How to rationalize these two Bible narratives?

[Aupmanyav]

It is a matter of faith and not rationalization as sought by the OP. Attempt to rationalize lands one in the Atheist camp.

 

[Hawkins]

It's been a goal of mine to write a translation and commentary of Genesis in one year. I'm now in the tenth month of this project and am not even half-way through. Here's my latest stumbling block:

How are these two narratives - The story of Sodom and Gomorrah and the story of Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son, Isaac - to be rationalized. I do not have an answer but have described the conflict here.

I was hoping that some fresh eyes with different perspectives might provide some way forward. Thanks in advance.

Blessings,

Sodom and Gomorrah
The same as the Noah's story. God can destroy a branch (even all mankind) of humans if that branch is no longer savable. Earth is built for the purpose of identifying the saved from the unsaved, the righteous from the wicked. This purpose is defeated if a place is in a status of "none are savable". God however promised Noah that He will not destory mankind as a whole till the so-called "Judgment Day". He reserves the right to partly destroy places like Sodom and Gomorrah in order to serve the purpose of building up Israel as God's message center (in effect). He will thus take all measures necessary for Isarel to survive spiritually as well as physically to convey God's message of salvation to the world as of today.

Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son, Isaac
You need to first know the historical background of the middle east. Canaanites worship idol gods such as Baal and practise child sacrifice to these idol gods. So if they have the faith to sacrifice their own children to serve a false god, God shows through Abraham that he has the same faith to serve a truth God. God at the end stop Abraham and told him that sacrifice is not what God wants. Since then child sacrifice is never a part of the Judaism religious practices. The event serves the purpose of telling seriously child sacrifice is unwanted. At the end, God uses a prepared goat/sheep in the place of Issac. It is a prophecy on how God's Sheep Jesus is used as a sacrifice in the replacement of the death of humans.