Why Did God Ask for Isaac?

“Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” —Gen 22:2 

For generations, the subject of God telling Abraham to sacrifice his son has been a contentious matter in the Bible. How can a God who is adamantly opposed to child sacrifice expect such “atrocious” behavior from his followers? I was able to reconcile such behavior with an answer based on logic and good doctrine after reading Tim Keller’s Counterfeit God.

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to wait for someone? Abraham, like every other childless father, understands the agony of waiting for a child. God promised him that his offspring would be counted as stars in the sky, but his aspirations faded with each passing year, and having a kid became a faraway dream. God finally granted him Isaac at the frail age of 100, and he was pleased. But, more importantly, has he been waiting for his child or for God? Is God nothing more than a means to an end? Was it his child or the One who gave him the child who brought him the most joy? The problem is that by putting his child before God, he has made Isaac into an idol for him, and such a relationship would suffocate and pervert Isaac. Now, in order to comprehend why God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, we must first grasp the cultural context and meaning of the firstborn.

First, in ancient times, a man’s and his family’s aspirations and goals were placed in his firstborn son. The decision to forego the firstborn son is akin to a surgeon foregoing the use of his hands or a visual artist foregoing the use of her eyes (Keller, 2005). Because the firstborn typically inherits the most of a family’s estate, he serves as the family’s representative.

Second, routine offerings were paid to God in exchange for pardon of sins in ancient times. God was summoning Abraham to make a burnt offering for the sins he and his family had committed. As a result, God’s assertion that his only son’s life was forfeit was not unreasonable or contradictory. God wasn’t asking him to walk into Isaac’s tent and slay him, but rather to settle the family’s obligations. (Keller, 2005)

Although we can now see that God’s demand was understandable, this did not make it any less terrifying. “God is holy,” Abraham was confronted with the ultimate question. Isaac’s life is on the line as a result of our wrongdoing. God, on the other hand, is a God of grace. He has stated that via Isaac, he wishes to benefit the entire planet. How can God be both holy and just while also generously fulfilling his salvation promise?” (Keller, 2005)

He had no idea what the answer was, but he believed God nonetheless. This is similar to Job’s statement, “He knows what he is doing with me, and when he has tested me, I will come out as pure gold” (Job 23:10). He was only able to push one foot after another up that mountain because he believed God was both holy and kind.

As with all great stories, this one concluded with a lovely resolution: God spared Isaac, and now both God and Abraham realized that he loved God above all else.