KJB: Genesis; Chapters 12-24

Chapter 22 of Genesis is a very eyeopening reminder of how willing people are to sacrifice anything of value to them in order to please God. During this Chapter God runs a test on Abraham in order to see if he trusted God completely, putting him above everything else, even his son Isaac. Personally this text has made me become more humble, every time I read this passage it humbles me. This is because I see how little I offer God compared to Abraham, I hardly follow lent rules during the church year and rarely go but then I am reminded about how Abraham was willing to sacrifice everything for God and it makes me realize how lucky I am that i’ll never have a decision as hard as Abrahams. “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (KJB Genesis 22:12). This stood out to me because this is the climax of the story, Abraham who would willingly sacrifice his son to God pleases God by not rejecting and is rewarded by not having to carry through with it. Another verse that stood out to me is Genesis 7, “Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering” (KJB: Genesis 22:7) This quote is very suspenseful because it eludes that Isaac is the offering but is yet to be informed, which somewhat foreshadows. These two quotes make me emotionally uneasy because of how extreme Gods demand was, I know i’d never sacrifice my son for God but the thought alone is very unnerving. Also, it makes me laugh somewhat because of how ridiculous Abraham probably looked in front of the people saying God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac but rejected it after he almost went through. This story is a classic known by many but is also very original which is why it doesn’t remind me of another story. This text challenges my beliefs because while I do believe in God, like I said family means more to me and I would never think twice about even harming them let alone sacrificing them. This text has given me more insight on the complexity of the book of Genesis and how stubborn and loving God can be.