Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. (Gen 22,3-4)
Abraham reached the place where Orthodox Jews believe the key events of spiritual history took place. Here Jacob would later have a vision of the open heavens; here fire would fall on David's sacrifice to mark the place for sacrifice; here Solomon's temple would stand; and "when the fullness of time is fulfilled" (Gal. 4:4) the beloved Son, the Lamb of God, would be sacrificed again on this mountain.
God made His will known to Abraham. From that moment on, it was up to him to obey and to what extent. He could still stop. He could turn around and go back. He could continue and look for another replacement instead of his son. Then he would have hold a grand sacrificial assembly on the mountain and presented to God a different version of worship than God wanted. Abraham did none of these things, but that doesn't mean that such things weren't on his mind as well. At the moment God spoke to him, he felt His nearness, but that experience faded and he was then left only alone there. He had to weigh how he was going to behave, and whether he would drink the bitter cup to the bottom.
He thought of many things, but he did not argue with God at all. It is clear that he no longer considered his or Isaac's life a private matter. God knows what I'm going through, and even whether Isaac is still alive I simply take from God's hand. He heard God again only after he had obeyed. This is the general principle of trial - after the trial is over, God draws nearer to man than ever before.
It was Jacob who later had a look into the spiritual world here. But he had a different attitude. That knowledge was certainly exciting and uplifting, but it was of little use to him; he saw many things but did not obey. Therefore God could not bless him yet; on the other hand, Jacob had a very hard life afterwards. Many people today are still trying to do the same thing - to come to a knowledge of the spiritual world without having to obey God. But it's futile. To obtain blessing, Jacob first had to be transformed, even broken. The blessing comes to those who obey.
Which sometimes means being ready to give God our most precious things, to get up early and walk the long road He has shown us. Until we hear His voice again.
