In Gen 18, we see AbrahamРІР‚в„ўs unstinting compassion for humans in Gen 22, we see his unstinting devotion to God. In the worldview of Genesis, genuine relationship with God entails balance between boldness and submission. On that occasion, God listened to AbrahamРІР‚в„ўs bold, even presumptuous question: РІР‚СљShall not the judge of all the earth do what is just?РІР‚Сњ ( Gen 18:25) and God listened to his intercession for the (hypothetical) innocent people in the city shortly thereafter, God calls Abraham a РІР‚Сљprophet,РІР‚Сњ specifically with respect to the power of his intercessory prayer ( Gen 20:7). This story provides a necessary balance for the very different picture in Gen 18, where Abraham aggressively challenges GodРІР‚в„ўs judgment (literally!) on Sodom. Second, God demands everything from Abraham because Abraham must recognize that he is not in control of the covenant relationship. Thus, when Abraham passes the test, GodРІР‚в„ўs own relief is palpable: РІР‚Сљ Now I know. The book of Genesis as a whole does not support the common theological notion that God knows everything before it happens, every human response before it is offered. Only by demanding everything from Abraham can God learn whether he indeed places his commitment to God before everything else.

First, this is a real test God does not know in advance how Abraham will respond. There are two grounds only on which God can be exonerated from the charge of sadism or tyranny here. How could a good God demand that Abraham kill his son? Eliot) that is the human condition on which the covenant rests. AbrahamРІР‚в„ўs fear of God is a condition of complete vulnerability before God, РІР‚Сљcosting not less than everythingРІР‚Сњ (T. The point of the test is to see whether Abraham trusts God even to the point of relinquishing the child on whom the blessing, the covenant, and his own happiness depend. So what is at stake is not obedience merely but total mutual trust. Twice Abraham has let his wife Sarah go into the harem of a foreign king ( Gen 12 and Gen 20) he did it to protect himself, evidently not trusting God to see them through their dangerous sojourns among foreigners. However, certain things have happened that give God reason to doubt Abraham, making it necessary to test him, to see if Abraham can bear the weight of that immense trust. GodРІР‚в„ўs plans for bringing good to the inhabitants of the world depend on Abraham ( Gen 12:3). However, the opening words of the story suggest a different understanding: РІР‚Сљ After these things, God tested AbrahamРІР‚Сњ ( Gen 22:1). The story is often said to be about total obedience, but we know that there is no virtue in unquestioning obedience to a tyrannical demand.

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