"...who did not spare his own son..."

Reading the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 is always mind boggling. I have so many questions...how did Abraham react when God told him to sacrifice his son? The scripture doesn't tell us. During their 3 day journey to Mt. Moriah, did Abraham gaze at his beloved son longingly, thinking about what lie ahead? Treasuring their every moment together? I like to put myself there and think about what it would have been like to witness that event. But the scripture simply says that Abraham obeyed and went to do what God told him to do. Yet it seems Abraham knew Isaac's life wouldn't end in death because when Isaac asked where the lamb was, Abraham replied "God himself will provide the lamb." Abraham binds his son, lays him on the alter, and raises his knife to slay him (can you even imagine this scene?) when the angel of the Lord stops him, saying that now God knew that Abraham feared God because he was even willing to sacrifice the one thing he loved most (yes, the son he waited 100 years to have!). At that moment God provided a ram caught in the thicket so Abraham could sacrifice it instead. Of course, we Christians know that this scene is a picture of Christ, the Lamb of God, being offered on our behalf, by God the Father. (See John 3:16!) But here's the huge difference between the 2 stories: Abraham was stopped from killing his son, passing the test from God...But at the cross, God told no one to stop. In fact, Jesus even pleaded for a way out, and his Father was silent. No one stopped the soldiers from beating Jesus, mocking him, and then nailing him to the cross. God let it continue. Now, as a parent, I have just a slight understanding of what it might be like to watch your child suffer and die...and not stop it from happening. This incredible truth is summed up beautifully in Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" How great is the love of God.