WHY does this story make any sense to the Christians?

Question

Genesis has Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son to God. "Take your son, your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much – and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will point out to you." (Genesis 22:1-18) Abraham takes his own son up on a mountain and builds an altar upon which to burn him. He even lies to his son and has him help build the altar. Then Abraham ties his son to the altar and puts a knife to his throat. He then hears God tell him this was just a test of his faith.

How come you have no problem in believing this story of the bible, and it is actually ok for you that God asked Abraham to do such a thing in order to prove his faith,
then when someone gets caught doing something THAT EVIL in today's society ,saying that God told him to sacrifice his son,
(check the story of that guy that put his son in the microwave saying that God told him to do that) you are ( if you are a NORMAL PERSON) THE FIRST one to say that the person in question is CRAZY ,EVIL and should be put in jail? THEN WHY DOES THE STORY OF ABRAHAM MAKE ANY SENSE TO YOU ??????????

Answer 1

and now they will say that abraham didnt kill his son at the end...but would any of them just wait for god to tell the man to stop the microwave or would they call the police as soon as they saw the man putting the child in the micro wave???

Answer 2

You have some good answers here but I think I will also put in my two cents worth.

Abraham did not lie to his son but told him that God would provide a sacrifice. God did provide the sacrifice in this case with a ram that was caught in a thicket. God also provided the perfect sacrifice in Jesus on the cross. This is a great picture of what was to come.

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him as righteousness. God promised Abraham that Isaac would be the one through whom the whole world would be blessed (Jesus). Isaac has not had any children yet at this point. Abraham knew that if God allowed him to kill this son then God could also bring him back to life in order to father this line through whom the blessing would come.

Answer 3

Ya, you read it right. Pretty bizarre, I know. But there's something that the Bible doesn't make too clear about Abraham, but we can confirm it through modern science and history. Abraham wasn't really much of a Christian. He was actually more of a pagan. Everyone back then worshipped many gods, and as a pagan; war, slavery, human sacrifice, idol worship, etc. was widely accepted by people of most world cultures of that time.

I'm pretty sure that it does mention somewhere, early in the story of Abraham, that he was part of a pagan group of people. However, the one thing that set Abraham apart from everyone else is not the fact that he only had one God, since he actually worshipped many gods, but it was the fact that Abraham was the first to recognize God as the greatest and most loving God of all.

So, why would God ask Abraham to do something that seems so terrible? Maybe we should ask ourselves why countless passages of the Bible clearly depict God commanding His people to fight wars and slaves to respect their brutal masters. It wasn't something that was seen as evil back then. It was the normal way of life, and this is how things got done. Jesus came later in the Bible though to reveal God's true message of peace. God *doesn't* like violence, but all of these passages were probably His people simply getting caught between the pagan influences of that time and this path of peace which God tried to convey.

Answer 4

It was not just a test of faith, but many things. When was the last time you heard about anyone 100 years old having a baby? Abraham was put to a test alright, one that I would not want to go through, but to whom much is given much is required. Abraham did have the faith that the child would not be harmed and that God would provide the sacrifice (which he did). He also acted out of obedience.It was also a picture of the ultimate sacrifice that God himself would endure by giving us his only son so that we could be saved from this crazy world. Even so Lord Jesus come quickly Amen

Answer 5

I don't know what translation of the Bible you were reading but I decided to use the New King James and re read this account. No where does the Bible say that Abraham lied to Isaac.
"6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.”
Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. "
Verse 8 tells us that Abraham knew that God would provide. God had promised Abraham that he and Sarah would be the parents of a great nation. So Abraham had to assume that either God would provide a substitute for Isaac or that God would resurrect Isaac. God sends the Angel of the Lord (Jesus Christ) to stop Abraham from killing Isaac. Then we see God provide a ram for the sacrifice. No matter how bad the situation seems God will keep His promise. God has no problem assuming responsibility for lives that are dedicated to Him.

Now in regards to someone putting their child in a microwave it's obvious that God did not tell that man to do that. Now if someone puts there child in a microwave sets it on high for ten minutes, and just before he presses start, the Angel of the Lord comes down and tells him to stop and then hands him Act II popcorn as a substitute then that is from God.

Answer 6

Fist of all what would you do with someone who has repeatedly appeared and spoke to you on several occasions making known to you that He was God and also proved it repeatedly?
God promised Abraham many descendants and this son was the son promised to Abraham by God. Abraham undoubtedly new God would either provide an alternative sacrifice (which Jesus was) or He would raise Isaac from the dead(which Jesus was). Either way Abraham new from experience with God that God had not failed him in any way. So therefore doing what God asked would no doubt benefit him and Him greatly. As a matter of fact it has benefited us all greatly through Jesus Christ the lamb.

Answer 7

In Islam, Abraham goes to sacrifice his son when Allah (SWT) (God) tells him that he has done what he was supposed to do and God replaced Abraham's son with a sheep. Anyway in the Quran it was Abraham's first son Ishmael. Considering there was no time when Isaac was Abraham's only son, this shows yet another contradiction in the bible.

Answer 8

Actually, this story Bothers Me A Lot. But when in John 8:56 Jesus says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad," it sounds as though Abraham asked for it, asked to tangibly experience what God was going to do in giving up his son Jesus to die for us. In another question in this section somebody was concerned about Cain and Abel, and what was the meaning of the lamb sacrifice's value. Well, it was so people could figure out what Jesus' life and death mean to us. Again, I think God was responding to a question from Abraham's heart. Hmmm I bet He does that today.

Answer 9

Just make sure that this God fella tells a Christian that your going to pop your kid in the microwave so that you have a good witness. I dont believe in God or the Bible and if i did he would sure seem like a guy i wouldnt want to be around. He is a buzz killer and doesnt seem to friendly. Kind of stuck on himself to.

Answer 10

God interacted with the ones he loved and did it for our hearing......today evil is even more dominant and present....God works with us differently yet the same he comes in a spirit....Satan does too. Who in their right mind would put their child in a micro wave and it goes to show you God would have stopped him...Satan does not. We all know that often people pose as angels of light and say it was God...he said do this or that....that is why one should seek and get to know him.......