If we listen to Spock and follow the dictum that the good (comfort) of the many outweighs the needs of the few, then we best do the usual talk of Abraham’s faith in nearly sacrificing Isaac or skip the passage all together. The truth is, Isaac is profoundly passive throughout his short trip across the Bible’s stage. He is a young teen when he carries the wood for his own impalement, making him an accessory to attempted murder. You have to put the near-sacrifice of Isaac within the context of a life, almost not worth living. Not only does he pale in comparison to Abraham and Jacob, Sarah and Hagar, but hopefully, he compares badly to you and me.
So the mission, should you choose to accept it, is to speak a word of encouragement to those who are living codependent lives. Is there anything we can say to help people today, who are carrying the wood of their own sacrifice?
The biblical background is laid our well by G. Stolyarov II in http://voices.yahoo.com/on-passivity-isaac-book-genesis-287890.html I give a sample below:
Throughout Genesis, Isaac is predominantly passive and devoid of initiative. His life is shaped by others' decisions, to which he is not a party. Isaac is first a victim to his father's intention to sacrifice him to God. Only through divine intervention, not his own will, is Isaac saved. Then, Isaac's marriage is arranged for him and his wife procured by his father's servant. Isaac's family life, too, is subject to the machinations of his wife and son…
Isaac becomes a victim to his son Jacob's deception. He is therefore impelled to reject allocating his inheritance as he sees fit. Isaac tragically leads his entire life mired in the delusion that good things can come to him without any initiative on his part.