Note that in the case of Hagar and Ishmael the biblical text is condemning the actions of a slave and not calling the institution of slavery into question at all . Also if Ishmael had a mother who was Abraham ' s slave his status was probably also that of slave . Then again because of Sarah he kind of frees them . The story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac always reminds me of how Bronze Age the Bible is . From the very beginning of the Bible , sin brings death . They eat from the tree sin so they die . The wages of sin is death . You ' ve heard it all . It ' s just always struck me that when someone disobeys the God of Israel , something has to die , or in this case , even just to stay in his good graces , something occasionally has to die . Blood sacrifice is such an ancient idea that is mandated in throughout the Bible that I doubt many still practice in any way . God constantly needs blood . The blood of one ' s own son ? If you really follow me , spill it . Trick his ass into setting up his own altar . Kind of a terrifying image , Isaac asking about the animal ' s whereabouts . Miraculously an angel stays Abrahams hand and the story immediately is easier to stomach for religious nonliteralistsmoderates and fundamentalists alike . I went to an evangelical Christian high school and this story was always taught as proof of how noble the faith of Abraham was but people always neglected the exploitation of an innocent in this and the terror imposed upon the innocent in order to have a teachable moment which is a constant theme in scripture .