Abraham, the 10th Plague, etc: now I get it!

As a youngin, in Catholic school and in listening to the scriptures at Mass, I'd heard the story of God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to prove his loyalty  Now while it struck me as a bummer, I think I generally equated it to God telling Abraham to kill his pet dog.  I figured, "what's the big deal, he can just make another son."  But 16 months into the raising of my own son (25, if you count incubation, although most of the work was Theresa's to be honest), I can now say I understand the profoundness of what was going on there.  Actually, to not mince words, I can now say without reservation - that is some fucked up shit.  I mean, who the hell pulls a stunt like that?  From an objective standpoint, I actually wonder what the the outcome of the test indicates.  Loyalty?  Really?  How about blind faith?  Cowardice?  Hell, where's Abe's loyalty to his children?  And his wife and all those who put their blood, sweat, and sleep into raising the child?  I suppose it does tell God what to expect from the test.  But then you have to wonder whether by conducting the test, he has now guaranteed that ole reliable Abe will now do his bidding the next time God asks him to do something fucked up.  Of course, given that God is all-knowing, you could say that the test was not for God's benefit.  It was for Abe's (and the rest of humanity).  In other words, God's providing a little hint as to where we stand in the grand scheme of things.

But I digress.  My original point had to do with how parenthood has helped me understand the true gravity of what was going on in the Bible, and, for that matter, in all of history.  The 10th plague of Egypt where God killed the first born sons.  That's not just a bummer.  That's a serious number of grieving parents.  You better believe that Pharaoh's poll numbers are going to drop.  Now, anytime I see a scene in a movie where a kid is separated from his parents - man, that resonates with me big time.  It's unthinkable to imagine the pain of forcibly breaking the bond.

I can now imagine what that's like.  And it's mind boggling.