When we read in the Book of Genesis that God is demanding that Abraham sacrifice his son Isaac, we are rightly incredulous.  Are you kidding me?  This is Isaac, the late-born son of Abraham and Sarah, the child of the promise.  The killing of Isaac can only mean going back on God’s promise, insofar as the promise is inextricably tied to the act of generation.  How can God require something that directly contradicts his plan for the re-generation of his people?  As this terrible scene unfolds, with Abraham slowly ascending Mount Moriah with his son – wood for the fire and knife in hand – the human sacrifice is averted at the last moment, and the radical substance of Abraham’s faith is both revealed and rewarded.   He receives back his son.

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