Before sacrificing Isaac, Abraham addresses the young men he brought with him. He orders them to stay at the foot of the mountain while the ritual happens, though he reassures them, saying “we will return.” This implies that both him and Isaac will return from the summit, not just Abraham. This suggests that maybe Abraham did not fully commit himself to the plan of killing his son. It’s technically not lying because he does return with his son, but, at that moment, it is uncertain whether Abraham intended to lie or to keep the option of sparing Isaac available. A similar interaction happens later in the narrative when Isaac becomes suspicious on the journey up and notices the obvious lack of a sacrifice. Abraham responds that God will provide the sacrifice, which is blatantly a lie to Isaac. He knew that God was making him go through with this difficult test and that there was only one way to pass. The intention behind this statement was not to delay the inevitable, but the deceive his son and further his task.
What stands out most in this narrative is the absurdity of God’s request from Abraham: kill your son, the gift God has promised you for your devotion. Why would God gaslight his most devoted follower? Because he can. The preceding passages of Genesis describe God’s relationship with a very ungrateful humanity. Despite everything he has given them, they still desire more and desire to take it for themselves. God wants to avoid this scenario from happening again, so, as a countermeasure, he tests Abraham to see if his devotion to God is dependent on God or on what God has given him. By taking away Abraham’s closest possession, He wants to see what Abraham truly values. Abraham agrees to the request because he is exactly what God is looking for, someone who values God more than any earthly reward. By following orders faithfully, he is praiseworthy. The same cannot be said for God because of the inherent nature of the test he constructed. It is both deceptive and negatively-biased, reflecting a mindset of guilty till proven innocent instead of innocent till proven guilty. In this interaction, God demonstrates his distrust of humanity. However, Abraham’s faithful actions may have restored this trust at the current time.
Austin's Theology Responses 
Your arguments concerning Abraham’s lying and God being praiseworthy are interesting. I can see where you are coming from in both. However, I disagree with you on both. I do not think Abraham was lying when he told his men they would return. While he may have said this, I do not necessarily believe that he was considering the possibility of not killing Isaac. If anything, I think he was hoping that God would offer mercy. Abraham was fully prepared to kill his son. Also, I do believe that God is praiseworthy. I think commanding Isaac to sacrifice his son was the perfect test, and God has the full right to ask this of Abraham. God has been betrayed too many times and yet, he still cares for humans and wants to make sure that they have a worthy leader to follow. The question of whether or not Abraham is praiseworthy was something that I was unsure of at first. I finally decided to say that he is not. However, your argument is strong and if Abraham is willing to sacrifice his son for his God, there is something admirable in that.
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I said something very similar in response to the praising God issue. What bearing do you think this story has on the characterization of God in the Bible (especially the Old Testament)?
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You state that “[Abraham] knew that God was making him go through with this difficult test and that there was only one way to pass”. Do you mean that Abraham knew that he had to sacrifice Isaac in order to pass, or that he knew that God was testing him, knowing that his son would be fine? If it is the latter, I might have to disagree. Having such faith that God will stop you at the last moment from killing your son seems unreasonable. While Abraham may be able to have such faith, I know that most people may not be able to. What is your take on this?
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No worries, I was arguing the former. Abraham may be seen as a model patriarch, but I don’t think even he had that much faith in God.
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