Genesis 22:3-4

"And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off."

This poignant record of Abraham's prompt move to obey God's awful commandment casts a chill over the heart even now, and one may hardly read it without tears. Nothing in the literature of mankind approaches the dramatic and heart-breaking pathos of these stark words. The allegation that a half dozen "redactors" are the authors by a piecemeal and haphazard method of such an effective narrative as this must be fairly judged as belonging to the lunacy of "modern" Biblical criticism.

Some have supposed that the young men went along to carry the wood, but since Isaac was able to carry all they needed up the mountain, the more likely conclusion is that the ass was burdened with the wood, food supplies, etc., required by four men on a projected six-day journey, and that the young men were present to aid Abraham in carrying out God's commandment, in case Isaac had resisted. Besides that, they took care of unloading, feeding, unsaddling, etc., at nights, also, no doubt, in the preparation of meals. The type of "saddle" is not mentioned, and may not therefore indicate one for riding, although that is possible.

"Saw the place afar off ..." The dreadful hour was not long to come. What thoughts of pain and anguish must have stabbed the heart of Abraham the loving father, as God "showed him" the place. Up until this point, he might have prayed that God would alter or countermand His instructions, but NO! The offering of Isaac would take place before the sun went down that third day!