by Old-Timer » 15 Dec 2011, 17:49
Fwiw, my favorite interpretation of the Abraham / Isaac sacrifice story is that God was testing Abraham to see if he had given up completely the wicked practices of his own childhood (human sacrifice, especially of children) - and that Abraham failed the test.
I love that interpretation. In fact, I think I heard it once from someone (maybe you) but it never really sunk in until now.
But that interpretation raises other questions. I thought that because he was about to sacrifice his son, he passed the test, and therefore, was given all the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant, which we then have access to through temple ordinances. So, if Abraham was blessed by God to have those blessings made available to him, what did he do to warrant them if he failed the test?
I also wonder a bit about Job and the JS story where he asked people to give up their wives to him, out of a test of loyalty. I was told that story about JS in the MTC by one of my trainers. AT the time, it didn't even phase me, but now, it seems unconscionable.