In Gen 22, why did God encourage human sacrifice with Abraham and Isaac?
1. Abraham already showed that He loved God more than His people and culture, but God tested Abraham to see if He loved God more than his own dear son. 2. Even in this solitary case of God commanding human sacrifice, God stopped it from being carried out; no person died. 3. God the Father did not ask Abraham for anything that He did not do Himself, in sacrificing Jesus for us. 4. The Ten Commandments (do not murder, etc.) were not given until Moses at Mt. Sinai. See The Complete Book of Bible Answers p.48-49, When Critics Ask p.51, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties p.96, Difficulties in the Bible 57-60, Hard Sayings of the Bible p.125-127, and Now Thats A Good Question p.573. Q: In Gen 22:1-18, could the boy who Abraham almost sacrificed be Ishmael, not Isaac, as Muslims claim? A: No, for four reasons: 1. Genesis 22:2 says it was Isaac. 2. In Genesis 21:8-10, the day Isaac was weaned, Ishmael was sent away. 3. Genesis 22:16 call Isaac Abrahams “only son”, since Ishmael was sent away t