The Ultimate Test (Genesis 22:1-19).
Abraham had been called by Yahweh to leave his home, his kinsfolk and his country to go to a new land which God had purposed for him. His spiritual life was not smooth. He was not without testing. The very call itself was a test. The long wait for Isaac was a test. The incident of Sodom and Gomorrah was a test. But he had come through it all with his faith enhanced. Now he would face the greatest test of all.
‘And so it was that after these things God put Abraham to the test and said to him, “Abraham”. And he said “Here I am”.'
The use of ‘God' is significant. Previously when ‘God' has been used it has been when foreign elements have been involved, for example in the wider covenant of chapter 17; with Hagar after Ishmael had been cast out; and in his dealings with Abimelech.
Yet it is not surprising here, for this test is not given by God as Yahweh the covenant God. It strikes at the very heart of the covenant. It is given by ‘God', God the Almighty, the Most High God, Lord of Heaven and Earth (14:22; 17:1).
We can compare with this how a man who is a judge may have a son whom he loves, but one day, when the son is brought before his court he has to forget the sonship and behave as a judge. In a sense that is what Yahweh does here. This demonstrates that this incident has a larger purpose than just a personal issue between Yahweh and Abraham. It is a vindication before the world. Abraham must be shown to the world as totally beyond reproach.
It is idle to speculate on why the test was made. It may have been because Abraham was questioning his own willingness to do what some people round about him were willing to do, offer their own sons as sacrifices, and was greatly disturbed by the problem. It may have been that he was indeed being chided by others as not loving his God enough because he did not engage in child sacrifice. It may be that he himself felt that he was not sufficiently demonstrating his love for Yahweh. Or perhaps he has become concerned that he loves his son too much so that it has hindered his love for Yahweh.
Certainly the climate in Canaan was such that few would look askance at what he was asked to do, although child sacrifice, while known, was not a common feature of life there (see Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 12:31; Psalms 106:37-38; 2 Kings 16:3; 2 Kings 21:6; Isaiah 57:5; Ezekiel 16:20-21; Ezekiel 20:26). It was looked on as the ultimate gift to God (Judges 11:30-40; 2 Kings 3:27).
It may not be a coincidence that child sacrifice was linked with Molech (Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 20:3;) or Melech (Isaiah 57:9 (translated ‘king'). Melech is the original name, the ‘o' was a change made to indicate an abomination using the vowel sounds of bosheth, ‘shame'. His name appears in Abimelech. It is possible that these Philistine traders were worshippers of Melech.
But the importance of the narrative is that it demonstrates that, at whatever the cost, Abraham was willing to obey Yahweh, and would not even withhold from Him what he treasured most.
It is noteworthy that the stress is put on the fact that this is a test. We are to suspect immediately that it was not to be literally carried out. As always in the first part of Genesis the narrative is a covenant narrative, for the incident leads on to a re-establishing of the covenant (Genesis 22:16-18) in even more emphatic form. Thus it would be put in writing and added to the sacred covenant tablets already held.