The Parenting of Abraham

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    The story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac is an amazing story. Each time I read it I marvel at the faith and obedience of Abraham. But last night, Amanda helped me to consider Isaac like never before.

          Isaac was not a small child, but was likely a young man, possibly in his 20s   [See this Apologetics Press Article]. He carried the wood and he travelled with his father for three days. Abraham was an aged man well over 100 years of age by this point. Isaac was young and strong. As you read the text of Genesis 22 you get the real sense that Isaac willingly submitted to Abraham and God. He allows Abraham to bind him and lay him upon the altar. Then, when the knife was about to pierce his flesh, an angel called forth stopping his father

Every loving parent has tried to put themselves into the shoes of Abraham and gasped at this command of sacrificing his son.

Notice a few observations from this story we had for parents and teens today

  1. Abraham was more concerned about obeying God than he was his child rebelling. Today, parents fear requiring their kids to be in Bible class, church, or to not participate in certain activities. The line typically goes like this, “if we require obedience then they will rebel.” Abraham required the obedience of Isaac in a drastic way and he demonstrated to his son that his first priority was to obey God.
  2. Isaac acts as an obedient child and submits to his father. We must remember that children are commanded to “obey their parents.” In fact, Paul lists those who are “disobedient to parents” as being worthy of death in Romans 1:30 right along many other sins we humanly classify as much worse. Isaac truly serves as a type of Jesus who willingly submitted to death on the cross trusting His Father. Isaac trusted in his father and that the Lord would provide (Gen. 22:8).
  3. Abraham obeyed despite the emotional damage that might have occured to Isaac. There is so much talk today about raising children with strong self-esteems and not emotionally scarring children. This is good, and we certainly are concerned about those factors in our children. But as parents, our first priority should be to obey God and His Word. We should not allow rationalizations about the child’s self-worth, peer-relationships, or educational pursuits to keep us from determining that obedience and faith to God comes first.

How many young teen boys or girls would play the role of Isaac today? How many of us parents would be willing to choose God over our son?

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3 comments

  1. This is excellent. There is too much fear of this or that and not enough true love of the truth to do what must be done. No pain, no gain!

      • Josh on January 17, 2013 at 3:34 pm
        Author

      Joseph, Thanks so much. I appreciate you reading and I obviously agree.

      Josh

    • Kendrick on May 29, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    I’d love to know who is that painting by?

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