{For a Resurrection Day post, here is something I posted on Quora, in response to a question some have about Abraham’s testing.}
Q: “Do you think that Abraham was acting morally when he was willing to sacrifice his son because God ordered him to do it? Should he have refused to obey God’s command?”
A: The reason it is wrong to murder someone (or steal from them etc.) is because man is made in the image of God: all sin is a form of blasphemy.
This is why a loving God allows death and suffering and sin. It is the same as a man allowing himself to be robbed. It is sin for us to rise up against the image of God and dishonour it. It is equally wrong for us to speak against God, accusing him of dishonouring himself if he destroys his own image for his own greater glory.
To reject a direct command of God, or to charge him with unrighteousness, is just as unnatural and violent as destroying his image in one of his innocent children.
Another thing to realise about God being the Creator:
“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” – Hebrews 11
So here it says that since Abraham knew God would multiply his seed through Isaac, he concluded that God would raise him from the dead. As Job said, “Yahweh gave, and Yahweh hath taken away.” It is he who gave all life, it would be foolish to question when he takes it back.
If God sees fit to suffer a grievance for his own greater glory, it is not for us to tell him how he should be honoured.
“And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of Yahweh, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.” – 1 Kings 20
{To this I would add that some similarly question whether it was moral for God to require the death he suffered on the cross – since they term it as the Father requiring it of the Son, it would be good to first point out that they are one, thus it is something God took on himself, again, a man allowing himself to suffer; who is to condemn him for this? As if we are to teach God how he should seek his greater glory.}
2023/04/09 #ResurrectionDay