First Reading:  Genesis 22:1-12

Command to Sacrifice of Isaac

[1] God's call was one in a series. Even when God had given Abraham and Sarah a sign of his faithfulness in the birth of their child, God continued to call. Abraham's response was immediate.

[2] Human sacrifice was repugnant to the Hebrews, but was known in the ancient world. Sacrifice meant the offering of self to the gods, or the offering of great personal worth. A first born male represented the continuation of one's identity through a child and the most precious thing a man could have on earth, his son. Offering such to the gods was only secondary to self-sacrifice.

[2] The sacrifice of Isaac presented great moral problems to the reader. Why did God order Abraham to do what is clearly against his own Law?

First, what was more important: God's Law or God's will? If we follow God's Law, we are "safe," but are we following God's will? If we follow God's will, how are we sure we are not fooling ourselves?

Second, was God free from his own Law? Didn't that make God inconsistent, and imperfect? What did this act say about God?

Like the problem of evil in the world, there are no easy answers, only more questions to vex one's faith.

What is more important God's Law or God's Will? Explain.