Here in chapters 21-22 of Genesis we get to some of the most troubling passages in the book: two stories of children endangered by adults. In chapter 21 Abraham and Sarah send the firstborn (Ishmael) out to the desert to die. In chapter 22 it appears for a moment God asks Abraham to offer the second born (Isaac) as a sacrificial offering. In both situations, God intervenes to prevent the death of the child. These are stories that feel dark, chilling, and confusing. Let me suggest they are supposed to feel that way.

When you look at the book of Genesis with "a view from 30,000 feet," a certain theme rises from the book: how do we believe in a good God in a world full of terrible evil? While human eyes often fixate on the strange and destructive acts of God in the book of Genesis, the book is actually a profound indictment of how cruel and violent human beings are. And yet God's persistent love for human beings moves him to mercifully intervene to preserve life, not destroy it. The Bible is not a book of fairy tales to make us feel good about humanity. It is a raw and real book about the inhumanity of man but the divine kindness of God. The prophet Micah once asked, "Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" No, God does not demand human sacrifice for our sin, but in Christ he offers himself to interrupt our sin that we might, "do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly" (Micah 6:7-8).