Re: Abraham of the OT.
God does ask for the sacrifice of Isaac, not thy bullocks. In Hebrew it would be something like "Take now that son of thine, that only one of thine, whom thou lovest, that Isaac." The place they were to go was in the land of Moriah, three days journey. This gave Abraham time to consider it. The manner was to offer him as a burnt offering, hence he must not only kill him as a sacrifice. This appears against the law as God forbids murder under a severe penalty. God gave him no reason for it. When Ismael was cast out a just cause was given, but here Isaac must die, and Abraham must kill him and neither know why. How could this consist with the promise God had made to Abraham "Genesis 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac thy seed be called."
The command did not permit debate but obedience. He left his servants at some distance off, lest they should interfere, thus when Christ was entering upon his agony in the garden, he took only three of his disciples with him, and left the rest at the garden door. He obliged Isaac to carry the wood, while he himself carried the fatal knife and the fire. Without any ruffle he talks it over with Isaac as it had been but a common sacrifice he was going to offer. Isaac asked him, "My father.. Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb?" This must have struck Abraham at his heart, this must have been heart rendering. Abraham answers " My son, God will provide himself a lamb."
However, a sacrifice was provided instead of Isaac, thus, first Christ, the great sacrifice of atonement was of God's providing. Secondly, All of man's sacrifices of acknowledgement are of God's providing too. It is he that prepares the heart Psalms 10:17. The broken and contrite spirit is a sacrifice of God, of his providing.
Abraham goes with a heavy heart and arrives at length at the fatal place, builds the altar, the saddest that he ever built, lays wood for Isaacs funeral pile, and now tells him "Isaac, thou art the lamb which God has provided." Isaac does not attempt to make his escape, or resist. Abraham ties his guiltless hands and lays him upon the altar, and now he lifts his eyes to heaven and takes his knife and stretches out his hand, here is his act of faith and obedience as a spectacle to God, men and angels. This is a representation of the love of God to man, in delivering up his only-begotten Son to suffer and die for man, as a sacrifice.
Isaac is rescued, the command to offer him was only a trial, hence the order is countermanded "Lay not thy hand upon the lad." Another sacrifice is offered instead of Isaac, Abrahams words are made good, "God will provide himself a lamb," reference must be had to the promised Messiah the blessed seed. Christ was sacrificed in mans' stead, as this ram instead of Isaac, and his death was man's discharge. Now that blessed seed was lately promised, and now typified by Isaac, yet in the offering of him up should be suspended: and in the mean time the sacrifice of beasts should be accepted, as this ram was, as a pledge of that expiation which should one day be made by the great sacrifice. And it is observable that the temple, the place of sacrifice, was afterwards built upon this Mount Moriah, this place Abraham called "The Lord Will Provide." Moriah is also mentioned in 2 chronicles "Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the LORD appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite."
Abrahams obedience was accepted and recompensed "Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." This promise points to the Messiah, and the grace of the gospel. Zacharias refers to this in Luke 1 "The oath which he swear to our Father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways: To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in to the way of peace."
So no I would not kill someone, and in the bible God did not intend on killing Isaac as he'd made a promise to Abraham, and Christ had to come through Isaac, and the promise that the Lamb was slain before the world had already been made "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." In the New Testament the only sacrifices requested are asked of people to be living sacrifices "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Zack 