Choices, Choices...

The prophets were men who were sent to guide mankind, but they’re gone now. What we’re left with is the historical account of their lives from which to draw lessons. Time however has marched on, and life today is vastly different from when the prophets were alive. The pictures that follow contextualize events in religious history by their relevance to our lives today, and ask you what the lesson is.

7  images in this art collection. Comment below.

To prove his faith, Abraham was asked by God to bind his beloved son Isaac and sacrifice the child. The moment before Isaac was turned into a ram must’ve been a trying one. Was truth the command of Abraham’s inner intuition, or the fact that he had a blade to his son’s neck?

Choices, choices.

Adam and Eve’s story in the garden is well known. More interesting than the serpent is the choice represented by the apple. It’s one for the lesser of two evils: Biting into the apple is an ungrateful act towards a God that gave them life, but not eating it is to dismiss the tree of knowledge that could help Adam and Eve become the human beings that God intended them to be – and that is disrespectful to themselves.

Choices, choices.

After telling the muslims that he had received a revelation from Allah to attend the annual pilgrimage in Mecca, Muhammad signed the Treaty of Hudaibiya that kept the muslims in exile from their hometown for yet another 10 years. This too, he claimed, was a revelation from God. Luckily, it later led to a Casus Belli on the part of the Kuraish rulers of Mecca, but does a leader honour the needs of his people or his vision?

Choices, choices.

The contemporary background in this picture makes for a lovely picture:

When Joseph was thrown down the well by his jealous brothers, he was offered rescue by a gang of thieves. In danger of dying in the well, he put himself in the hands of those who could kill him. Do you think he trusted life to unfold as it should, or his own ability to protect himself?

Choices, choices.

A story from Jesus’ youth talks about him in the company of friends who were boasting about the clay animals they had made. When Jesus gave life to a clay bird, the other kids went home to tell their parents about it. They were warned to shun Jesus for he would likely grow into a sorcerer. Jesus however simply wanted to give a sign of the holy spirit to invite people to God, but expressing himself wasn’t acceptable by his society.

Choices, Choices.

Do you think Moses wondered if he was mad for climbing the mountain to speak to a God that was considered imaginary to everyone else, or if his people were mad for making a God out of anything they could find? Either way, the choice was to either remain with his tribe, in danger of an environment that didn’t agree with his beliefs, or to wander off alone and not have a tribe to give his beautiful message to.

Choices, choices.

The warm hues in the background of this artwork make for an attractive abstract picture:

Flogging a dead horse is probably what Noah must’ve felt like when his every attempt to persuade others of respecting each other was met with mockery. Knowing the flood was coming, Noah boarded the ark to save himself. Up till then he was preaching that community was a virtue.

Choices, choices.

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