1.23

I think that Abraham has agreed to the request made of him by God for a couple of reasons.  I think that one of them may have to do with the reason why God chose Abraham to form a covenant with in the first place.  Although we do not get a lot of details as to why God specifically selected Abraham, we do see a certain obedience in him from the beginning of Chapter 12, when we first see him first obey God’s commandments.  In addition, though, I think it also important to take into consideration, as discussed in the “Babel: Failures of Civilization” reading, to consider that Abram was without a home, roots, and a sense of direction.  God has communicated a lot with Abraham, and has made him several promises that have benefited him, such as with the birth of his son, Isaac. God has continuously demonstrated to him that He will deliver on his promises, so long as Abraham follows his commands and honors God.  That is one of many possible explanations, though, for why Abraham may have agreed to the request of God. The lines that Abraham stated were not technically lies, though they could be easily misinterpreted. It was technically true that Abraham and Isaac were going to worship God, however it was very unclear as to how that was going to be done.  In stating that the sheep were going to be offered, the “sheep” could have been referring to Isaac, himself. While his words were chosen very carefully, they also did not have the whole, clear truth clearly presented in them. I think that God’s intention in making Abraham go through this ordeal was sort of a test. By challenging Abraham to give up the thing whom he cared about most showed a true sense of dedication and loyalty to the Lord God.  I think it also demonstrates a sort of trust in the Lord, and shows that whatever happens, the Lord knows what is best in the long run and will guide it, challenging the moral isolationism that we see in the original sin. I personally don’t think that in this situation, Abraham or God were very praiseworthy. While it does show such a strong trust and allegiance to God, it does not seem honorable to take the life of someone who doesn’t deserve so.  The fact that God asked this of him, even though it was a test, seems unjust in the first place. It is difficult for me to grasp how that would be considered morally right, even if it was a sacrifice for the Lord. I think that there are other, more appropriate ways, that are more praiseworthy to demonstrate a commitment to one’s religion than to harm those around us, which seems to challenge the strong community emphasis that is engrained in our human nature.