Previous Questions and Answers
Subject: Was Abraham a lunatic, or a man of faith?
The story of Abraham and
Isaac is one that I have often discussed with my Pastor, as well as the elders
in the church. Suppose that same story happened tomorrow. A man takes his son
to the top of a mountain, ties him up, and pulls out a knife. Luckily the
police are able to stop him before he can harm his son. The man claims God told
him to do it as a test of his faith. Do you think the man should be locked up,
or admired for his faith?
.
Genesis 22:1-18 says, “And
it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto
him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son,
thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah;
and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will
tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass,
and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood
for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had
told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place
afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and
I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham
took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took
the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And
Isaac spake unto Abraham his father,
and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said,
Behold the fire and the wood: but where is
the lamb for a burnt offering? And
Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to
the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid
the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the
wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his
son. And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said,
Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said,
Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do
thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham
lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket
by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt
offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place
Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be
seen. And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second
time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast
done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in
blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the
stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed
shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
This was a once-in-history incident, meant to be a picture to all of us, showing the tremendous love of God the Father for us, to be willing to allow His Son to be sacrificed for our sins. In regard to this incident, Jesus said in John 8:56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” When Abraham was asked about the sacrifice in Genesis 22:7-8, this is what was said: “And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” Abraham saw the picture of what God was going to do on our behalf, to allow His Son to be sacrificed for our sins, and then to rise again from the dead. Hebrews 11:17-19 says, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." Abraham thought that he was actually going to have to sacrifice his son, and then God would raise him from the dead, to fulfill His promise that in Isaac would his seed be called. John 3:16-19 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Romans 5:6-9 says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Is God a "lunatic" for offering up His Son as a sacrifice for your sins? No, God is "love." Will you receive Him today? John 1:12 says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
God is not going to ask anyone to kill his/her children today, nor did He allow Abraham to do so, so that is a hypothetical question that is never going to have a need to be answered.
