Abraham’s Faith And God’s Mercy
2021년 2월 28일Abraham’s Faith And God’s Mercy
< Second Sunday of Lent >
When people hear about Abraham preparing to sacrifice his only son Isaac because God asked him to, they are shocked. What kind of father would listen to such an order, even if it came from God? And what kind of God would demand such a barbaric sacrifice? To understand the important message underlying this story, we have to know its cultural and historical context. The Molochites were the neighboring people who worshiped Moloch, a bloodthirsty god who demanded the sacrificial death of each family’s first born, baby son. It was a terrible ritual. The fathers would offer their baby sons to the priest of Moloch. A huge oven, shaped like a large stone head, had a raging fire inside. The tongue was like a slide upon which the priest placed the infant. Just before consigning the baby to the flames, the priest stabbed the infant. Trumpets blared to cover up the screams. What kind of god would require such a sacrifice? The god Moloch.
The Molochite men thus demonstrated faith in their god by sacrificing their sons. Surely Abraham’s faith was as strong as the Molochites’. True, but our God is more merciful than Moloch. God spared Isaac’s life and blessed Abraham as the father of many peoples. Indeed, Jews, Christians and Muslims all call Abraham our father in faith, who was prepared to sacrifice his son. Lent prepares us for an even greater mystery: God willingly sacrificed his Son to demonstrate his love for us. But God didn’t demand such an offering. We did.