The Story of Abraham and Isaac Essay

In the Beginning: At the beginning of the universe. God created heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh. During those six days God spoke to the darkness and created the world, brought forth light, created the sky, land and animals and plants to inhabit them. However, even during this creation he was contemplating the creation of a being made in his own image.

The Divine Command theory states that” an act is morally required just because it is commanded by God, and immoral just because God forbids it.” (Lecture Notes pg. 42, slide #2.) This theory says that since God has said that it is something we must do to be good, that we must do it. Many religions believe and live by this saying that “it is the will of God or the Gods”. I truly believe that God has done his work and is still at work and since He did create us, He does know what good and evil is and does have authority to tell us what is good.

In this chapter, it is clear that Abraham trusted God completely. Abraham did not know why God was testing him. But Abraham could recognise God’s voice. The Bible clearly teaches that murder is wicked (Deuteronomy 5:17). The answer is that God never wanted Abraham to kill Isaac. God stopped Abraham before Abraham could hurt Isaac. So God had a different plan. God was not really asking Abraham to kill Isaac. In fact, God was asking Abraham to prove that he (Abraham) would always trust God. Abraham did not know about God’s plan to save Isaac. But Abraham realised that God had such a plan. He told his servants that he would bring Isaac back to them (verse 5). He told Isaac that God would provide the *lamb for the *sacrifice (verse 8). Hebrews

The pagans of this time were sacrificing humans to appease their gods. When God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, it isn’t all that odd. But, when God tells Abraham to take Isaac down, he is commanding the Hebrew people to never sacrifice humans to God. This elevates and separates the Hebrews from their savage surroundings.

In the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses were two very prominent leaders chosen by God to do his will. Throughout Genesis and Exodus, both men play important roles in fulfilling God’s will. They are put to many tests, given covenants, and communicate constantly with God. Although they have many similarities such as being leaders and men of God, there are also many differences between the two.

Abraham asks his servant to not let Isaac marry a Cabaznite woman and in place of it, tells them to find Isaac a wife in his relative’s homeland

Abraham’s response to God’s promises were obedience (4-6) and confirmation (v. 7). In Genesis 15 the writer states that the Lord took upon Himself alone the responsibility for fulfilling the covenant. Genesis 17 adds the revelation that the covenant would be everlasting. One cannot research the Covenant and not about the narrative of Abram’s life.

(Note that Israelites did not bring a human sacrifice.) It was really a challenge for Abraham to do this feat but he chose to fulfill God’s wishes until the Angel of the Lord .stopped the patriarch at the moment he "took the knife to slay his son"! Now God knew that Abraham does not seek anything "to keep for himself" and that he is actually afraid of God. That is, he venerates him as an almighty Lord, trusts Him wholeheartedly and is willing to obey Him

Abraham’s seriousness and dedication in regards to his covenant with God control tense actions and events between Abraham and Isaac. Abraham is compelled in his actions by his understanding and faith that his belief in God will reap benefits. Without hesitation, he considers doing everything that God tells him to do. Abraham’s willingness and sacrifice of Isaac show the great power that God has over Abraham. Abraham’s desire for God’s approval and blessings compel him toward grave actions without the concrete command from God. Abraham merely implies God’s intentions from the limited conversations held between Abraham, God, and the angel.

Throughout the history of the world, God has been working to bring humanity back to him. Due to the loss of constant communion in the fall, God set forth multiple promises to eventually establish his eternal Kingdom, the New Testament, is the culmination of these promises. The Gospels are the most specific in how Jesus Christ fulfilled the covenants God made with Abraham and David. More importantly he is the fulfillment of the new covenant, which washes away sin and brings humanity back into communion with God. What is modeled in the Gospels is reaffirmed in Acts, by the way the church is to function according to the culmination of the Covenants. Acts begins to reveal the great mystery that is the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s covenant. Paul’s Epistles take the culmination a step further and defend the idea that the fulfillment of God’s covenants does not just affect the people of Israel, but the Gentiles as well. The General epistles teach that the people are no longer bound by the mosaic covenant since the New Covenant was fulfilled via Jesus Christ. Yet practice of the law is still an important factor of the Christian life style even if superseded by the New Covenant. Revelation shows that covenants are leading up to the lord’s victory and salvation of his people. The sins of the Jews and Gentiles are washed away by Jesus the blood of the lamb so in reality the battle is already won because of the New Covenants fulfillment in Jesus. It is clear from

For, the point of the beginning lies in the result (Kierkegaard, 91). This means that no point or choice exists at the beginning of any obstacle. In the eyes of Kierkegaard, one should judge according to the result. Abraham relies on and trusts in God's love and his love for God (Kierkegaard, 88). This is not absurd. It is only absurd from the point of view that it might be calculated (Kierkegaard, 65). But, faith is beyond calculation, for Abraham "believed on the strength of the absurd, for there could be no question of human calculation… (Kierkegaard, 65)"

In his famous work Fear and Trembling, Kierkegaard declares that “no person has a right to delude others into the belief that faith is something of no great significance, or that it is an easy matter, whereas it is the greatest and most difficult of all things.” The difficulty of faith lies in the requirement of sacrifice. The story of Abraham’s near sacrifice of his beloved son, Isaac, is what Kierkegaard utilizes to demonstrate how costly faith in God is. Here is a man, who after seventy years of waiting for God’s promise of offspring finally received his son, is commanded by God to slay his promised son with no stated reason for doing so. Kierkegaard, in attempting to experience what Abraham might have experienced in those moments, cries, “Now all is lost, God demands Isaac, I shall sacrifice him, and with him all my joy – but for all that, God is love and will remain so for me.” What bold words! The cost

Disillusioned Latin students, who cringe at the thought of repeatedly scribbling their grammar, are often told by their teachers, "Per repitio nos studiare," which translates to "through repetition we learn." Though this may seem hard to believe as their hands begin to cramp, it bears a certain amount of truth. As my grandfather once told me, "Experience is often the best teacher." Truly gaining an understanding of something often comes from repeated involvement.

God selected Abraham to be the father of the His people. The bible does not directly state why God selected him, but after reading scripture one can conclude that God selected Abraham due to his great faith. Abraham’s life lends itself as an example to all who desire to walk with God.

Abram leaves his home and family, and departs into the "strange land" of Canaan, showing an extreme obedience to God and understanding of his duty to father this great race. Throughout Genesis, Abraham builds altars to God and sacrifices animals. In Genesis 22:2, God tells Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains". The next day, Abraham sets off for Moriah "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." After God stops the sacrifice, he tells Abraham, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."