How do Christians deal with the violence in the Bible?

So then you don't believe that God tested Abraham's faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son?

When we get away from the literal vs metaphorical discussion I sure think you have some great insights. Great post!

Fair enough. But it amounts to the same thing, imo. The point was about testing God versus determining his will for our lives. Some of the OT stories present a view of God that is more akin to a capricious Greek or Roman God who is out to trick his subjects rather than help them find their way. I suspect the story of Abraham and Isaac tells us more about Abraham and the culture he was living in - where human sacrifice was sometimes practiced - than it tells us about God. It wouldn't have been the first time that Abraham misunderstood what God wanted him to do, would it? In fact, Abraham nearly always got it wrong the first time regarding God's will, didn't he? What makes you think that this time he was on the mark?

I don't see Faith as taking it out of context at all. As a matter of fact I see it as being very much in context. It is a continuing theme of OT scripture of blood sacrifice. This story of Abraham is as I read it, is God metaphorically telling the people of that era that human sacrifice is wrong and that it should stop. Christ was the culmination and the final sacrifice.

It just seems that you view the story of Isaac's sacrifice as a metaphor or fiction simply because you refuse to believe it is real, and not for any reason having to do with how it is related.

Now we should have thought these, and, no doubt, they thought themselves, a pious religious people; and yet they were far from being so, for (1.) Their hearts were empty of true devotion. They came to appear before God (v. 12), to be seen before him (so the margin reads it); they rested in the outside of the duties; they looked no further than to be seen of men, and went no further than that which men see.

11. God does not here absolutely disparage sacrifice, which is as old and universal as sin ( Gen 3:21 4:4 ), and sin is almost as old as the world; but sacrifice, unaccompanied with obedience of heart and life ( 1Sa 15:22 Psa 50:9-13 51:16-19 Hsa 6:6 ). Positive precepts are only means; moral obedience is the end. A foreshadowing of the gospel, when the One real sacrifice was to supersede all the shadowy ones, and "bring in everlasting righteousness" ( Psa 40:6, 7 Dan 9:24-27 Hbr 10:1-14 ).
full--to satiety; weary of
burnt offerings--burnt whole, except the blood, which was sprinkled about the altar.
fat--not to be eaten by man, but burnt on the altar ( Lev 3:4, 5, 11, 17 ).
12. appear before me--in the temple where the Shekinah, resting on the ark, was the symbol of God's presence ( Exd 23:15 Psa 42:2 ).
who hath required this--as if you were doing God a service by such hypocritical offerings ( Job 35:7 ). God did require it ( Exd 23:17 ), but not in this spirit ( Mic 6:6, 7 ).
courts--areas, which the worshippers were. None but priests entered the temple itself.
13. oblations--unbloody; "meat (old English sense, not flesh) offerings," that is, of flour, fruits, oil, &c. ( Lev 2:1-13 ). Hebrew, mincha.
incense--put upon the sacrifices, and burnt on the altar of incense. Type of prayer ( Psa 141:2 Rev 8:3 ).
new moons--observed as festivals ( Num 10:10 28:11, 14 ) with sacrifices and blowing of silver trumpets.
sabbaths--both the seventh day and the beginning and closing days of the great feasts ( Lev 23:24-39 ).
away with--bear, MAURER translates, "I cannot bear iniquity and the solemn meeting," that is, the meeting associated with iniquity--literally, the closing days of the feasts; so the great days ( Lev 23:36 Jhn 7:37 ).
14. appointed--the sabbath, passover, pentecost, day of atonement, and feast of tabernacles [HENGSTENBERG]; they alone were fixed to certain times of the year.
weary-- ( Isa 43:24 ).
15. ( Psa 66:18 Pro 28:9 Lam 3:43, 44 ).
spread ... hands--in prayer ( 1Ki 8:22 ). Hebrew, "bloods," for all heinous sins, persecution of God's servants especially ( Mat 23:35 ). It was the vocation of the prophets to dispel the delusion, so contrary to the law itself ( Deu 10:16 ), that outward ritualism would satisfy God.

From a historical point of view, that is why Paul had such a hard time convincing the jews, but rather went to the fertile field of the Hellenistic Gentiles for his evanagalism. The sacrifice of someone else for your mistakes did not make sense to the Jews, particularly a human sacrifice.