way people act, and when the Old Testament tells us that someone got up early to do something, it implies being really committed to it. We are inclined to assume Abraham must have gone in for some heart searching and must have talked all night with Sarah (let alone with Isaac) about this agonizing expectation of God’s. We want to know how Abraham knew it was God anyway and not Satan. The story reckons all that is unimportant, because its focus lies on Abraham’s commitment and on his trust in God.