Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

Each experience that Abraham had since God told him to leave Ur with his family increased his faith and trust in God. By the time he was asked, many years later, to sacrifice the promised seed (Isaac), God knew that Abraham’s faith in Him and in His ability to raise the dead had solidified to the point where Abraham would be able to obey this seemingly strange request. 

So, why did God ask Abraham to do such a deed if He knew what the end result would be? We believe that it was not for God’s sake, but for Abraham’s. By obeying God’s command, Abraham proved to himself that his faith was not just verbal, but was an active faith, even to the point of death.

Next to Jesus, Abraham is probably the Christian’s greatest example of faith. 

To learn more about why God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, listen to, “Does the Bible Contradict Itself?” (Contradictions Series, Part II)