Bible Study I Am Extremely Confused Right Now

[HeIsRisen2018]

Alright, so I just finished reading a Bible story that I never read before. It was back in the book of Genesis where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son and then an angel tells him not too. Many questions come to mind here but I will ask the ones that I feel are the most important. Was that really God telling him that I mean why would He? I sort of think that it was Satan disguising himself as God trying to decide him. And also, if it was really God telling him this then why would an angel suddenly tell him not to go through with it? Or could it be that God was just testing him? Could I please have some help with clearing all of this up? Again, sort of new at this.

 

[dirtfarmer]

Alright, so I just finished reading a Bible story that I never read before. It was back in the book of Genesis where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son and then an angel tells him not too. Many questions come to mind here but I will ask the ones that I feel are the most important. Was that really God telling him that I mean why would He? I sort of think that it was Satan disguising himself as God trying to decide him. And also, if it was really God telling him this then why would an angel suddenly tell him not to go through with it? Or could it be that God was just testing him? Could I please have some help with clearing all of this up? Again, sort of new at this.

hello HelsRisen2018, dirtfarmer here

I will try to explain it in "southern" dialect.

When you read the story you will see that Abraham had some other people with him. When they to the place Abraham told the servant to wait at the base of the mount him and his son was going to go and sacrifice to God. So Abraham and his son begin to climb up and Isaac asked his dad; " Here is the wood and the fire, but where is the sacrifice?" Abraham answered and said, "God will provide himself a sacrifice" Abraham didn't say God will provide for himself, but God will provide himself a sacrifice.
It is my belief that Abraham understood resurrection and believed that since God told him to sacrifice Isaac and also had told him that it was through Isaac that the promised seed would come; that God was going to resurrect Isaac. I believe this because Abraham told his servants in Genesis 22:5 "We(both) are going up to sacrifice and will return." Notice that Abraham didn't say I'm going to return but we will return. It God testifying to the faith of Abraham and his trust in God.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

hello HelsRisen2018, dirtfarmer here

I will try to explain it in "southern" dialect.

When you read the story you will see that Abraham had some other people with him. When they to the place Abraham told the servant to wait at the base of the mount him and his son was going to go and sacrifice to God. So Abraham and his son begin to climb up and Isaac asked his dad; " Here is the wood and the fire, but where is the sacrifice?" Abraham answered and said, "God will provide himself a sacrifice" Abraham didn't say God will provide for himself, but God will provide himself a sacrifice.
It is my belief that Abraham understood resurrection and believed that since God told him to sacrifice Isaac and also had told him that it was through Isaac that the promised seed would come; that God was going to resurrect Isaac. I believe this because Abraham told his servants in Genesis 22:5 "We(both) are going up to sacrifice and will return." Notice that Abraham didn't say I'm going to return but we will return. It God testifying to the faith of Abraham and his trust in God.

I'm sorry that didn't clear anything up for me. I'm still very confused. I mean I understand it a bit better now but it didn't answer any of my questions.

 

[Tessa]

April you were right when you asked about God testing Abraham's faith. That is what happened. The Angel would only stop Abraham if God told him to do so.

Abraham proves his faith in God because he was willing to sacrifice his son to God.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

April you were right when you asked about God testing Abraham's faith. That is what happened. The Angel would only stop Abraham if God told him to do so.

Abraham proves his faith in God because he was willing to sacrifice his son to God.

Oh okay thanks for clearing that up for me. I'm not sure that even I have that much faith in God lol I don't think that I would sacrifice my son without at least asking a few questions first. I guess that proves once and for all why God is so great. He never asks questions. There was never a single doubt or a moment of hesitation in His mind when He sacraficed His only Son for us.

 

[Willie T]

It is a bit necessary to know somewhat more that the average person does to understand all of this.

First of all, Abram (later named Abraham) was the son of a man who made his living by carving totums of pagan gods. Abram was raised in the atmosphere of pagan worship where people sacrificed their children to their gods. This was not a "strange" request to him, and our God knew that. That is why this particular "test" was given to Abram. He was only planning to do what he already understood as "normal" religious behavior.

 

[Willie T]

Oh okay thanks for clearing that up for me. I'm not sure that even I have that much faith in God lol I don't think that I would sacrifice my son without at least asking a few questions first. I guess that proves once and for all why God is so great. He never asks questions. There was never a single doubt or a moment of hesitation in His mind when He sacraficed His only Son for us.

There was no hesitation because that act was already done (in God's realm of time not existing linearly as we know it) long before the Earth or Adam were ever created. It says so in the Bible.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

It is a bit necessary to know somewhat more that the average person does to understand all of this.

First of all, Abram (later named Abraham) was the son of a man who made his living by carving totums of pagan gods. Abram was raised in the atmosphere of pagan worship where people sacrificed their children to their gods. This was not a "strange" request to him, and our God knew that. That is why this particular "test" was given to Abram. He was only planning to do what he already understood as "normal" religious behavior.

Okay yeah, thanks for clearing that up lol for today we live in a world where generally speaking parents don't go around sacrificing their children. Lol that's mostly why I was a bit confused.

 

[Willie T]

Okay yeah, thanks for clearing that up lol for today we live in a world where generally speaking parents don't go around sacrificing their children. Lol that's mostly why I was a bit confused.

Bible Study is cool. But a lot of us have the idea that simply reading the Bible, cover to cover, is Bible Study. It is not. There is a ton of necessary study of the times, customs, cultures, history, idiosyncrasies, and many other facets of ancient life that we need to get under our belts before we really begin to understand the words of the Bible as we read them. One preacher I knew used to tell us to "put on your sandals" before you try to read Scripture.

I finished 12 years of formal Bible Study way back in my 30's, and I am only just now (at almost 73 years of age) beginning to see what the Bible REALLY meant in many instances. But, I would have fought you, tooth & nail, for all those decades, that I truly understood all of it then.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Uh yeah, apparently I fall underneath that category. (Of thinking that's what Bible study is) I'm just glad that I had questions about it now and not when I was growing up. For I was a Girl Scout and we liked to go on a lot of hikes, I would probably be paranoid if I had read and questioned that story back then and not so eager to go LOL!

 

[th1b.taylor]

Alright, so I just finished reading a Bible story that I never read before. It was back in the book of Genesis where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son and then an angel tells him not too. Many questions come to mind here but I will ask the ones that I feel are the most important. Was that really God telling him that I mean why would He? I sort of think that it was Satan disguising himself as God trying to decide him. And also, if it was really God telling him this then why would an angel suddenly tell him not to go through with it? Or could it be that God was just testing him? Could I please have some help with clearing all of this up? Again, sort of new at this.

I believe you will better grasp that situation with the acceptance of the truth of who God is and iof how He does things. Being as He created everything (John 1:1-3) it is not only Possible but it is Logical from the texts of the Holy Scriptures and the Historical and Archaeological Discoveries that always have confirmed the Scriptures to be true that it was not Satan/Lucifer trying Abraham but that it was indeed YHWH teaching Abraham the value of obedience and likely other lessons.

Just as this passage of Genesis teaches us, Abraham believed God when He promised to make a Great Nation of Issac and so it is that Abraham had to believe everything God had said was true. i.e. God could restore, even, the dead.

But remember, God had already transcended our Space/Time Continuum and knew Abraham would comply, actually, attempt to comply, with the directions from YHWH. Abraham, on the other hand had no real of the depth of his commitment to his Elohim. God knows His servants need instruction and Abraham, before this point, did not know himself to be a Mighty Man of YHWH. He realized at some point in there that God, really, was with him, no matter what.

God teaches any of us with with events that can wreck a persons life if they are not in God but if they are or later come in to Him, He heals and uses them as experienced laborers to guide those suffering the same or similar experience to walk them back into or in to the light.

Take my experience with finding my best friend that November night in Vietnam. No one has had to tell me to listen to the Grieving and to Shut Up until a question is asked, I remember heating a man half crazy because I was drunk and grieving, ran into and fell over a fifty-five gallon drum used for trash and he put his hands on me, to help me stand once more.

God used Hienen's death to instruct me on how to be a useful servant and to, just, love folks through their grief. God taught Abraham to never distrust Him, that He is always faithful, that He would never abandon him and likely another list of lessons with that command to sacrifice His only son from the wife of hiw youth.

 

[nmwings]

Alright, so I just finished reading a Bible story that I never read before. It was back in the book of Genesis where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son and then an angel tells him not too. Many questions come to mind here but I will ask the ones that I feel are the most important. Was that really God telling him that I mean why would He? I sort of think that it was Satan disguising himself as God trying to decide him. And also, if it was really God telling him this then why would an angel suddenly tell him not to go through with it? Or could it be that God was just testing him? Could I please have some help with clearing all of this up? Again, sort of new at this.

Yes, that was God telling him and the reason He did that was to teach Abraham and us about His own Son. His Son is so important to God that He devotes the first 5 Books of the Bible to teach us about Him. Every story, every name, number, and detail is teaching SOMEthing about Jesus......and this story is no exception.

Isaac is a picture of Jesus, and his actions set the criteria for what the Messiah's actions would be. (If Jesus had done anything different than what Isaac did, that would have disqualified Him as Messiah.... good thing He didn't, huh?!) Compare the 2 and you'll find..... they both are promised sons, both are conceived by a miracle, both fathers give them up willingly, both sons present themselves willingly, both carried the wood for their own offering, both were considered dead by their father (Abraham believed Isaac would be resurrected) , both have only one wife. There's more. See if you can find 'em.

The "Angel" who told Abraham not to kill Isaac was no Angel. That was the Messiah who stopped him. Why did He stop him? Because it is the Messiah who is the Acceptable Substitue, not Isaac. Isaac is just a foreshadowing. How can we know that was Jesus speaking? A big clue is that Abraham heard 2 voices. See where it says, "Abraham! Abraham!" in verse 1 and then again in verse 11? That wasn't a stutter. There are no idle words in Scripture. The Father and the Son are always together. Remember, Jesus told us, "I and My Father are one."
There's alot more, but this is a good start.

 

[eddif]

There is another reality you have to look at. Without this it strains the mind.
Here we go:
Job 1:1 kjv
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

Skip to last chapter:
Job 42:10 kjv
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.
12 So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

Before:
7,000 sheep
7 sons and three daughters
After:
14,000 sheep
7 sons and three daughters

So why did he get 14,000 sheep (twice as many)
But the same number of children (same #)

The thing is this:
People loved and prayed for are not lost in eternity. Yes they die but are still secure at the resurrection.

Job had 20 children just like he had 14,000 sheep. Just 10 we’re waiting to be united with Job.

Does it tell this? No. But. Count the numbers and you see twice the children (if you think)

This explains Lot offering his daughters to the men who wanted to rape the angels.

This should help. If it did not register pull my chain and I will try again.

Redneck
eddif

 

[eddif]

People loved and prayed for are not lost in eternity. Yes they die but are still secure at the resurrection.

I better add to this statement I made.

This is not a passive love. In Jobs case he prayed and offered sacrifices. The children (IMHO) would have wound up in Abraham’s bosom (where Jesus would have preached to them). Job would not have had his children without a deep relationship with God.

eddif

 

[Tessa]

Hello Eddif.
The numbers I have no problem, I have always believed that.
Can you please explain to me why , or how, Job would not have had his children if he had not had a deep relationship with God?

Is it because Job knew by this that he and His children would be in the kingdom of God?

Tessa

 

[Truthfrees]

Alright, so I just finished reading a Bible story that I never read before. It was back in the book of Genesis where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son and then an angel tells him not too. Many questions come to mind here but I will ask the ones that I feel are the most important. Was that really God telling him that I mean why would He? I sort of think that it was Satan disguising himself as God trying to decide him. And also, if it was really God telling him this then why would an angel suddenly tell him not to go through with it? Or could it be that God was just testing him? Could I please have some help with clearing all of this up? Again, sort of new at this.

i asked this question too of someone and they said this to me:

in the days of Abraham child sacrifice to the deities was a common practice - as was animal sacrifice - God was leading Abraham into a new understanding of the wrong things he learned from the world - namely that child sacrifice is absolutely not something God wants - this is the 1st record in the Bible of God addressing the issue of child sacrifice - and it was the definitive illustration from God to not sacrifice children - which Abraham and his descendants never did

why was abraham so quick to obey a command to sacrifice his son? - because that was a common practice in ancient times

why did God tell him to do it? - because God wanted to teach him and his descendants in an iconic way to never sacrifice children like all other peoples were doing

why didn't God just tell abraham not to sacrifice children? - God had already told childless abraham that he would have children and inherit land and become a great nation - abraham heard God but had a hard time believing so said to God - "how can i know this is true?" - this suggests that abraham wanted to believe but was having trouble doing so - so God told abraham to make a sacrifice so that God could make a covenant with him - and this covenant caused abraham to believe

so years later the issue of child sacrifice was dealt with via a profound experience rather than words

every hard to accept thing in the bible has a deeper lesson that is often missed - like slavery - God talks to slave owners about how to treat slaves in a manner that proves they are equally valuable to the slave owner - which eventually leads God lovers to oppose slavery altogether - a novel and revolutionary idea for that ancient time and even this modern time - God never told people to make people slaves - He only told them how to treat slaves as well as they treated themselves - and God told people how to free slaves and help them start a life of freedom - another revolutionary idea in a world where all peoples thought making people slaves was an acceptable thing - and mistreating slaves was also acceptable

 

[Brock]

Alright, so I just finished reading a Bible story that I never read before. It was back in the book of Genesis where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son and then an angel tells him not too. Many questions come to mind here but I will ask the ones that I feel are the most important. Was that really God telling him that I mean why would He? I sort of think that it was Satan disguising himself as God trying to decide him. And also, if it was really God telling him this then why would an angel suddenly tell him not to go through with it? Or could it be that God was just testing him? Could I please have some help with clearing all of this up? Again, sort of new at this.

He was testing him.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Hello Eddif.
The numbers I have no problem, I have always believed that.
Can you please explain to me why , or how, Job would not have had his children if he had not had a deep relationship with God?

Is it because Job knew by this that he and His children would be in the kingdom of God?

Tessa

Yeah, I am trying to figure all that out too. On the plus side I'm getting a lot of good responses to help me understand it more.

 

[eddif]

Hello Eddif.
The numbers I have no problem, I have always believed that.
Can you please explain to me why , or how, Job would not have had his children if he had not had a deep relationship with God?

Is it because Job knew by this that he and His children would be in the kingdom of God?

Tessa

Acts 4:10 kjv
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.


Luke 16:19 kjv
There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day:

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

On earth in the time before Jesus had completed his ministry, Abraham’s bosom was the normal holding place of dead persons trusting in God.
And
Those in torment in the grave.

To get the good guys to heaven:
I Peter 3:18 kjv
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

It appears that shortly after being raised from the dead he offered salvation to those in Abraham’s bosom. Just one (only one) way to get folks saved (the gospel).

Abraham trusted God and thus was in charge of those old time folks awaiting the resurrection. They got a sermon by Jesus (white garment wait awhile longer ?).
.....
Old covenant folks did what they were given to do, but there is one name for salvation.

Jesus went and preached to the OC folks imprisioned from living.

Today we hear the gospel while alive to believe.

I skipped so much and will be glad to fill in gaps if needed. I see through a glass darkly too.

Redneck
eddif

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Acts 4:10 kjv
Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.


Luke 16:19 kjv
There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day:

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

On earth in the time before Jesus had completed his ministry, Abraham’s bosom was the normal holding place of dead persons trusting in God.
And
Those in torment in the grave.

To get the good guys to heaven:
I Peter 3:18 kjv
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

It appears that shortly after being raised from the dead he offered salvation to those in Abraham’s bosom. Just one (only one) way to get folks saved (the gospel).

Abraham trusted God and thus was in charge of those old time folks awaiting the resurrection. They got a sermon by Jesus (white garment wait awhile longer ?).
.....
Old covenant folks did what they were given to do, but there is one name for salvation.

Jesus went and preached to the OC folks imprisioned from living.

Today we hear the gospel while alive to believe.

I skipped so much and will be glad to fill in gaps if needed. I see through a glass darkly too.

Redneck
eddif

I really hope that you got all of that Tessa because I didn't and then maybe you can explain it to me afterwards if you did.