with my rants, my intent was to inform you that you've definitely made a dent and a particularly positive impact on my perception of this particular passage, score one for christianity.
The bible is "the word of god". godly inspired passages written by men. How much of it is to be taken as metaphor and stories, how much of it is to be taken literally?
Probably I can spend a lifetime trying to answer this question rather than fully make that leap of blind faith without question. Would that make me a Defiant Lamb?
That's my comment! Thanks for keeping this blog active. I would pay special attention to your diet and environment to improve the frequency and intensity of your migranes.
Pollutents, (milk) allergies, balanced diet.. etc
Cheers
-Mark
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