Secrets of the Bible

• Introduction
• Genesis
• The Creation of Man
• The Paradise
• The Snake - Symbol of Evil
• The Wood of Life
• The Children of the First Created
• The 10 Tribal Leaders & the 6 Days of Creation
• The Tower of Babel
• Abraham
• The Sacrifice of Isaac
• Jacob and Esau
• Exodus
• The Laws
• Joshua
• The Deuteronomy
• The Prophecies of Daniel
• The Revelation
• The Gospels

The Sacrifice of Isaac

     As I believe! The origin of sacrifice was the off-spring of a primitive belief. "Primitive" tribes believed that the spirits of dead need to eat, drink, or at least as spirit would enjoy the shooting smell of burning fat. The origin of circumcision was rather the Neolithic or so Age. This seems mostly clear while, according the writings, God "told them" to make stone knives and perform circumcision. Obviously, stone knives refer to stone age. Those traditions used to influence all tribes and nations, including of course Israel. As we read in the story of Abraham, although it was rewritten many centuries after Abraham and after Moses, still bring up that the Angels of God ate veal and butter. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob saw his brother like a face of god, further more we read that God "demanded" sacrifices for various reasons, and also to "enjoy" the shooting smell. Exactly like the tribal leaders did before die.

     Beside animal, used to sacrifice humans as well. The origin of this terrible tradition was the position of the first-born son. While was first, was very closed to his father, and so, he inherited his father's experience and position when father die. From some circumstantial factors and rather by the dreams, prevailed the belief that the dead father sometimes wanted to have with him his first-born son. There was also the unwritten law of the tribal leader for the first-born son to inherit, but for the primitives, the first-born inherited only the position of his father and his weapon as well, while there were not yet any private properties to inherit. At very posterior times, this unwritten law that remained as law of those deified fathers, and as law of God, caused serious problems of great appositions and discords, mainly among rich people, who were great owners and also brothers. Only the first-born had the right to inherit, while the second not only didn't inherit anything, but also was enforced to become slave of his brother!

      So the belief that the dead father "wanted" his first-born son, was the origin of human sacrifice, and because they thought the dead needed service and food, prevailed the other  belief that became tradition, not only to sacrifice animals but also to bury sometimes the wife and slaves, as well as food and water. Even in recent times there still exist some remnants of this tradition, where boiled wheat is offered in the memorial services, and it share between the mourners so might bless and forgive the dead, and also watering the tomb of dead. As it was following this tradition was extended in terrible dimensions in times of very dark conditions, and so used to sacrifice people for various intentions. In the books of Law the death penalty apply to anyone who sacrificed to Molochs, which rather looked like a pig, (deification of the pig), while all sacrifices on that "god" were human sacrifices. The Moabites and Ammonites used to worship that terrible "god" who according the perception "used to ask" for human sacrifices, and especially children. They used to set fire until becomes very hot, and then put in its horrible arms some unfortunate child as an offering to the devil-god.

      All tribes went through similar conditions including of course the Semitic tribes. In more advanced and development levels they were rejecting the human sacrifice, thinking more humane that the gods love the people and want no more people sacrificed. By the opportunity it is I think worthy to look briefly the sacrifice of Iphigenia. In Homer's writing we read that goddess Artemis was very upset because the king Agamemnon killed her "holy deer", and this occasion of revenge or punishment informs us also to what other kind of cases the gods "wanted' human sacrifices. The deer at the far back times was a totem of some tribes, in which the goddess Artemis was living. Whoever killed a deer it was like committing a crime, and the goddess demanded punished.

       The same goddess certainly was before the chosen wife of some tribal leader. Homer, who seems was against the human sacrifices, wrote about times, when people started to reject this terrible custom. The deer was still a totem, but the goddess lived no longer  in it. The goddess was reshaped into a natural force, she was the goddess of the wind. But rather she was imported goddess, and because the Greeks hunted the deers, only a concrete one belonged to Artemis, and it was "under her protection". When they placed Iphigenia on the altar, ready to sacrifice her, Artemis loved the alive and beautiful Iphigenia, she care no more about her deer, people care no longer about the deer of Artemis, they changed their decision as the goddess also did, they lifted up Iphigenia and transferred her in goddess's temple of Tauris. Well, then she became a priestess, or rather the correct is, she became a prostitute of priests' "business".

     Well, of course, this doesn't mean it is about a similar case to Isaac's sacrifice. Maybe there was some other similar story, but Moses' intention was certainly to teach his people how to be faithful and obedient to God, and mainly to teach that there is nothing you can put in the place of God. So this sacrifice passes divine messages. But as we realize even this story is falsified and adapted to that time of ignorance about God. It is written that God wanted to test Abraham, and no more no less, they wrote that God was feigning as if really wanted Isaac to be literal sacrificed, in purpose to find out what Abraham would do. God they said asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, and so according to them, the Lord said something did not mean it, which means lie, and was playing as hard to find out what Abraham would do! If it is possible! How could they know at their time that God knew the soul of Abraham, much more than Abraham knew himself, because His Spirit goes very deep and to "every corner" of the soul, and know very well what every Abraham would do. But of course these writings do not belong to Moses; certainly he never meant something like this. Abraham thought (due to the circumstances) he had to sacrifice Isaac, and not because God asked him to do so. In another words, this idea was put in his mind by the father of lie, the symbolic snake did it, not of course God.

     We read that the Angel told him, do not lay your hand on the lad. But of course the Angel  would not tell him before to sacrifice Isaac, would not tell him something false and unsuitable to God, to find out what Abraham would do! God of course never pretends, and certainly will never use a lie to find out what the human would do. Even a wrong belief or misunderstanding would serve sometimes God's intention. He who tempts the human is not God, but the devil. The message of this story says; God asks you to sacrifice metaphorically your son. Don't convert your son into your idol. Don't worship your son or your daughter or anybody else. You should love your son with real love, but the real love doesn't create idols. When we comprehend the Lord's teaching we also comprehend the allegorical story of Isaac. The Lord Jesus spoke and said; if you love your son or wife, mother, sister etc, more than Me you are not worthy of Me. Whoever put his son in the position of God, is not worthy of God.  Only God has the right to ask for something like this, no one else. True love is disinterested, and must be offered free, without expecting returns, because if we do expect returns, then it is not love. It is something that belongs to exchanges and commodities. Human should love and at the same time must be free and independent.

      The message says, keep away from idols. Do not worship anything; worship only God. Do not convert any famous "star" or any other human, or any other thing into idol; do not put your son or your lover, neither any other materialist treasure nor any thing else in the position of God. This is the idol, and not what people used to believe in their ignorance. Any thing we try to put in the position of God is an idol. And the attachment to an idol is a sick attachment to the death. Under this condition everything related with life loses its meaning, and only meanings related with death prevail. It is a condition that alienates the meaning of freedom and independence; it alienates the holy meaning of the pure love.

        The attachment to an idol is an attachment to the death, but the attachment to God who is the Creator, the Spring of life and love, the Master of life, this attachment is the spiritual health that show the way in life, it raises the human to the higher levels that approach the Perfection, approach God. In God there is perfect life, perfect love, justice etc. So if I love God more than anything else, which means, I do not put anything in the position of God, then I have perfect love, which I can offer it freely, and so I can really love my son or my lover and anyone else without be dependent from them and without converting them into my standing stool of my life. In a few words, we worship only God, not anyone else.

      Love is a treasure; it is the heart and breath of life. It streams from the vivifying Spirits of God, and when we siphon this pure love, then we have this spiritual treasure in our soul, and so we offer what we have, we offer this spiritual treasure by disinterestedness to our son and anyone else, but first with this pure love we love God, we worship and express our thanks to the Lord, who is the Spring and Giver of the life and the treasure of love as well. If we do not do that, then it means we are far away from God, and so we do not siphon pure love, we are then closer to the devil, and so we siphon other spiritual charcoals that come from the devil, which we mix them up with the indispensable means of life that stream from the Spirits of God. Then we are confused, we do not know where we stand and what we want.

      The real pure love streams from the Spirits of God; it vivifies, it shines, warms and never burns, never hurts, never destroys. Simply, more I love God, more I have love, and more I will be able to love my son. So the message that comes out of Isaac's sacrifice is, love your son, but convert him not into your idol. Don't place him in the position of God; don't make your son your god. If as a father, as Abraham, which means father, if you find your self in a position that enforces you to have a choice between God and your son, then you should sacrifice metaphorical your son. Do not "sacrifice" God. If you really love your son, at this case you should sacrifice him; otherwise you will be both losers.