Genesis 22 :12 " Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." I have to be very honest about the story surrounding this verse. It bugs me.  First God tells Abraham to take Isaac, his son, the one he'd been promised, Abraham's ONLY son born to him when he and his wife were very old, to a place on the mountain and offer him as a burnt sacrifice.  This is a very difficult request to understand and an even more difficult one to comply with! But let's not get into that. After Abraham takes Isaac to the mountain, he ties him and places him on an altar that Isaac probably helped build for the sacrifice.  Abraham is ready, with knife in hand, to slay his son. At the last second, an ANGEL appears to tell Abraham not to harm the boy.  An Angel. Not God, but an angel. He personally told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac but sends an angel to tell him...