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a tutoring God (George Q. Cannon)

But here comes the command of God to this man [Abraham] who has been taught so scrupulously about the sinfulness of murder and human sacrifice, do to these very things.  Now, why did the Lord ask such things of Abraham?  Because, knowing what his future would be and that he would be the father of an innumerable posterity, [God] was determined to test [Abraham].  God did not do this for His own sake; for He knew by His foreknowledge what Abraham would do; but the purpose was to impress upon Abraham a lesson, and to enable him to attain unto knowledge he could not obtain in any other way.  That is why God tries all of us.  It is not for His own knowledge; for He knows all things beforehand.  He knows all your lives and everything you will do.  But He tries us for our own good, that we may know ourselves; for it is most important that a man should know himself.  He required Abraham to submit to his trial because He intended to give him glory, exaltation and honor; He intended to make him a king and a priest to share with Himself the glory, power and dominion which He exercised. 

George Q. Cannon
Conference Report April 1899, p. 67
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