Why did God really command Abraham to sacrifice his son?

Why did God really command Abraham to sacrifice his son?

Genesis 22-2 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.

This verse and the subsequent story that follows is often used by both attackers and defenders of God to prove a point. Attackers use the story of Abraham, his son Isaac and the averted sacrifice as proof that God is not good. How can a God who is all good demand such an act even if he had no intention to actually make Abraham carry out this deed. Child sacrifice is obviously an evil, immoral and certainly not loving or good thing. Abraham should have instantly told God in no uncertain terms where to go. If a person today claimed that God had ordered them to kill their child we would consider that person crazy and they would more than likely be admitted to some form of mental analysis and treatment.

Most defenders of this use this simply to show that God was trying to test, to see if Abraham had sufficient faith. They will state that God had no intention of allowing Abraham to actually fulfill the sacrifice and it was just a test to see if Abraham would do as commanded and because he did he was blessed.

It has to be said that if God simply used child sacrifice as a way of testing the faith of Abraham that the obvious evilness of child sacrifice has to be ignored in order for God to just be testing Abraham’s faith. There surely must be other and less immoral ways of demonstrating someone’s faith.

God even stated that child sacrifice had not come into his mind

Jeremiah 19-5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire forburnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

If child sacrifice had not come to God’s mind how could he command a child sacrifice.

Not coming to his mind doesn’t mean that God could not think of it, it simply means that it wasn’t something that he himself had conceived. I’m sure most people can bring child sacrifice to their mind, this doesn’t mean that they made it up or that they would go out and do it.
Child sacrifice was not by the command of God.

So if child sacrifice wasn’t the command of God but God was commanding a child sacrifice is there another way to understand the reason for God’s command of such an act. This passage is totally misrepresented and misunderstood by both sides. What we will actually see is God was using the event to actually STOP child sacrifice rather than commanding it. It was not a test of Abraham’s faith to see if he would commit the act of child sacrifice but his faith that God would honour his promise.

First things first it must be noted that unlike what some people assert Isaac was almost certainly not a young child when this sacrifice was to take place. Attackers of God will often point to the word lad in genesis 22-5 as support that Isaac was very young. 
Genesis 22-5 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. KJV

This is translated as boy in the NIV
Genesis 22- 5He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

The ISV translates it as youth

Genesis 22-5 Abraham ordered his two servants, “Both of you are to stay here with the donkey. Now as for the youth and me, we’ll go up there, we’ll worship, and then we’ll return to you.”

The Hebrew word translated is וְהַנַּ֔עַר wə-han-na-‘ar, It does not mean young child.

However we see that Ismael is called this when he was at least 15 years old.

Abraham was 86 years old when he fathered Ishmael

Genesis 16-16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

Abraham used the word to refer to Ishmael after Isaac was born when Sarah was jealous of him and Hagar

Genesis 21- 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

This was after Isaac was weaned

Genesis 21- 8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

Ishmael was 14-15 when Isaac was born as Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born. This is even before the weaning of Isaac.

Ishmael though a “lad” would certainly have been of an age to resist his aged father from forcibly detaining and binding him.

We see that Isaac was at least of an age to understand and question on the ritual of sacrificing an animal

Genesis 22- 7 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?

Isaac was of sufficient size and strength to able to carry the wood for the sacrifice up a mountain.

Genesis 22- 6 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.

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born hardly a man in the prime of his life.

Genesis 21-5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

It is very unlikely that Abraham would have been able to restrain his son and bind him to the altar without Isaacs permission and cooperation. Even if he had still been a young boy.

It must also be noted the lack of mention of any protestation on the behalf of Isaac if his father suddenly without permission tied Isaac to the altar with the intention of killing him. Isaac was aware they were going to sacrifice, he had already asked where the ram was and now he was being tied to the altar….im sure the pending outcome would have been blatantly obvious to anyone.

One of the most poignant points to highlight is that of Abraham’s lack of protestation. At no point does he question God. There is not one mention of Abraham having any doubts, reservations or in fact any discussion at all with God regarding this very brutal, savage and immoral act that God had bequeathed of him. It all seems rather by the by. As if God had asked him to simply said go say a prayer. This was his son that God had just commanded that he kill.

This is where christians will say that Abraham had faith in God. And it was because of this faith that God blessed him.

Galatians 3-6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Romans 4-3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

However this is not the event that is being referred to in these verses. Abraham’s faith was already counted as righteousness long before the command to sacrifice Isaac. It was due to his faith that God would give him a physical heir all the way back in genesis 15

Genesis 15- 2And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

However attackers will say that the act itself is still immoral and Abraham should have protested in fact should have simply point blank refused to do it. And they are CORRECT. It’s actually the point of the story. It’s what God would have had him do.

Abraham was not a quiet man, he was outspoken, he challenged God and he questioned him on how and why something would be done.

As we saw in Genesis 15 he had questioned God regarding his lack of heir.

Genesis 15- 1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 
Again in genesis 15-8 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

He laughed at God when God had told him that Sarah would be the one through who that heir would come.

Genesis 17- 17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Abraham then tried to steer God’s blessing to Ishmael who was already born at the time as he believed that he and Sarah were too old to have a child. God Told him that it would be through Isaac that his blessing would be made.

Genesis 17- 18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Abraham even questioned the morality of God when God was going to pour judgement upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 18- 23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. 30And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. 32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. 33And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

But Abraham remained silent on the sacrifice of Isaac. This is because of the culture of the time. The ANE was full of “gods” who required sacrifice to them. Both animal and human, specifically child sacrifice. God asking Abraham to sacrifice Isaac wouldn’t have been an out of place request like say the destruction of a city. It would almost be expected. There most certainly was a difference in the understanding of Abraham between kill and sacrifice.

But God wanted Abraham to question him, he wanted not to see if Abraham would do wrong but to see if he would do right. He wasn’t asking Abraham to do evil but to do good. God made 2 very important comments when he commanded Abraham. He said sacrifice your “ONLY son” and “whom thou lovest”…

Genesis 22-2 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.

God making it very clear what he was asking him to do, that he was asking him to sacrifice the ONLY son ( the only son in terms of the promise) and a son that Abraham loved. God was seeking a response. He was almost …Abraham. How can you simply go along with this. How will Isaac receive the promise if he is dead? How can you sacrifice a son that you love?

Abraham had faith that God would deliver on the promise that he had given Abraham. And it was this that God was testing him on would Abraham have faith in the promise. Even to the point he would have sacrificed his own son. Abraham believed that God would bring Isaac back to life. Raise him from the dead after the sacrifice.

Hebrews 11-19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

After all God had promised that Isaac would be his heir.

We get shown this in Genesis through Abraham’s words when he tells his young men that he and the lad would go to worship and return again. He already assumed that both would be returning.

Genesis 22- 5 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.6 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

Even with the assumption that God would raise Isaac from the dead Abraham still carried out the command of God without question. Abraham was willing to carry out the request of God simply because God had told him to do so. This faith and the fact that Abraham was all too aware of the ritual of child sacrifice meant Abraham blindly followed God.

As I have already stated God never wanted the actual sacrifice. God stopped the sacrifice before it was completed.

Genesis 22- 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 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.

God states many times that his people were not to do as the heathen did and offer child sacrifice to him, child sacrifice was what the wicked did and they did it to gods and devils.

Leviticus 18-21 And you shall not let any of your children pass through the fire to Molech, neither shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 20-1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth anyof his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

Deuteronomy 12- 29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land; 30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. 31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

Deuteronomy 18 – 9When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

Psalm 106-37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,

Deuteronomy 32- 17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

Child sacrifice is an abomination to God.

God used this physical demonstration as a lesson to pronounce that HE the true God unlike the false gods did not require this child sacrifice.

God was pleased that Abraham believed him regarding the promise of Isaac. That he trusted God BUT he would rather Abraham having faith would have said no you cannot give him the promise if he is dead.. But Abraham continued with the sacrifice and so God had to continue his lesson. God had to lead Abraham through the lesson like a little child. God had to show Abraham his understanding of God was wrong.

This “show” was for the benefit of Abraham and his seed. Your God does not require you to sacrifice your children to him. God did not need the child sacrifice but Abraham needed to be shown that his God did not require it.

When we understand that God uses people’s own understandings to educate and teach, this passage far from commanding or condoning child sacrifice demonstrates God using it to educate and teach that it is not something that he requires and is actually putting an end to it.