Genesis 22
1Later on God tested Abraham’s faith and obedience. “Abraham!” God called.
“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will point out to you.”
3The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son Isaac. Then he chopped wood to build a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place where God had told him to go. 4On the third day of the journey, Abraham saw the place in the distance. 5“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the young men. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
6Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the knife and the fire. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac said, “Father?”
“Yes, my son,” Abraham replied.
“We have the wood and the fire,” said the boy, “but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”
8“God will provide a lamb, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both went on together.
9When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood on it. Then he tied Isaac up and laid him on the altar over the wood. 10And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to kill his son as a sacrifice to the LORD. 11At that moment the angel of the LORD shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Yes,” he answered. “I’m listening.”
12“Lay down the knife,” the angel said. “Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me.”
13Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering on the altar in place of his son. 14Abraham named the place “The LORD Will Provide.” This name has now become a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” (Genesis 22:1-14, NLT)
The Daily DAVEotional
Genesis 22 is one of the most controversial and objectionable passages to critics of Christianity (and Judaism).
The big question people often have from this passage that can cause doubt and skepticism has to do with this: why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? This seems immoral.
The problem with this thinking is that we are looking at it from the vantage point of our modern day morality. We KNOW that it’s wrong to sacrifice your own child. When we see or hear of religious groups or cults that practice this, we cringe in disgust, precisely BECAUSE we know that this is wrong.
But Abraham lived in a different time and a different culture than we do. Earlier in Genesis, we learn that Abraham came out of Ur of Chaldea. In this Ancient Near Eastern culture, child sacrifice was actually quite common as a means of appeasing various regional deities.
So when the Lord asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Abraham would not have had the same visceral reaction that we have today. From Abraham’s perspective, this was an expected act of allegiance to the deity.
So why does God do this if it’s wrong?
God does it precisely to show Abraham how different He is from other so-called gods. He asks Abraham to sacrifice his son as a test of faith and loyalty but then He shows Abraham that He is completely different from how the people in that culture perceived deities. Human sacrifice is not His way. God provides a substitute so that Isaac is spared. This encounter also foreshadows the gospel message – we are spared and an innocent lamb, Jesus, is sacrificed in our place.
In our current culture, God does not need to ask us to sacrifice our child to show our loyalty because He has already revealed His nature on this issue.
So if someone claims that God is asking them to sacrifice their child as a test of faith, or for any other reason, we can be certain that it is NOT the Lord who is making the request, but likely the devil himself!
For more on God’s view of human sacrifice as a form of worship and appeasement, see Jeremiah 19:4-5 and Jeremiah 32:35.
Reflection
In the past, how have you reconciled or explained this passage to others who object to it as being “immoral”?
What would you say to someone who claims God is asking them to do something that seems to go against Biblical morals and ethics?
What questions or doubts do you have about God’s character or Biblical passages? How can you gain awareness and understanding of those “sticky” passages in order to strengthen your faith?
The Lowedown 
Absolutely the Best explanation I’ve ever read on this puzzling situation. It helped clear it up in my mind and it will help when explaining to others when the subject arises. Much Appreciated
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Thanks John. I’m glad this post was helpful and hope you are able to use it to minister to others who may be confused about this situation.
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Hi, would you please site the resources for your claim that “In this Ancient Near Eastern culture, child sacrifice was actually quite common as a means of appeasing various regional deities?” I can see how this would play a part in Abraham’s perception of God’s command. I’m currently studying this scripture and would find it helpful to know where to look for evidence about the cultural influences surrounding Abraham in regard to sacrifices. Thank you!
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Thanks for your question Carman. I’m sure if you did a quick Google search regarding child sacrifice in the Ancient Near East, you’d probably come up with plenty of resources for your research.
However, you can find quite a bit of background on the practices of Ancient Near East communities from Scripture itself.
For example, in Psalm 106, the psalmist gives a detailed history of the unfaithfulness of the Israelite people. Verses 34-37 are particularly noteworthy, stating:
34They did not destroy the peoples as the LORD had commanded them,35but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.36They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
Some passages to cross-reference these details include:
Lev 18:21
21“‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
In his Bible study notes on this passage, Dr. Thomas Constable explains:
Molech (Moloch, Leviticus 18:21) was a Canaanite god often represented by a bronze image with a bull’s head and outstretched arms. The idol was usually hollow, and devotees kindled a fire in it making it very hot. The Canaanites then passed children through the fire (cf. 2 Kings 23:10) or placed them on the hot outstretched arms of the idol as sacrifices (Ezekiel 16:20).
see https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/expository-notes-of-dr-thomas-constable/167770
Dt 12:31
29The LORD your God will cut off before you the nations you are about to invade and dispossess. But when you have driven them out and settled in their land, 30and after they have been destroyed before you, be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, “How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same.” 31Note You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, because in worshiping their gods, they do all kinds of detestable things the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.
2 Kings 16:1-4
1In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah, Ahaz son of Jotham king of Judah began to reign. 2Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. Unlike David his father, he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. 4He offered sacrifices and burned incense at the high places, on the hilltops and under every spreading tree.
2 Kings 17:16-17
16They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. 17They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sorcery themselves to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
The main point of these supporting verses is to indicate that the religious practices of the nations that Israel displaced included child sacrifice. These gods and their practices were almost surely known by Abraham. In fact, the very reason why these nations were displaced, according to the Scriptures, was because of their detestable practices. When Israel began adopting these very practices over many years, the Lord allowed Israel to also be displaced as a consequence to their sinfulness.
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