Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller
Week 2: Chapter 1 — All You've Ever Wanted
Read Chapter 1 of Counterfeit Gods. Key passage: Genesis 12–22 (Abraham and Sarah; the offering of Isaac).
Previewing Week 2 of Counterfeit Gods
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 9-week guide when you’re ready.
Keller opens with one of the most dramatic stories in all of Scripture — Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac — and uses it to probe the hardest question this book raises: What happens when God asks you to give up the thing you love most?
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Keller traces the long, painful arc of Abraham and Sarah's longing for a child. How does the delay of Isaac's birth — spanning decades — set up the temptation to make Isaac an idol once he finally arrives?
2.Keller writes that we turn good things into idols by looking to them for "a sense of being uniquely loved and valued" that only God can provide. In what ways might Isaac have become that for Abraham — not just a son, but a whole identity and future wrapped up in one person?
3.Think about something in your own life that you have waited and prayed for a long time — a relationship, a child, a career breakthrough, restored health. How does a long wait intensify the danger of idolizing the thing when it finally arrives?