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God Pleasing Faith, Enduring Faith, Lesson 14,
Hebrews 11:20-22, By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
We have in this triplet of verses the last words or near last words of men who are listed in this chapter as men of faith.
It used to be that loved ones of those near their last breath would gather round the bedside to listen to the last words of those whose next step would be in the direction of eternity.
Come to the bedside was the call, to hear Grandma or Uncle John speak before they depart this life, for last words were thought to be careful words, words of wisdom, words that would carry the living through this life in a better way.
Paul saw this truth to be one in which believers would strive, for in:
Philippians 1:21 he wrote, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
And Paul said: to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Paul saw that death for the believer was to be a time of rejoicing for this life was over, duties were done, the gospel was preached and heaven was entered.
You can sense this truth in our
Lord’s last words as given to us in Luke’s Gospel, Luke 23:46, Father, into
thy hands I commend my spirit. And likewise listen to Paul’s heart as he neared the time of his death, a time of beheading at the hands of the Romans.
But notice in his self-written eulogy the peace of mind that is communicated, while obviously knowing that death was to come shortly.
Paul speaks to us I Timothy 4:6- 8, For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
In our passage in Hebrews 11 today we again see the word couplet, “By faith” and in this case it is used in reference to the coming deaths of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.
What a reminder this is to us that faith is a lifetime gift of God, of use to us throughout our lives and or course of use to us when God calls us home.
Paul called upon his faith that he die well for he knew that he had fought a good fight and he knew that he had finished the course and in so doing he had kept the faith.
Faith was his upon which to call in every situation of his life and now it was there to give him dying grace that he might finish well.
So we see that even in death the gospel of Christ can be preached, a witness of the truth of God’s word can be left and a testimony of God’s faithfulness can be communicated to those left behind.
Think about the quality of your faith.
Will it carry you through your last days?
Think about Abraham’s last days for even in those days he was still looking for the city whose builder and maker was God.
His faith eased him toward those promises of God, those promises of God around which his entire life was lived.
Faith did not fail him at death for it was an enduring faith.
Nor did faith fail the three men given to us to consider in our passage today.
Isaac, Jacob and Joseph as all men do, faced death, having lived their lives believing in God’s promises even though none of God’s promises were near fulfillment.
But this did not discourage their faith for faith believes God regardless of the circumstances and death will not lessen true faith.
Jesus said it this way in Matthew 24:13, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Meaning that true faith will carry the faithful through death to fulfill the salvation that was given by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We like Abraham, upon believing on the Lord Jesus do not get the fullness of salvation for without death or his coming we can only know the promises of God that the fullness will come.
In this we know that God makes it so that the just, as long as we are in this body, shall live by faith.
In other words God is saying that the just will live this life without knowing all the answers but they will know the one who does.
Now our Hebrews 11 passage begins with the story of Isaac blessing Jacob and Esau.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Paul in writing this is referring to the account given in Genesis 27 where we learn that Isaac was old having eyes that were dim and could not see.
The story is familiar to all of us for Isaac’s blessing of his twin sons came about through deceit.
But the blessings did come about and they concerned things to come for this is what Isaac’s faith was built around.
Now we are to remember that God’s proclamation about things to come concerning Jacob and Esau was that the elder would serve the younger.
For God had told Rebekah in Gen. 25:23, And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
And God knew how this was to come about and it all had to do with whom Isaac blessed.
God gave no interference in this blessing and permitted things to come about which again shows his sovereignty for even the deceit of men can bring about his will.
Psalm 76:10 says this another way, Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
But God used Isaac’s natural affinity for Esau whom we would call a man’s man and less affinity toward Jacob who was more suited to please his mother.
Now remember that God had spoken to Rebekah regarding which son was to be the head of the family.
And like Sara, her mother in law who took things into her own hands to bring about God’s promises regarding a son for Abraham, she too began her plot to bring about blessings upon her favorite son Jacob for she reasoned if left alone Esau would be the one to receive Isaac’s blessing.
So her plot gained strength ending in Isaac blessing Jacob, whom he thought to be Esau but in the end God’s will was met for Isaac spoke about things to come remembering God’s promises concerning nations to come that God gave to his father Abraham and to him also.
So Isaac, with dim and aging eyes, felt the presence of Jacob and said this in Genesis 27:26-29
…….. Come near now, and kiss me, my son. 27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed: 28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
So as was the tradition of a father’s blessing to his firstborn, a double portion of all that Isaac had was bestowed upon, not the firstborn but the second born as God’s will had decreed.
Hebrews 11 tells us that Isaac by faith blessed Jacob and Esau which can be understood as faith in God’s promises concerning his line in reference to things to come.
Why he chose to bless whom he thought to be Esau in spite of God’s pronouncement to Rebekah concerning Jacob is not given but perhaps his affinity for Esau clouded his judgment.
But Isaac did not forget God’s promises when he blessed both his sons and that is the faith that Hebrews 11:20 refers to.
Isaac did not renounce his blessing upon Jacob even though he was deceived for no doubt he saw God’s working to bring about his will in spite of Isaac’s desire to bless Esau as the firstborn.
And therefore after the deceit had been exposed he blessed Esau for in him promises of God were also to be fulfilled.
Genesis 27:38-40, And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. 39 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above; 40 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
So in both blessings, Isaac acted in faith remembering God’s promises.
We are taught about faith here in Hebrews 11 but an aside teaching is about what God declares to be important versus what we think is important.
None of the players in this account of faith comes across as a completely honest and moral person.
We see Isaac blessing whom he thought to be Esau instead of yielding to God’s will concerning Jacob, Rebekah’s plan of deceit with Jacob’s full participation as an accessory in the deception of his own blind father, and Esau’s spurning his spiritual heritage for a bowl of pottage.
But God chooses to be pleased by faith for in us, in this fallen creation he has said that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked and there is none righteous no not one.
So in ourselves there is nothing to please God.
We choose to measure ourselves among ourselves and promote under these rules but God chooses to measure only by faith and reward those who diligently seek him, who seek him through faith.
So to whom do you desire to measure up, the world or to God?
To whom do you present your credentials?
Who do you desire to please?
In spite of his works, Isaac pleased God for in blessing Jacob and Esau he remembered the promises of God and he did it by faith.
A faith that carried him throughout life all the way to the doorway of heaven.
And another who walked the same path was Jacob who in Hebrews 11:21 we are told:
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
Here we find Jacob firmly ensconced in Egypt escaping the famine in the Promised Land but in accordance with God’s will.
It is a fair land, a land where Jacob’s son is a man of power and riches and fame.
It is a place where Joseph’s sons have all that they desire and would ever want for Ephraim and Manasseh have been raised in one of the most luxurious places in the world.
Joseph, being the second in command, no doubt had servants who attended to the boy’s every need
The best education was theirs to have.
And they no doubt could rise to powerful positions in Egypt.
But Jacob, who lived by faith, Jacob who believed the promises of God took no note of this, knowing that God’s promises included these two boys and he therefore adopted them as his own and conferred on them the blessings that came down from Abraham, thru Isaac to Jacob.
Again as it was in Abraham’s life, the conditions seemed to contradict the promises of God.
Sara was barren so how could Abraham be the father of many nations?
Now Joseph and Jacobs’s sons were firmly settled in a land so blessed for them and now Joseph’s sons seemed to have places of power guaranteed to them in Egypt and certainly would have nothing to do to leave such pleasant places.
But faith overlooks the contradictions.
And Jacob by faith took the two sons of Joseph, seemingly the sons most subject to the lures of Egypt and brought them into the family Israel as the firstborn through Joseph, with all the rights and privileges of the elder for this was what faith called for.
Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob was excluded because of his sin with Bilhah and Joseph instead given this honor from Jacob for it conformed to the promises of God for Israel.
Now man’s ways even in this would have declared Manasseh the elder of the two to be given the firstborn position however Jacob, by faith crossed his hands over their heads and laid his right hand on Ephraim, the younger son of Joseph.
Jacob, by faith, instructed by God, declared that of the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim’s descendants would be the greater of the two saying:
Manasseh shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. 20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
We see again in this a revealing of God for God’s ways are far from man’s way.
Again faith teaches us that our way of choosing by merit, comparing ourselves among ourselves is not God’s way.
God sees us as we really are but man sees himself with a heart that is deceitful and distorted.
Man would have salvation by merit and merit alone but God will have none of that and only looks at the merit of someone who provides a way of salvation to those who have no merit and that someone is Christ and Christ alone.
And he does this by faith.
He declares there is none good but God, but man declares some good and some bad.
But this is not by faith but by man’s measure.
Salvation is by God’s choice and he has chosen to do this by the measure of faith.
He makes the rules and the foundation of the rules is faith.
Look to the men and women of faith made known to us in God’s word and every one of them operated by the rules.
Think of Hebrews 11 as God’s manual with which to open the locked door of heaven and each step begins with the instruction: By faith.
Faith believes God in all things and harvests the good grain of God’s word and burns up the chaff of this world.
Faith looks beyond the well-watered plains of this life and sees the Eden gardens of heaven where God has prepared an eternal dwelling place suitable only for those who believe.
Jacob had this vision and by faith passed it to Ephraim and Manasseh who passed it along until we find it among ourselves who also look with eyes of faith at the very same things seen afar by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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