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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's where things get real.

God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son"
Abe say, "Man, you must be puttin' me on"
God say, "No", Abe say, "What?"
God say, "You can do what you want Abe
But the next time you see me comin', you better run"
Well, Abe said, "Where you want this killin' done?"
God said, "Out on Highway 61"

--Bob Dylan (Jewish at the time of writing this song)[/quote]

This incident was not Abraham’s first experience with God. God had already revealed himself to Abraham many times through Abraham’s successes and failures, his faith and fear, in promises and forgiveness. Abraham knew the character of God. Once, he even asked God, “Will not the judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25) After this encounter, perhaps Abraham settled this question in his mind once and for all.

Abraham obeyed God’s unexpected command because he trusted God’s promise and knew him to be good and trustworthy.

Abraham didn’t think Issac would die. When they reached the mountain, Abraham told his servant, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5)
Genesis 22:5. The text is careful to include both Abraham and Isaac in the return journey.

Or consider Isaac’s question about where the lamb for the sacrifice would come from. Abraham responds, “God himself will provide the lamb” (Genesis 22:8.) It seems Abraham prepared himself to do what God asked, but he expected something else to happen.

The author of the book of Hebrews gives us insight to Abraham’s thoughts. It says, “He considered that God was able even to raise Issac from the dead (Hebrews 11:9.) Instead of a resurrection, Abraham was spared the sacrifice.

When the Bible depicts violence, things are often not what they seem at first glance. A surface reading may hide a character’s motivations and intentions. In other cases, referencing other points in the biblical tradition can shed light on difficult passages. This is certainly the case with the next point—prophetic reenactment. Throughout the Bible, God asked prophets to reenact in miniature things that he would do on a larger scale. The acts themselves seem strange until you see them as an acted out allegory. Then you start asking different questions.

Genesis 22 points to Jesus! The entire Bible points to Jesus, and this is especially true of Genesis 22. This passage is like a lock. Jesus is the key that unlocks it for us. Think about the parallels between this story and the story of Jesus.

Both Isaac and Jesus are “beloved sons” who have been long-awaited and are born in miraculous circumstances

Both sons carry the wood that is to be the instrument of their deaths on their backs

In both cases, the father leads the son, and the son follows obediently toward his own death

God provides the sacrifice, which Abraham says will be a lamb

Jesus was also an innocent son who went willingly up the mountain to be crucified

What do all these parallels mean? Abraham and Isaac point beyond themselves to the Messiah. This story is a parable of the greater redemption God would someday accomplish through one of their descendants, Jesus.

When Dylan said “You can do what you want Abe, but next time you see me coming you better run,” was something Dylan made up to portray God as threatening or bullying Abraham into murdering his own son. Which is completely false. Dylan and others count on those who do not study the Bible as a whole, and may read the Bible on the most shallow and superficial level, to provoke outrage and spread false information. 
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