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The life and times of Abraham
Abraham's life as a case study
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God puts trials upon everyone, and in Genesis twenty-two he sets Abraham out on his own journey, to sacrifice his own son, Isaac. After all the struggle Abraham and Sarah had to conceive the child, God decides that the boy should be sacrificed to him. And without an even a moment of procrastination or a murmur of woe (Gen 22:3) the man sets off to do God’s bidding. What sort of God would ask a loyal man such as Abraham to do this appalling deed? I believe firmly, that God did not do this so that Abraham would be deprived of the wonders of his offspring, or to have a human burnt offering for his own good, but to gain our trust and show how trustworthy he is. And also to show that if we just listen to what he has to say that we too, will have everything “provided” for us when urgent times come.
He trusted in Adam and Eve, whose adversity started when they turned their ears away from Him and ate the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:6). Or in the story of Cain and Abel, Cain chooses not to listen to God and committed homicide against his brother Abel (Gen 4:8) and is then sent out to Nod. Yet again, another misfortune happened when Lot’s wife ignored the commands of the Lord and looked back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, only to be turned into a pillar of salt (Gen 19:26). All these stories show how much God trusts in humanity but we either do not listen to his wishes or trust in Him, and because of this disobedience there are severe penalties. And this trend only continues throughout the bible.
Abraham, on the other hand, conceded to his rules and does as he is told without even the slightest hesitation. He made his slow venture up the mountain, to the exact place God had shown him, and, builds the altar then ties his son up and getting him ready for the sacrificing (Gen 22:9). But at this point the Lord stopped him. Without shame, for he did as he was told, he announced “Here I am” (Gen 22 :11). This is unlike Adam whom has to hide himself for going against the Lords will earlier in chapter three of Genesis. And unlike in chapter three, instead of getting reprimanded and punished, Abraham is blessed by the Lord (Gen 22 :16-19), for he did what he was told even though it was a great loss in his family.
Genesis 22 opens with God calling out to Abraham. Abraham responds, “Here I am!” (Gen 22:1). According to Levenson’s analysis, Abraham is not simply telling God his location but he is conveying “readiness, attentiveness, and responsiveness” (Levenson 67). Similarly, in the Gospel of John, when Jesus responds, “I AM” to the men looking for him, he conveys readiness, attentiveness, and responsiveness (John 18:5). But in addition, Jesus’ reply also expresses his divinity. These words are seen before in God’s call and commission of Moses in Exodus. “I am who I am… This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you” (Ex 3:14). This is only the beginning of the many parallels these narratives seem to share. Fundamentally, however, Jesus’s passion clearly supersedes the near sacrifice of Isaac.
The worst thing any parent can imagine is losing their child; however, this is the reality that both Hagar and Abraham face in Genesis, as their respective sons come close to death but never reach it. After being banished by Abraham from his camp because of Sarah’s anger, Hagar and Ishmael are forced to wander around the unforgiving desert until they find provisions or run out of water. After the latter happens, Hagar “flung the child under one of the bushes” in order to not have to see him die of dehydration (104). Hagar is not the direct reason for Ishmael’s suffering, while Abraham, on the other hand, is the instigator of his son’s fear and suffering. Called by God to “offer him up as a burnt offering” Abraham comes extremely close to slaughtering
Standard readings of the Akedah (Genesis 22.1-19) promote Abraham as a paradigm of faith because of his limitless and unwavering commitment to God. God speaks to Abraham, demands a painful violence that threatens to shatter his soteriological promises to Abraham, and Abraham marches forward fully complaint with the injunction. These actions certify Abraham as faith-hero par excellence; Abraham obeys regardless of obstacle or cost. This traditional interpretation is so readily accepted that even Kant fails to question its validity. Consequently, he chastises Abraham for his complete lack of moral when tasked with sacrificing Isaac. Even more awkwardly, while Maimonides argued that this pericope established the “extent and limit of the fear of God,” his assessment often gets mistranslated as an affirmation of limitless (and reckless) fear of God. This interpretation of the Akedah often puts exegetes in the difficult position of having to reconcile the unflinching resolve of Abraham with the potent agony of the story itself. However, rather than acting with limitless and unwavering commitment to the paradox God places before him, Abraham safeguards faith not through rejection of critical reasoning but rather a rejection of faith itself; only because Abraham believes and trusts in God can he so boldly reject the words of God.
After going through the pain of childbirth, naming their babies, seeing their children grow up, and dreaming of their futures, filicide is usually far from the minds of most parents. The emotional ties that parents share with their children are hard to sever, yet in Genesis the culture was accepting of child sacrifices. The fear of the gods was stronger in ancient times, when science was lacking appropriate explanations, and so gods were believed to cause natural events. If the God from Genesis, who was much more powerful than any man and exponentially more vengeful, told parents to sacrifice their child, for the sake of their family (and the rest of the population for that matter), then the pious parents would sacrifice that child—even if the intent was not to kill, but to test worshipers. Modern culture frowns upon the act of filicide, and parallels Greek society’s view that child sacrifice was not an option. Yet, even in that society, Medea commits filicide with hardly any involvement of a Greek god or a seer. Medea willfully chooses to execute her offspring with prideful malice in response to her unfaithful husband in a disapproving society, while Abraham in Genesis piously follows his God and the social norms of his time by offering up his beloved child—and is saved from his loss because of his great faith. The audience of Medea would be repulsed with her selfish motives while Abraham (whose wife was barren for many years) would be praised for his immovable trust in God’s promises.
God had promise Abraham that his children will endlessly be bless by God as long as he listen to God. God is a person who has always faithful to his promises. In Genesis 17: 4-6) God said to Abraham “ You are to become the father of nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I am making you the father of multitude of nations. I will make you exceeding fertile; I will make nations of you; King will stem for you”. While I was reading Genesis, it’s amusing to see how many places Abraham have to move throughout his life because of his belief in God. I can relate Abraham story to mine. Growing up in the Southeast Asia, especially a country that denominated by Buddhism, make it hard for Christian to still believe
In the book of Genesis, Abraham follows God to whatever he needs to be fulfilled. Even sacrificing his own offspring because God has told him to do so. This shows he would do anything and everything God wanted him to do without hesitation. “God, however, has greater abilities and knowledge than we do, including control over life and death” ( "Why Did God Tell Abraham to Sacrifice Isaac?" N.p., n.d. Web. , n.d.). Most people would think that Abraham sacrificing his own son is wrong and should be punished by God. God told him to do so, god has the power to kill and bring back by his choosing. That what God commanded him to do was not wrong because god has the power to take life. So in turn he had the right to kill Isaac if he pleased. That when god
God put his trust in his people because he created man in his image; he sacrificed his life so his people did not have to suffer. God sought nothing in return, and he promised to protect his people from evil, but cannot force them to follow him. God knew there would be evil in the world and people would be tempted, but God continued to give people his trust because he created them and guides them whether they believe in the teachings of Christ or not. Ultimately, God is in control of everything. Therefore, God’s trust in people is backed by his knowledge that he will be there to catch them when they fall. God placed trust in his people to choose the righteous path because he knew even when the people chose unwisely; Christ himself would be there to pick up the pieces and guide them the righteous
Having never even stepped on church grounds, besides for a wedding, this is the first time I have heard of the story of Abraham and Isaac, let alone having read it. After reading the passage I must confess that I was quite surprised and confused. My initial reaction was that of many questions. Why does Abraham obey God? What kind of sick test is this? Why should anyone be this scared of God that they would be driven to kill their only son? What would the consequence have been had Abraham said no? With these questions bearing on my mind I moved on to Adams’ “Abraham’s Dilemma.” Adams’ chapter on this situation provided insight on some of my questions while also enlightening me with some very interesting arguments.
...nt is an ethical paradox because in other places in Scripture, child sacrifice is forbidden (Lev. 18:21, 20:1-5, Deut. 12:31, 18:10). The reason Abraham is commended for his faith in this normally wicked action is it reveals a transformation of his priorities. God's test accomplished His purpose and Abraham proved his loyalty to God before all others, even the his only promised son. Hebrews 11:17-19 gives insight that Abraham's faith had grown to such that he trusted God to bring Isaac back from the dead. Lessons I learn from Abraham's ethical examples include not allowing fear or accepted cultural practices to dictate my moral integrity and the importance of having faith in God before all else, especially when He requires me to do difficult things. Abraham also shows me how I must be willing to embrace whatever tests God will use in my spiritual transformation.
This remarkable act of trust was based on the promise—that God would make through him and his descendants a great nation (12:2-3). But in Genesis 22:2, God commanded Abraham once again to “go.” Indeed, he is to go to the land of Moriah. This time Isaac, the covenant son of the promise, is involved. “Abraham couldn’t have missed the connection being made bells are going off in Abraham’s mind God is clearly reminding him of his promise of blessing in Genesis 12 even while he’s being commanded to do what seems to be utterly opposed to that promise.”
... In conclusion, Abraham is shown to be justified; he is not a murderer. In Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard wrote that "the future will show I was right (Kierkegaard, 91). " Well, Abraham was proven right by the result. He does not kill Isaac.
As Abraham is set to sacrifice his son Isaac he is called by the Angel of the Lord from the heaven and says to Abraham, “‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God,”’(Gen. 22.11-22.12). It can be assumed that the identity of the Angel of the Lord is the voice of Abraham’s own conscientiousness this creating a moment of insight during a time of need. After the offering the Lord speaks to Abraham in language and voice which mirror those words of Sarah.
To begin with, God’s faithfulness is displayed in the Pentateuch. One example is found in the opening chapters of Genesis. Even though Adam and Eve disobeyed his command, God does not let sin prevent him from being faithful. Instead, God enters the garden and asks the couple, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) This example displays the theme that God remains involved in the lives of his followers even when they disobey him. Another example of God’s faithfulness is found in his interactions with Abraham. When God and Abraham establish a covenant that promises the man land, descendants, and blessings for all people, God completes the ratification ceremony for both parties. This act signifies that God is entirely responsible for upholding the covenant. From this passage, the faithfulness of God is highlighted. God makes a deal that only he can uphold; therefore, his faithfulness to Abraham and his descendents is crucial. In addition to Genesis, God’s faithfulness is displayed in the events of the Exodus and subsequent wanderings of Israel. God rescues Israel from slavery in Egypt, just as he promised Abraham, then establishes a covenant with the people at Sinai. This agreement, known as the Mosaic covenant, was conditional in nature because it required the faithfulness of Israel to God. While this stipulation seems to detract from God’s f...
Both the Bible and the Iliad tell us that the divine expects human beings to make sacrifices in their name. Whether it is a young lamb for the Hebrew God, or expensive wine for Zeus, both are sacrifices and a demonstration of the divine’s power. However, the reason behind each sacrifice is very different. In the Bible, the Lord expects his followers to make sacrifices to Him out of respect. It is their way to prove their love and devotion to Him. Perhaps the greatest example of this is when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac. God came to Abraham and said: "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about" (Genesis 22:2). By asking Abraham to do this, the Lord is testing whether or not Abraham fully trusts Him and is ready to put Him before all others--even his only son. Juxtaposing this intensely personal request from God in the Bible with the pettiness surrounding sacrifices in the Iliad highlights the stark contrast between the two. Throughout the poem men from both sides make numerous sacrifices to various gods in hopes of bribing them. They want to win themselves an ally by making a pleasing sacrifice; the basis of the sacrifice is not at all showing
According to Terence Fretheim, God’s command was primarily a test for Abraham, but it can also be viewed as a test for God. The test is not aimed to assess Abraham’s bond with Isaac or force him to endure questionable behaviors; rather, God tests to gauge the loyalty of his followers. He clearly notes that “God places the promise in the hands of those who are faithful”, so Abraham’s response revealed his “unhesitating trust in the deity”, or his full commitment to God . In other words, God will only command in Abraham’s favor if Abraham shows his utmost trust in God. Furthermore, John Gibson summarizes that God’s intention behind testing Abraham is to reaffirm one’s “willingness to forget self completely, to surrender ourselves and ours and all we possess to him”. As Fretheim further states, this theme of testing an individual’s faithfulness is alluded in other passages, such as God’s earlier command for Abraham to go to the land where he tells him in Chapter 12 of