So they’re both still alive, but later the same guy told the same other brother God had again commanded him to kill his brother, but this time he wasn’t buying it, so he’s bulking up for the inevitable command to kill him.

On the virtue of questioning private revelation….

Starfoxy: I agree. I also wonder, what kind of material did Moses use for writing? Did he have a lot of space? Where was he when he was jotting all this down? Then we have to wonder, too, what amount of “editing” was done to the original book of Genesis.

It would be interesting to know the amount of time that elapsed between verses in this and other scriptural accounts. But then, that knowledge would probably choke the life out of those intriguing Sunday School “discussions.”

You’re definitely right and I’m glad you made a point of it in SS. My comment was meant to just add to what I imagine you said there in class.

Matt,

Thank you. It IS a dangerous game that many people seem to want to play. For some reason they need to be more then a faithful, humble member. So they contrive ways to stand out have their faithfulness “be seen of men.”

Don, Kurt,

I wish this WAS taught in SS. Abraham must have known exactly what he was doing. He said God will provide HIMSELF a sacrifice, plus he names the place Jehovah-jirah.

As far as the sacrifice of Isaac. It appears from careful reading of the text that Abraham expected something to happen that would preserve Isaac and keep the covenant thru him. It appears Abraham either expected intervention or possibly that He would have to sacrifice Isaac but that God would immediately resurrect him to keep the promise. Abraham knew the gospel, he knew the doctrine of the resurrection. Whatever, there is more there than the normal SS class ever discusses…too bad!

21 Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions• or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.

22 I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution•, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure• boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me.

23 It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy•, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily blabor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution• and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself.

24 However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a avision•.

So, as far as I am concerned, all of this blind obedience and being tested even as Abraham stuff is just a mistaken notion, owing to a bad reading of the text.

You do make an excellent point that obedience without hesitation (often called thinking) is a dangerous can of worms. I think Abraham probably thought long and hard about both his choices, but that doesn’t make for good story telling. (and it came to pass that three hours later I was still in my tent thinking about it. In fact I thought about it so long that I missed dinner…)