Behold

A Behold picture book

The Voice on the Hill

Dad always does what the Voice says. Always.

  1. Dad and Mom waited a long, long time for a baby. They waited until their hair turned gray. A Voice had promised them a son. At last, Milo was born. "You're the best thing I was ever given," Dad whispered.

  2. Dad had a secret. Sometimes the Voice spoke to him from the sky. The Voice had kept its promise. So Dad always did what the Voice said. Always.

  3. One night, the Voice said: "Take your son, your only son Milo, the one you love. Go to a hill I will show you. Burn him there as a gift to me." Dad didn't argue. He got up early. He packed firewood, a lighter, and his knife.

  4. Dad and Milo drove for three whole days. On the third day, Dad looked up. He saw the hill, far away.

  5. Milo carried the firewood up the hill in his backpack. "Dad?" said Milo. "We have the wood. We have the fire. But where is the lamb for the gift?" "The Voice will give us a lamb," said Dad.

  6. At the top, Dad stacked the wood. He tied Milo up and laid him on the wood. Then Dad reached for his knife.

  7. "STOP! Don't hurt the boy!" called a voice from the sky. "Now I know you fear God. You did not hold back your son from me." Dad looked up. A ram was stuck in a bush by its horns. Dad burned the ram instead.

  8. The Voice was proud of Dad. It promised him more grandkids than the stars in the sky. To this day, people call Dad a hero.

  9. Then Dad walked back down the hill. Where was Milo? The story doesn't say.

The End.

The source, revealed

The Fine Print

Genesis 22:1–19

Read it yourself

Where it's from

Genesis 22. People call it the Binding of Isaac. Kids learn it in Sunday school all over the world.

Who's who

In our story In the Bible
Dad Abraham
Mom Sarah
Milo Isaac, their son
The Voice God
The hill A mountain in the land of Moriah
The lighter Fire, carried by hand

What the text says

  • Plain words: God says: Take your son, the one you love, and burn him as a gift to me.

  • KJV (Genesis 22:2): "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering"

  • Plain words: Then God says: You did not hold back your son. So I will bless you.

  • KJV (Genesis 22:16-17): "because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee"

  • Plain words: The New Testament praises Abraham for it, too.

  • KJV (Hebrews 11:17): "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac"

What we kept

  • An old couple waits years for the son God promised.
  • God says: take your only son, the one you love, and burn him as a gift.
  • He doesn't argue. He gets up early and goes.
  • On the third day, he sees the place far away.
  • The son carries the wood.
  • The son asks, "Where is the lamb?" The dad says God will give one.
  • He ties up his son, lays him on the wood, and picks up the knife.
  • A voice from the sky says stop: "Now I know you fear God."
  • A ram stuck in a bush by its horns, burned instead.
  • A promise of family as many as the stars.

What we changed

  • The names, the place, and today's world: a car, a backpack, a lighter.
  • In the Bible, the one who calls "Stop!" is the angel of the Lord, speaking from heaven.
  • We left out the two helpers and the donkey who came part of the way.
  • Milo is a little kid. The Bible never says how old Isaac was. Some old Jewish teachings say he was a grown man. Either way, the dad is praised.

Look closely

At the end, the Bible says Abraham went back to his helpers (Genesis 22:19). It doesn't say Isaac came back with him. (Earlier, Abraham told the helpers "I and the lad will … come again to you," in Genesis 22:5. Many believers point to that line.)

How it's usually taught

Many teachers say it shows God does not want kids hurt. After all, he stops it. Others say it teaches you to trust God no matter what. The New Testament says Abraham believed God could bring Isaac back from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).

What the story doesn't say

The story never says the plan was wrong. Nobody tells Abraham he made a mistake. He gets a prize. The reason given is that he did not hold back his son.

Talk about it

  1. If a voice told a grown-up to hurt a kid, what should the grown-up do?
  2. If a neighbor did what Dad did, would you call him a hero?
  3. Where do you think Milo was at the end?
  4. Is it a good test if the "right" answer is to hurt someone?
  5. Do you believe this is good advice?

One last question

If this happened on your street today, what would you call Dad?

Read Genesis 22:1–19 yourself