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Several years ago while at another ministry, it was suggested that I write a couple of television scripts and a booklet about parenting. It seemed logical, I suppose, since I was then in the weeds of parenting a four-year-old and a six-year-old. A preschooler and a first-grader. I was at the stage of parenting where my world revolved around filling sippy cups, driving kids on field trips and tackling endless mountains of laundry. I agreed to the project but it never felt right. I may have been snowed in by the duties of parenting, but that didn’t mean I had a clue about what I was doing.

The concern is valid. I’ve wrestled with the same question in the past. I’m relieved that God stopped Abraham from committing such a heinous act. However, this does not change the fact that He requested it. It also does not change the fact that Abraham obeyed. What kind of God would ask for a human sacrifice? And what kind of man would willingly lay his son on an altar and raise the knife fully intending to come down with it? 

In ancient Rome, the color purple was derived from Murex seashells and was, therefore, the most expensive dye available. This inky coloring was reserved for the cloth that would be stitched into clothes for the emperor and senators. And senators had limited access. They were allowed to wear some purple clothing, but if anyone dressed completely in purple, it was considered treason. Treason was punishable by death.