A new movement, the author’s exposition of the life of faith, begins here. In a multiplicity of varied experiences, faith remains the constant factor by which these experiences are met and understood. Faith constitutes a Christian’s true “world view” (cf. v. 3). The tests of faith become more difficult as we walk with God, yet the rewards are more wonderful! And we must not ignore the obedient faith of Isaac.
In Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, we have four generations of faith. These men sometimes failed, but basically, they were men of faith. They were not perfect, but they were devoted to God and trusted His Word. Isaac passed the promises and the blessings along to Jacob (Gen. 27), and Jacob shared them with his twelve sons (Gen. 48–49). Jacob was a pilgrim, for even as he was dying he leaned on his pilgrim staff.
We have to admire the faith of the patriarchs. They did not have a complete Bible, and yet their faith was strong. They handed God’s promises down from one generation to another. In spite of their failures and testings, these men and women believed God and He bore witness to their faith. How much more faith should we have!
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your descendants shall be named.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones. (NASB)
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Abraham expected God to do something He had never done before and all on the basis of His word
- God is beyond all understanding. Do not confine Him to a box or to work in a way our feeble minds can understand. God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think
- As with these ancestors of faith, the promises of God may not be fulfilled in our lifetime. But we can trust that God will work and fulfill His promises in His perfect timing.
- Whatever your age, work on getting your affairs in order as any day could be our last. And look for ways to bless your family, bless your kids, bless your grandkids, or bless those closest to you.
CLOSER LOOK:
Verses 17–19: In verses 17-22, the writer emphasizes the ancestors of Israel, particularly Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The theme of testing emerges here as the writer returned to Abraham. The readers can learn from that supreme test in which the patriarch was called on to “offering up his only son.” Though this seemed to contradict the divine promise, Abraham was able to rise above the trial and trust in the resurrecting power of God. So also Christian readers must sometimes look beyond the experiences of life, in which God’s promises do not seem to be fulfilled, and realize that their resurrections will bring those promises to fruition.
The faith of verses 17-19 is sterling. No one is recorded to have been raised from the dead before this time! Take a moment to really think about that. Looking back at Genesis 22, Abraham said “I and the boy will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” Abraham literally expected to put a knife through the heart of his only son that he waited so long for and then have God resurrect him from the dead. That is what he expected to happen and is why he said “we will return.” Of course God intervened as you know. Totally different story, but he expected that to happen and that becomes a type, a picture of Christ’s resurrection is what’s it’s saying.
These verses illustrate the faith of Abraham in his readiness to sacrifice Isaac. The test lay in the conflict between the divine promise that Isaac was the heir and the commandment of God to put him to death. Abraham chose to believe that God’s promise could not fail and obeyed accordingly. Abraham expected God to do something He had never done before and all on the basis of His word. This is the type of faith we need to have. Oftentimes, we can forget who God is and what He is capable of. We make Him too small or try to confine Him to a box that we can manage in our understanding. However, God is beyond understanding. He cannot be contained or confined as He is beyond all limits. Do not let the impossible scare you away from asking or trusting God. Maybe it will happen or maybe it will not happen. Either way, we trust our good Father to provide and work.
Ishmael is not considered because he was not the son of Sarah and because he had already been “sent away” in Genesis 21 before the testing of Abraham in Genesis 22.
Verses 20–22: The patriarchs mentioned here likewise looked to the future in faith. For the author, the act of blessing is related to the theme of the promise in Hebrews. Both Isaac and Jacob showed faith in recognizing that God intended to give the greater blessing to the younger son, and they accepted God’s sovereign plans rather than resisting them. Isaac, trusting God to fulfill His promises to Abraham and his descendants, pronounced blessings on his own two sons Jacob and Esau regarding their future (“things to come”). So did Jacob in regard to the “sons of Joseph,” which was for him an act of faith in his old age. The readers too were to maintain their worship right to the end of life, persevering in faith in the future that God had foretold. The blessing given by Isaac and Jacob was an act of faith since neither man could give what was promised to his sons/grandsons. Both Isaac and Jacob were totally dependent upon God to fulfill the promised blessings. Joseph too, nearing death, expressed confidence that God would in the future deliver the “sons of Israel” (“Israelites”) from Egypt. In similar fashion all believers should, in genuine faith, have confidence in the future of God’s people. As different as these three men were from one another, each presented an example of faith. The ordinary Isaac, the scheming Jacob, and the exemplary Joseph showed a faith which death could not weaken or destroy.
The faith of Joseph was certainly remarkable. After the way his family treated him, you would think he would have abandoned his faith; but instead, it grew stronger. Even the ungodly influence of Egypt did not weaken his trust in God. Joseph did not use his family, his job, or his circumstances as an excuse for unbelief. Joseph knew what he believed—that God would one day deliver his people from Egypt (Gen. 50:24–26). Joseph also knew where he belonged—in Canaan, not in Egypt; so he made them promise to carry his remains out of Egypt at the Exodus, which they did!
Again as we have discussed previously, in verse 22, Joseph when he was dying made mention of the Exodus and if he was concerned about his bones, the promises cannot just be spiritual but also must be physical. However, not everyone agrees with this and will say it is just spiritual. For the main reasons it could be taken as physical, please see the previous post/podcast.