When three supernatural beings called on Abraham he recognize them as such and didn’t hesitate, he immediately called for water to wash their feet and a meal to be prepared for them. He then stood by respectfully while they ate.
Abraham was a friend of God and as such he could talk to him as a friend. Abraham spoke up for his son of the flesh, Ishmael, and asked God to accept him. Abraham accepted God’s rejection of Ishmael in favor of his son of promise Isaac. Abraham spoke in defense of Sodom and Gomorrah. He had enough trust in God’s friendship to actually bargain with Him about sparing Sodom and Gomorrah.
When God told Abraham to take his only son and sacrifice him he did not hesitate. Abraham Left the next day to fulfill God’s command. While nonbelievers consider this to be a moral equivalency to the sacrificing of children to pagan gods it was not. Abraham knew that Isaac was the son of promise and through him he would be the father of nations. So it would be a reasonable assumption that either God would interfere and stop the sacrifice or would resurrect Isaac. So while Abraham had faith that Isaac would be okay, it still must have taken every ounce of obedience in him to climb that mountain with his son Isaac.
Nevertheless……
God appeared to Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia and said, “Leave your country and your people, and go to the land I will show you.” Abraham settled in Harran and stayed there until after his father died and then obeyed God commend to “go to the land I will show you.”
On at least two occasions Abraham referred to Sarah as his sister rather than his wife. Actually they were half brother and sister so it wasn’t a lie so much as not quite telling the truth. This put Sarah in the position of possibly being compromised but apparently Abraham trusted in God to protect her. As a result, Abraham came away with both his wife and great riches.
Abraham either had a lapse in faith that God would provide a son of promise or perhaps thought a son born while Hager sat on Sarah’s lap, as was the custom, would be the son of promise. Not so, Ishmael was born, the son of the flesh. In the Book of Galatians Paul spoke of grace verse law and of spirit verse flesh. Galatians 6:8, “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” The result of the birth of the son of flesh is seen on the nightly news.
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