Abraham son of Terah and Isaac son of Abraham

            I have undergone a lot of recent experiences which have kind of pointed me to the story of Abraham and Isaac. The story has been brought up a few times in recent conversations I’ve had with people and I have also been reminded of the biblical tale through the scripture passages that I’ve been reading.  In this entry, I will deal with the notions of trust and faith found in the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Last summer I enrolled in an existentialism class. During the course, we studied a theistic philosopher by the name of Soren Kierkegaard.  Kierkegaard was a Christian who utilized the Abraham and Isaac episode to help explain his concept of faith. 

            Before defining what faith is, it is helpful to understand Kierkegaard’s notion of the tragic hero.  The tragic hero is one who sacrifices or gives up their current ethical duty in order to express a higher ethical/universal duty (for the nation or community etc.). He uses the example of Agamemnon and the Trojan War: the deity demands to receive a young girl as a sacrifice in order for the army of Greece to be able to sail to Troy.  In order to appease the deity, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter to the goddess for the sake of the nation.  In this case, Agamemnon is a tragic hero because he is gives up his ethical duty (to love and protect his daughter) in exchange for performing higher moral action within the ethical (to love and protect his nation).  His actions are understandable and can even be considered admirable.

            Here’s the gist of Abraham’s story:   God promises that he will establish his covenant through Isaac (Gen 17:19). God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Gen 22:2).

According to society, Abraham’s highest expression of the ethical is to love Isaac.  Abraham’s actions differ from the Agamemnon’s case because his actions cannot be understood nor can his actions be considered admirable by the public eye: he is giving up his ethical duty in order to do something that has no benefit to others or his son.  

God asks for Isaac as an offering to test Abraham’s faith. Abraham carries out his actions, “for God’s sake and for his own sake. He does it for God’s sake because God demands this proof of his faith; he does it for his own sake so that he can prove it” (Fear and Trembling).  Kierkegaard defines faith as “precisely the paradox that the single individual as the single individual is higher than the universal (ethical), is justified before it, not as inferior to it but as superior” (Fear and Trembling).  The individual (Abraham) is made higher than the universal (as he enters into a relationship with God) and cannot be understood by anyone within the universal.  Those within the universal are given the choices to either deem Abraham as a man of faith or a madman.  To be able to display his faith, Abraham is required to take action; he must sacrifice Isaac to confirm his faith through obedience to God. 

In the same way, faith requires an action from the believer in order to display one’s faith and to prove their trust in God.  During the time of Joshua, God promised to give the people of Israel a land for themselves.  It was only when the people followed God’s instructions to take possession of the land that they were able to obtain it.  Initially the land was occupied by many peoples but the Lord gave these cities and nations into the hands of the Israelites: “Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their gathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

Lately I really feel that God’s been requesting me to place my Isaac on the altar.  I have no idea whether Isaac will be returned to me at sometime in the future but, for the time being, I will offer him up to the Lord because he belongs to him.  Like Abraham, my choice to give over Isaac has not been understood by the people who have heard my story because it does not bring any benefits to me or the universal.  I feel that this is the right thing to do because it seems that God is asking for a proof of my faith; he is asking me to choose for him over the universal and myself.  

And PTL! I just found out that my broganoff got accepted into MSU!

Good night!