Home

JAN 23

Abraham agrees to the request made of him by God because of his unwavering confidence and trust in Him. The request is an attempt to test this commitment and verify his level of trust. In 22:5, Abraham’s remarks can be taken to mean different things, and in my view argued as being true or not true. In one sense, the words are not true: Abraham and his son will not come back to his men, as indicated by Abraham’s use of “we,” because Abraham is of the understanding that he will kill his son. From Abraham’s perspective, only he will return. However from a different angle, Abraham’s message can be seen to be true, in that he believes that his son and himself will return together after God rewards him for his dedication. In 22:8, a similar dual interpretation is present. While the statement ultimately turns out to be true and can be seen as a true statement in retrospect, it did not seem to be the case at the time.

The question of whether or not Abraham and God are praiseworthy is very difficult to answer. While Abraham’s dedication, trust and confidence are certainly worthy of praise, his route to achieving them, in my view, is not. His willingness to do whatever God asks of him is admirable, but what if God had asked him to do something even more horrific? In a more extreme example, If God had told him to torture and murder 100 babies to gain his trust, would his decision to do so be praiseworthy? His commitment to slaying his son, his gathering of the materials needed and activation energy put forth to actually carry the act out, in my opinion, is enough to equate the decision to the action. In my view the test is repulsive. I do not think either side is trustworthy. While it may be difficult to ever call God not praiseworthy, I do not think the creation of such a vial test gains any extra praise.

JAN 21

The narrative about Noah brings many of the ideas expressed in Gen 3 back to the forefront. In Gen 3, much is said about becoming “more like God” and “knowing both good and evil.” The fateful emotion that plays an integral role throughout Genesis, in my opinion, is discipline. In the Garden of Eden, a lack of discipline is responsible for the demises of Adam and Eve; giving into temptation leads to their fall. The stories thereafter in Genesis furthers this idea that humans will often fail to resist temptations and thereby let evil spread. As Kass notes, human’s obsessive pursuit of beauty is a clear example of how people will persistently chase something that they know will most likely be bad for them. The narrative about Noah reveals just how extensive this inability to resist temptation can be, and how much of an impact this can have over a long period of time. While the story certainly has its dark components, Noah himself serves as beacon of light—providing the future of humanity with a role model to follow. His success in being true to God and leading a good life show promise for mankind, and lay a blueprint for following generations to emulate.

In broad strokes, the story of Noah and the events leading up to it paint a gloomy beginning of humanity. They reveal that temptation is a continuing force in our world, and that it takes strength and conviction to stand up to and overcome it. The stories touch on the idea from Gen 3 that humans become more like God when they attain more and more knowledge about the world, both good and bad. Discipline will continue to define humans, and the decision making process, weighing good and evil and choosing one or the other, will be watched carefully by God.