Abraham's Three Runnings Repaid at Sinai and Beyond

"And he lifted up his eyes and looked, etc." (Genesis 18:2). Rabbi Simai said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: In the merit of three runnings that you ran, by your life, when I come to give the Torah to Israel, I will run before them three runnings. And these are the three runnings that Abraham ran: "And he ran to meet them" (Genesis 18:2); "And to the herd Abraham ran" (Genesis 18:7); "And Abraham hastened to the tent, etc." (Genesis 18:6) — behold, three runnings. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, repaid His children at Sinai correspondingly, as it is said, "And He said: The Lord came from Sinai, etc." (Deuteronomy 33:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: By your life, you said, "Let now a little water be taken" (Genesis 18:4). With that very expression I will redeem you from Egypt, as it is said, "And I will take you to Me" (Exodus 6:7) — behold, in this world. In the world to come, from where? As it is said, "And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family" (Jeremiah 3:14). You said to them "now" (na); by your life, with that very expression I will rebuke your children, as it is said, "Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, etc." (Isaiah 1:18). You said to them "a little"; by your life, with that very expression I will drive out the nations from before your children, as it is said, "Little by little I will drive them out from before you" (Exodus 23:30). And from where also for the world to come? As it is said, "For thus says the Lord of Hosts: Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake [the heavens and the earth]" (Haggai 2:6). You said to them "water"; by your life, I will raise up the well for your children, as it is said, "Spring up, O well — sing to it" (Numbers 21:17). And from where also when they entered the land? As it is said, "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, etc." (Deuteronomy 8:7). From where also for the world to come? As it is said, "And there shall be upon every high mountain and upon every lofty hill streams, channels of water" (Isaiah 30:25).