Was Abraham shocked? Did he stagger under this stunning blow? Did he pause to debate the matter with God? Did he beg that the awful agony might be at least delayed till he could collect himself and prepare for a trial so unexpected, so sudden, so terrible to bear? The record gives no hint of any thing of the sort. Abraham had heard God’s voice many times before and could not have had the first doubt as to its identity. If the least doubt had crossed his mind he surely would have said――“Lord, this seems so unlike Thee: Is it not Satan, thine enemy? I can not move one step until I know of a certainty that this is thine own voice.”――――But there was no relief in this direction. Yet we almost instinctively ask――Did not Abraham expostulate? Did he not say――O my Lord, this Isaac is the son of thine own promise, my only hope for that great and long promised posterity; and what wilt thou do for _thy truth_? Besides, the deed is so shocking, so revolting to a father’s heart! Moreover, hast thou not said――“Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed”? And what an example this will be before all the tribes of the earth! How it will encourage them on to murder their children in sacrifice to their gods! We can readily make up what may seem to us very strong arguments against obedience to such a command; but it does not appear that Abraham whispered in his heart the first one of them. The only hint we have of his deep thoughts in the case comes through the writer to the Hebrew Christians――“Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead.” Plainly the Lord meant to show that his command when made known unquestionably is to be obeyed without debate――with no misgivings, no faltering, no fear. So Abraham moved firmly on, saying not a word to Sarah, keeping his counsel even from his two chosen servants and from his son; holding the strange secret in his solitary――shall we say, _sad_ bosom?――――No; for there is not the first note of sadness throughout this wonderful transaction. Look at those three days of ongoing journey. Ah, was not this a long time to think over the strange deed! And those intervening nights――was there any sleep to his eyes while this terrible suspense lay still between the command and its execution?――――So far as appears Abraham moved on with unshaken fortitude and undisturbed calmness. Certain it is that he never lost his self-possession, for he continued to plan carefully and even sharply against disturbing influences. He could not trust his servants to stand by; so he halted them at a distance back from the scene. He kept the awful secret from his son Isaac until he had him bound and laid on the altar and the uplifted blade was ready to fall!