Abraham tells this king that Sarah, Abe's wife, is really just his sister. The king guy takes Sarah as his own and plans to sleep with her. Before he really has a chance to, God curses his court and his city so that no woman may have a child, all because the king took Sarah. So God tells the king that this woman isn't really single, that she is actually someone else's wife, and that he can't sleep with her. The king guy is all taken aback because he's a good guy who doesn't take things that aren't his, so why did he end up with this chick? He was appalled at the idea of sleeping with another man's wife, and sick with himself for wanting to, even if he didn't know he would be committing adultery. So everything gets settled and squared away, and Sarah goes back to her husband (who, in all actuality, is her half-brother (because that was okay then)) AND THEN SHE GETS PREGNANT BY GOD'S HAND. So Abe, who is like 100 and doesn't think he can have a kid anymore, has a son, and names him Isaac. Isaac is a pretty awesome guy. Sarah gets fed up with Abe's other son, the one born to the servant Hagar, and practically demands that Abraham send them away. God tells him to do as Sarah asks, but not to be ashamed of this other son of his, because He will make sure that both boys yield great and powerful nations. Then God tells Abe to sacrifice his son Isaac. GAME CHANGER. Abe doesn't really fight back about it, so the father-son duo go on this trip up a mountain together for a sacrifice. Abe tells Isaac that that God will have a sheep up at the location, and doesn't really say anything else about it until after Father Abe has set up the firewood, tied Isaac up, and put him in ready position. Then God's Angel tells Abe NOT to sacrifice his son, and provides a ram for them to sacrifice instead. He is so impressed with Abe's willingness to sacrifice his dearly beloved son, and the amount that he fears and respects God. Because Abe didn't fight about sacrificing Isaac, he didn't throw any fits or anything, the angel made sure that their offspring would be a flourishing nation that would be blessed.
First, let me comment on the incest here. I think that says enough about that.
Second, here is a real life image of what happened.
http://www.ntm.org/uploads/news/photos/newsAP(6990)_img.jpg
Third, that's a great example of not questioning leadership. I really admire that trust and respect and discipleship. Abraham knew that, because God asked him to sacrifice the son he just got from his wife in his old age, he had to do it. He didn't need to know why God wanted him to, or what would happen if he didn't; he just took God's request for it as His saying that it was what He wanted most. Abe knew that God wouldn't ask him to do something that He didn't have a reason for asking. And it just shows how God tests us with our listening skills, and our trust in Him. If we don't do what he asks of us, He won't provide for us what we need; we aren't giving Him what He wants, so why should He do the same for us? By listening to Him and following His guidance, He provides for us what it is we really need. Like He did the ram. Now that's just crazy love, on both ends of the story.
Sacrifice is really hard. We don't want to give up something we treasure, even if it's for the better. Like soda. We know that pop isn't good for us, yet we continue to drink it all the time. Or snack foods. Because it's convenient and cheap, we don't want to give up our time and money for a healthier lifestyle. Nor do we want to give up our happiness for someone else's. But that's what true love is about - sacrifice. We sacrifice our cravings for french fries for our love of ourselves. We sacrifice our sleep for helping out a friend in need. We sacrifice our time to help those less fortunate. We let our true loves go so that they may be happy at the expense of our own happiness. Now, we don't always do that; we seldom do. But when we do, we definitely feel it. We feel how much it hurts, how much it wounds us - just enough to harm us, but not enough to damage us for good. When we do sacrifice things, even the little, hardly thought of things, we end up feeling a little better.
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