God told Abraham to kill his son, then changed his mind?

Question

Is God wishy washy? Or just cruel and unusual?

Answer 1

No. Abraham just made the whole God delusion for personal gain. If you read the story in the Bible, you find out the dic k married his half-sister, married her off to a Pharaoh, then to a king, lied to both, knocked up his wife's 'hand-maid' (at wife's request when she thought she could not conceive) and later kicked the hand-maid & son out into the desert at wife's request (she was as much a *itch as he was a ****), tried to kill his son and led a few battles where he 'gave' his soldiers a pick of the remaining females as 'war booty'
Yeah, I can see why he's sooo respected (heavy sarcasm)

Answer 2

In Isaiah 46:10 God says: I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. It's obvious from this statement that God knows how we'll react to and "test" so the test is not for His sake, but ours. It's used to strengthen our faith because the end result will always be that God's promises will come true. If that were not the case there would be no test at all. In Abraham's case we see His complete faith in God. There are several hints that Abraham was probably not as devastated as some people make him out to be. For example in Genesis 22:5-6 Abraham told the servants to wait while he and Isaac went on and said they would both come back, and then they went up together.  The Hebrew implies they were united, of one mind.  And in Genesis 22: 8 Abraham told Isaac that God was going to provide a lamb for the offering, which is what happened. But for me the most convincing sign is in Hebrews 11:19 which says Abraham reasoned that God could raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. The word translated reasoned means Abraham reckoned, or took into account the fact of God’s resurrection power. In other words, he thought it through and came to the conclusion that if God really wanted him to sacrifice Isaac, then God would resurrect him, because He had promised Abraham that all His promises would come true through Isaac.  This is not the behavior you’d expect from an emotionally distraught man. Most likely Abraham knew that he and Isaac were acting out a prophecy of God sacrificing His Son for our sins. It took place on the very spot that Jesus would later be crucified. Often we find in the Old Testament what are called types and shadows. These people and events foreshadow even greater people and events in the New Testament. So Isaac was a type of Christ and Abraham's unfinished sacrifice of his only son foreshadowed God's completed sacrifice of His only Son. I don’t believe Ishmael was part of God’s plan for Abraham and Sarah. But that’s not to say He was surprised by their actions or that He didn’t have a plan for Ishmael. Even though Ishmael was not the child God had promised Abraham, He did bless him and make him a great nation (Genesis 21:13). It was Abraham's wide, Sarah, who despised Ishmael. No lesson to be learned here, only an observation, that the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9).

Answer 3

if you say "cruel and unusual" then perhaps you should consider that governments around the world ask parents to sacrifice their sons in wars all the time

Abraham knew that Isaac was the promised seed from God since God provided Sarah to miraculously concieve at her advanced age. Abraham therefore trusted that God could do anything, even resurrect Isaac after he had sacrificed him.

Think of the anguish though that Abraham must have went through as he travelled with Isaac to the mountaintop...
it pictures the anguish felt by God as He watched His only-begotten son being killed by wicked men on His Holy Passover, the 14th day of the month of Nisan (1,974 years ago monday evening & tuesday morning April 2nd & 3rd, 2007)

Answer 4

He was testing Abraham's faith.

God had promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son and their son would be an heir to the Messiah. So Abraham showed faith in taking his son and attempting to sacrifice him.

Also, this shows that Abraham had raised his son to love God as well. What other grown person would - after telling them you are going to kill them - let you do it? So this not only was a test to Abraham's faith, but to Isaac's as well. Both also knew that God had the ability to bring Isaac back to life, since God had already made a promise to him.

Answer 5

GOD promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son. But that seemed impossible, because Abraham and Sarah were so old. Abraham, however, believed that God could do what seemed impossible. After God made his promise. a whole year passed. Then, when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old, they had a baby boy named Issac. God had kept his promise! But when Issac had grown older, Jehovah God tested Abraham's faith. He called: 'Abraham!' And Abraham answered : 'Here I am!' Then God said: 'Take your son, Issac, and go to a mountain that I will show you. There kill your son and offer him up as a sacrifice.
When he got to the mountain, Abraham tied up Issac and put him on the altar that he built. Then he took out the knife to kill his son. But just at that moment God's angel called: 'Abraham, Abraham! And Abraham answered: 'here I am!' Don't hurt the boy or do anything to him,' God said. 'Now I know that you have faith in me, because you have not held back your son, your only one, from me.

Abraham had great faith in God. He believed that nothing was impossible for Jehovah God, and that Jehovah God could even raise Issac from the dead. But it was not really God's will for Abraham to kill Issac. so God caused a sheep to get caught in some nearby bushes, and he told Abraham to sacrifice it instead of his son. (Genesis 21:1-7, Genesis 22:1-18.)

This test of Abraham's faith actually foreshadowed God's love in giving his only son Jesus as a ransom sacrifice for mankind.

Answer 6

Do you think that it is reasonable to ask someone to kill his son as a sign of obedience. We see similar behavior every day, although I must confess that I only see it on horror shows and among ruthless criminal gangs. Based on that, I vote for cruel and unusual, rather than wishy washy.

Answer 7

God did not change his mind; he never intended for Abraham to kill his son; he already had another sacrifice waiting for Abraham.
He didn't lie; telling somebody to do something, then later telling them not to, is not the same as lying.

Answer 8

God does NOT change His Mind. He was testing Abraham to see if he obeys. Killing your own child is the hardest most hardest act you can do.

Answer 9

The purpose of the "sacrifice" is to teach God's chosen people, Israel, that human sacrifice is NEVER acceptable to God. Israel can sacrifice grains, oils, and little critters like the surrounding cultures, but NEVER a human.
.

Answer 10

It was to test Abraham's unquestionable loyalty to God.