The Nature of Trials & the Sacrifice of Isaac
February 6, 2005
Dear Friends:
There are some aspects to Abraham’s near sacrifice of Isaac that have always troubled me. Recently it dawned on me what troubled me about the whole incident and also a reasonable solution to the problems it presented me.
When you ask people why did God ask Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, the most frequent response you receive is “To test Abraham.” We are told in the first verse of Genesis that this is the case. But what does that mean? Often the response you get is that God wanted to see how Abraham would react. The late Harry Whittaker in his book, Abraham – Father of the Faithful, likens God’s testing of Abraham to a man taking a test drive of an automobile. I don’t mean to pick on Bro. Harry (but his views are very typical on the subject), but is this how God works? He just tests us to see what will happen like we would drive a car. This is problematic. First, God doesn’t need to test us to know how we will respond. He knows our hearts. Even Jesus had this ability during his mortal ministry. “Jesus knew their thoughts.” “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” (John 2:24,25) “For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.” (John 6:64) Second, God knows the future. He knows the beginning to the end. He really didn’t need to test Abraham to see what he was going to do. God knew with absolute certainty.
The second problem I have with the traditional interpretation is that it doesn’t seem like the God of love to do such a thing to a man who was called “the friend of God.” (James 2:23) You don’t do things like that to your friends just to see what they are going to do. Let’s face it, we can’t compare ourselves to God, but if we did things like that to our friends, we wouldn’t have any.
The ultimate problem with the traditional interpretation of this is that it makes the whole event something that resolves a problem with God. God didn’t know how Abraham would react, so He created a test. This just can’t be.
Let me suggest that the events of Genesis 22 were not created to fix anything with God, but with Abraham. God knew exactly what Abraham was going to do, but Abraham (not God) needed to go through the experience to correct something in him. The events of Genesis 22 benefited Abraham. The near sacrifice of Isaac was not mean or cruel, but loving…..and therefore, very instructive to us.
We know that in some way Abraham was in need of this test. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth… For they [our natural fathers] verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Heb. 12:6, 10,11) In the same book, Bro. Harry suggests that the trial was given to Abraham “because he was in serious danger of setting love for his son before his love for Jehovah.” Whatever the reason, we know that Abraham (and probably Isaac too!) benefited from the experience.
If this is the case, then is was not a cruel act, but a loving act. If I run up behind a friend and give them a violent, rib-crushing squeeze just to see what they will do, I am not acting as a friend. However, if I do the same thing and the piece of food they are choking on becomes dislodged, I am now a hero. God is, metaphorically-speaking, performing spiritual Heimlich maneuvers on us. They may not be pleasant, but they are for our own good. They are an act of love.
The point is that I do not believe that the trials God gives us are to see what we will do. He already knows. He gives us trials so that we can improve. He gives us the experience so we can help ourselves or perhaps help others. Trials are an act of love.
We see this in Peter’s account of trials. God is refining us. He knows exactly what the process will do to us just as a smith knows what will happen to a piece of metal. “This is a great joy to you, even though for a short time yet you must bear all sorts of trials; so that the worth of your faith, more valuable than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved, to your praise and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. You have not seen him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him you believe in him and so are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described; and you are sure of the goal of your faith, that is, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9 NJB)
Have a great week!
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