I recently sent Yoel a copy of an audio tape I made (i.e., produced). Th=
e
tape is a moral critique of several Old Testament stories. Yoel suggeste=
d I
post the script to the list. The tape is about 90 minutes total, so I'll
post only a sample. =20
Hope you like it.
Mike Earl =20
AFerrarini@aol.com OR reason_works@bigfoot.com
Story #9
Abraham and Isaac
(Genesis Chapter 22)
Another popular Old Testament story that never really gets the scrutiny =
I
think it deserves is the story of Abraham, his son, Isaac, and the burnt
offering. The story is found in Genesis chapter 22. =20
In this story we find Abraham out and about one fine day, minding his ow=
n
business when -- out of the blue -- God tells him to do something
unthinkable. In verse 2 God says to Abraham, =93Take your son, your only=
son,
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him ther=
e as
a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.=94
In other words, God was telling Abraham to kill his son. But God was
telling Abraham to do much more than simply kill his son. God was tellin=
g
Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering. And as you are about t=
o
discover, sacrificing a human being as a burnt offering is a far cry from
lethal injection or a quick bullet to the back of the head.
Allow me to explain.
The proper way to perform a burnt offering is described in Leviticus cha=
pter
1. In that chapter we learn that the burnt offering was a greusome littl=
e
ceremony that required the ritualistic killing, dismemerbment and burning=
of
certain animals. None of the animals slain during these rituals was ever
eaten; they were simply slaughtered and then burned into oblivion.
The Bible tells us that the burnt offering was an act of deep religious
significance and was pleasing to the Lord. Of course, if you ask me, the
burnt offering was nothing more than a sick and detestible act of religio=
us
insanity, the cruelty of which was exceeded only by its utter pointlessne=
ss.
Be that as it may, God was now telling Abraham to perform this ritual on=
his
own son.
What I=92d like to do next is read to you from those verses in Leviticus=
that
explain just how the burnt offering is to be performed. But I=92m going =
to
paraphrase things just a bit by inserting -- where appropriate -- the nam=
es
of Abraham and Isaac. If you check these verses out for yourself, you=92=
ll see
that I=92m not distorting a thing -- I only present the story in this way=
to
give you some idea of what Abraham was up against. =20
I use as my reference Leviticus 1, verses 4 through 9. They go somethin=
g
like this:
(1) [Abraham] is to lay his hand on the head of his son Isaac, and it wi=
ll
be accepted on [Abraham=92s] behalf to make atonement for him.
(2) [Abraham] is to slaughter his son [Isaac] before the Lord,=20
(3) Then [Abraham] shall bring the blood of [Isaac] and sprinkle it aga=
inst
the alter on all sides... =09
(4) Next, [Abraham] is to skin [his son Isaac] and cut him into pieces.
(5) Then [Abraham] is to put fire on the alter and arrange wood on the f=
ire.
(6) Then [Abraham] shall arrange the pieces of [Isaac=92s] body, includ=
ing
Isaac=92s head and his fat, on the burning wood that is on the alter.
(7) [Abraham] is to wash [Isaac=92s] inner parts and [Isaac=92s] legs wi=
th
water, and shall then burn all of [his son, Isaac] on the alter.
(8) This is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasin=
g to
the Lord.
Now I'll grant you, most people don=92t give this stuff a whole lot of
thought. In trying to understand this indiffernce, I have come to the
conclusion that people do one of 3 things. They either (1) have no idea =
such
a story exists, or (2) they know story exists, but they don=92t understan=
d the
violent nature of God=92s request, or (3) they read this story in the Bib=
le,
and because they read it in the Bible they assume that whatever=92s going=
on,
it must be something good. =20
But folks -- come on now! I mean, just how lurid do things have to get
before what the words on the page are telling us finally start to sink in=
? I
mean, God has just commanded this man to murder his son, his own flesh an=
d
blood, his own child -- and in a manner that would offend the likes of
Charles Manson! Yet the only thing most people ever seem take with them =
from
this story is a profound respect for Abraham=92s willingness to carry out=
God=92s
will. Only an overpowering presumption of Biblical goodness could lead a
person to believe that Abraham=92s resolve to barbeque his own child was =
a good
thing. Yet when you talk to people about this story, that=92s exactly wh=
at you
find.
Of course, right about now some of you might be thinking, =93Hey, wait a
minute. When we read a little further in Genesis 22 we find that Isaac
wasn=92t killed at all -- he was spared.=94 And you know something ... t=
hat=92s
absolutely right. Isaac was spared! It seem that just before Abraham th=
rust
his knife into his son=92s throat, an angel appeared and told Abraham tha=
t God
had just called the whole thing off. In fact, God never intended for Abr=
aham
to kill his son in the first place. This was just one of those little
practical jokes God likes to play on his people at times. The Bible
euphemistically refers to these episodes as =93tests.=94
So God was only testing Abraham.
But God was not testing a man named Jephthah.
Let me tell you what happened to Jephthah.
Jephthah was a mighty Gileadite warrior and man of God who lived in the =
days
of what the Old Testament refers to as the judges. Jephthah was appointe=
d to
lead a branch of Israelites known as the Gileadites against one of Israel=
=92s
enemies -- the Ammonites. But before going against the Ammonites in batt=
le,
Jephthah sought the help of the Lord. In Judges chapter 11:30-31 we read=
,
=93And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: =91If you will give the Ammonites=
into my
hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I retur=
n in
triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord=92s, and I will sacrifice it =
as a
burnt offering.=92=94
The Bible tells us that Jephthah did triumph over the Ammonites, destroy=
ing
some 20 towns in the process. However, when Jephthah returned to his hou=
se
to see which of his animals would meet him and therefore become the objec=
t of
his burnt offering, he was met instead -- not by an animal -- but by his
daughter -- his only daughter -- his only child!
Now I know that keeping one=92s vow is pretty important in the Bible. B=
ut if
ever there was legitimate exception to this vow stuff, you think it would=
be
now -- right?! I mean, you=92d think God would step in about now and say
something like, =93Look, Jephthah, I know what you were thinking. You th=
ought
when you returned from battle you=92d be met by one of your animals, and =
it
would be one of your animals that you would sacrifice. I know you weren=92=
t
thinking about slicing your daughter=92s throat from ear to ear, tearing =
the
skin off her body, cutting off her head and chopping her into little peic=
es
and then burning her dismembered carcass into oblivion. I know you didn=92=
t
mean that! So I tell you what. Why don=92t you just take one of those a=
nimals
over there, sacrifice it, and we=92ll call it even?=94
It goes without saying that God had the power to intervene in this
situation, just as he had with Abraham. But God chose not to intervene t=
his
time. =20
Of course, God also had the power to make sure that upon returning from
battle, Jephthah was met by a rat or a cockroach -- rather than his daugh=
ter.
But God did not do this either.
What God did to Abraham and Jephthah -- not to mention their kids -- was=
as
cruel as it was unnecessary. And it kind of makes you wonder that if thi=
s is
the way God treats his best and brightest, what could he possibly have in
store for the rest of us!