Two Fathers, Two Sons: Obedience and Sacrifice

As I listened to the February 25th Old Testament reading about Abraham and Isaac, I observed how this event foreshadowed another event between God the Father, and Jesus, his Son.  Both of these tales involved obedience and blood sacrifice, yet both were very different.

Obedience is Better than Sacrifice

Abraham had been promised by God that he and Sarah would have a son in their old age, and from this son, Isaac, would sprout a nation that numbered the stars in the sky.  This promise by God, however, was not unconditional – it was what was called a covenant.  For us today, we refer to it as a contract; an “if/then” agreement between, in this case, two parties.  In the biblical sense, this agreement is initiated by God who stipulates the if/then terms.  We see this throughout the entire Bible, for example, in 2 Chronicles 7:14, where the Lord appears to King Solomon and says, “If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” A covenant, like a contractual agreement, requires obedience to the terms to remain valid.

The faith of Abraham must have been tremendous.  Not only had God given him a son at the age of 100, but we are told that his faith in God was accounted unto him as righteousness.  Up to this point, God never mentioned anything about human sacrifice in their agreement.  We can only surmise what was going through Abraham’s mind when God told him to take his only son Isaac, who was likely a young man, and sacrifice him on an altar.  What we do know is that Abraham did as the Lord commanded, right up to the point of drawing his knife to slay his beloved son – when God stopped him.  God was not interested in a human sacrifice; he wanted to test Abraham’s willingness to obey, even if obeying meant killing his only son. And let us not forget the faith of Isaac, who could have easily fled or fought, yet complied, trusting the actions of his human father.

First Samuel 15 tells us that when the priest and prophet Samuel rebuked King Saul for his disobedience against God, which Samuel equated to the sin of witchcraft and idolatry, he said, “Has the Lord as much pleasure in your burnt offerings and sacrifices as in your obedience?  Obedience is far better than sacrifice.” 

How Disobedience Required Blood Sacrifice

Death was unknown to humanity until Adam and Eve introduced it by way of disobedience. Adam and Eve had a contract with God, a very simple one.  If you eat from a certain tree, then you will die. The command was clear; the repercussions were not.  Adam and Eve knew nothing of death.  The concept of death, and even decay, were alien to them.  Had they not first chosen to disobey, breaking their contract with God, they would not have suffered death.  Their disobedience brought death into the world, both physical and spiritual.  And according to God – the Author of Life - only the shedding of blood can atone for this sin of disobedience.  Because they did not keep their part of the contract, the blood sacrifice of animals was required by God from then on, until God himself would provide a perfect and permanent blood sacrifice.

The reason for a blood sacrifice is because God requires it.  From his perspective, only the shedding of blood – the life-force of the body – atones for sin. Leviticus 17:11 states, “For the life of the body is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.” It is the blood that gives life to the body, and thus it is shed blood that expiates for the sin of the soul.  We find this same concept in Hebrews 9:22 where we read that, “without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.”  The shedding of animal blood, for the atonement of sin, was part of God’s original agreement with the Children of Israel.    

How Obedience Became Human Sacrifice

There is another story of a Father and Son, but this time, both obedience and sacrifice worked hand-in-hand.  Our God has never demanded a human sacrifice of his people.  The slaying of another human as an offering is the diabolical construct of the human mind. Why then, did he sacrifice his own holy Son – fully human and fully divine?   A Son who, “though he was God, …. humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:6-8) The very idea of Jesus being a human sacrifice was so revolting to Peter that he rebuked Jesus saying “Never Lord! he said. This shall never happen to you!” (Matt. 16:22)

If we follow God’s way of thinking we see in the obedient and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ the ultimate “shedding of blood” that once and for all atones for the original sin of humanity.  Humans created the problem, and only a perfect blood sacrifice could meet God’s standard.

Two Fathers and Two Sons.  The first pair, bonded by familial blood and love, obeyed God and the blood of no human sacrifice was shed.  The second pair, bonded by an eternal relationship of love, co-equal in deity, offered the ultimate blood sacrifice in conjunction with obedience.

Father Almighty, thank you for giving us your Holy Son as a propitiation for our human sin. King Jesus, thank you for your obedience unto a sacrificial death. You have said that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend, but with respect there is.  There can be no greater love than for God to lay down his life for a creature, like me. 

Jesus, I trust in you!