Sometimes when we read the stories in the Bible, some things God tells the people to do may seem beyond human reason. At that time, the saints of old followed the instructions of God just because it was God who told them to do it.

For example, on one occasion, God instructed Abraham to offer his son on the altar. We may have heard this story many times but if we were to ponder, it will seem strange for God to instruct someone who obeys and love him to do this.

But we know God isn’t one to go against His principles. How can we understand this biblical recordings then? On one hand, we must accept we have to accept God’s instructions purely out of faith. On the other hand, we also need to exercise reason in order not to be superstitious or blind followers.

Let’s read a few records in the Bible from the Old Testament. We first refer to Abraham offering Isaac.

A few years ago, a supposed Christian in the US claimed to receive the revelation of God. Thereafter, he killed his sister-in-law and niece. When he was arrested, he didn’t show any signs of remorse because he said he had received a clear revelation from God to do so. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong to the very end because he thought he had some something according to God’s will.

For many who don’t believe in God, they make use of the story of Abraham being asked to offer Isaac as justification of why this person did this.

How do we know Abraham’s faith wasn’t blind faith?
Rom 4:17
It wasn’t on Abraham’s first day of interacting with God did God instruct him to offer Isaac. It was when Abraham was at the peak of his faith that God gave this instruction. When Abraham first got to know God, his faith was at an elementary stage. On several occasions after that, God gave him assurances of His promises and blessing. Only after many years had passed when he was 100 years old did he have a son through Sarah.
When Isaac was born, Abraham’s faith was able to reach this level: “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did”

Gen 18:17
Here God was going to punish the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Before doing so, he told Abraham. When Abraham knew, he ‘bargained’ with God if there were x number of righteous people, to spare the cities. From this we can see Abraham’s close relationship with God and deep understanding of God.

After Abraham had gone through all this, then God instructed him to offer his son.

Even though Abraham had already developed a close relationship with God, he had to exercise a huge amount of faith to do this.

Abraham was able to do this because he already had a very deep understanding of God.

What was Abraham thinking at this point in time? If we reach the account of the conversation between Abraham and Isaac as they were on the way to offer, Isaac asked where the lamb was and Abraham said God would prepare. Even though Abraham didn’t know exactly what would happen, he had the faith that God would provide.

Gen 22:4-5
Even from how Abraham spoke to his servants revealed his faith. “Stay here. I will go yonder and worship and WE will return.”

Abraham had full faith both he and Isaac would return. Abraham’s faith wasn’t one that was blind. He truly knew God well.

When he came to the place of the sacrifice and raised his knife up, what was going through his mind was that he believed God was able to raise his son back to life again (according to Hebrews). At the point Abraham raised his knife, God stopped him there and then, “Now I know that you truly fear Me.”

From this we can see that God is not one who is unreasonable; who would require one to kill one’s own son. We know subsequently that the offering of Isaac became a prefiguration that Christ has to sacrifice Himself for mankind. Jesus became like the lamb offered on the altar in place of Isaac.

God indeed knows our hearts. Before He even tells us to do anything, He already knows our hearts. Even so, God still requires us to follow His instructions. Because if we don’t follow His instructions, how do we display our faith?

We know from this incident that what God requires from Abraham was very difficult. But it didn’t stem from God being unreasonable nor did Abraham obey because of blind faith.

Deut 20:16-17
God through Moses instructed the Israelites that when they enter the land of Canaan, they are to destroy all the tribes there. Some people who don’t believe in God accuse/protest against God of ethnic cleansing; that this is so cruel because the utter destruction of these tribes include children.

Such people may accuse God, but it also shows that they believe there is an absolute standard. If not on what basis do they accuse God of being cruel?

Why does the God in the Old Testament seem more cruel than the one in the New Testament?
Lev 18:3, 21, 23
This passage describes the great evil the inhabitants of Canaan committed. They sacrificed their children and burned them as an offering to their idol Molech. They mated with animals! When God commanded the Israelites to destroy the people of Canaan, we must understand it was God using the Israelites to mete out righteous punishment. Let us not misunderstand that God is trigger happy and always ready to punish at the first instance.

In Genesis, God also told Abraham that his descendants would suffer affliction in Egypt for 4 generations because the sin of the Canaanites wasn’t full yet. This shows they still had a chance to repent. 4 generations is a long time to turn back. Some people may say: Ok point taken. What about the innocent children then?
We need to consider God’s POV who can see the hearts of men. We may think they’re innocent but they may not be. After 4 generations, even the infants grew up evil. God hence wanted to eradicate this evil system. The God we worship is truly just.

Hab 1:5-6
Through prophet Habakkuk, God said He would raise up a bitter and hasty nation to punish the Israelites. This was something prophet Habakkuk found difficult to swallow. Why would God allow another evil nation to punish the Israelites? But actually it shows how God is just. When the Israelites followed the ways of the people of Canaan, God punished them even though the Israelites are His chosen people. We can see that God is indeed just and righteous. When there’s evil, He’ll surely bring judgement to pass.

Job 1:9
Satan questioned God that Job only feared God because He blessed him. On one hand, he insulted God, on the other hand he shamed man for only worshipping God because they got benefits. Satan himself is a fallen creature who imposed his fallen nature to interpret this. Actually Job came to worship God not because of extraordinary benefits. When Satan took away his possessions and his children’s lives, Job continued to praise God. “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Later Job went through an even bigger trial - boils all over his body. Even his wife told him to curse God and die. Some people only worship God to receive peace from Him, just as Satan conjectured. But the story of Job helps us understand why righteous people sometimes have to suffer. People may have the misconception that suffering must be due to sins committed. But Job was a man who was blameless and upright, one who fears God and shuns evil. Job himself couldn’t reconcile this in his heart. His friends came to comfort him but in their comfort they said he must’ve done something to sin against God. Job reflected and said he had not sinned! So his conclusion was that it must’ve been a mistake of the Almighty God to treat him in this manner. His friends said, “It cannot be that the Almighty God is like that. It must be you who has done wrong!”

There’s a branch of philosophers called Epicureans who don’t subscribe to the belief of an Almighty God that’s good. They don’t think God is all mighty and/or loving/good. Because if He’s good, why does He allow humans to suffer? If He’s mighty, why doesn’t He stop the suffering? So they come to the conclusion God is not mighty and/or not good. But from Job we understand God may allow people to suffer because He is sovereign and has everything in control. In the conclusion of the book of Job, God asked Job if he knew about the animals and the plants and etc. After all of God’s questions to Job, he was rendered speechless. He came to realise that even if he were to suffer without God giving a reason, God is sovereign.

Rom 5:2-5
Often, tribulations is something that precedes perseverance and character. Regarding hope: why do we hope for heaven? Because we recognise our lives on earth isn’t perfect and that there’s suffering. Also that our lives are but temporary. We’ll die no matter how we live. But because our heavenly home is good beyond compare, we hope to enter it.

Tribulation produces perseverance. One thing Job is famous for is his perseverance. Because he indeed faced so much tribulations but continued to endure and persevere till God opened a way for him.

How is our character formed and built? When we learn patience and perseverance through tribulations. Perseverance leads to our character. When we go through this, we can truly rejoice because we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Sometimes when we read the book of Job, we may wonder about the logic or reason behind it. But we also need to consider the aspect of faith.

John 6:69
Jesus asked His disciples if they knew who He was. Some followed Jesus for physical reasons. So when Jesus spoke of harder teachings regarding the Holy Communion, they left. But the disciples said they weren’t going away because they believed He was the Son of the Living God. They had faith.

Faith is still being able to accept and believe even in the hardest of times.

There’re two parts to v69:

1. “We have come to believe” refers to faith.
2. “We have come to know” means also having the correct understanding of it.
   The Bible helps us to truly know the God we worship. Our faith isn’t blind. We truly know what we’re believing. We must know what we’re believing. Our belief hence encompasses both our faith and rationality.