The Bible reveals the importance of the fathers teaching and passing on their faith to their children.
Abraham was a person of faith and was called the friend of God. But he taught his son Isaac concerning the person and work of God.
When God was about to bring judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, God testified of Abraham's instruction to his children.
Genesis 18:17-19, "And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall sure become a great and mighty nation,
and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he
will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the
way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon
Abraham that which He hath spoken of him."
Then this teaching was passed onto Jacob (Genesis 48:21; Genesis 15:13-16).
Genesis 48:21: And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with
you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
Genesis 15:13-16: 13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed
shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they
shall afflict them four hundred years; 14And also that nation, whom they shall
serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15And
thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16But
in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the
Amorites is not yet full.
Both Isaac and Jacob are given as illustrations of the principle, "The just shall live by faith"
Hebrews 10:38.
ISAAC-FAITH OVERCOMING THE WILL OF THE FLESH
Hebrews 11:20, "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to
come."
The twins, Esau and Jacob
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Here is the LORD'S declaration (Genesis 25:23)
Genesis 25:23: "And The LORD said unto her (Rebekah) Two nations are in thy
womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thou bowels; and the
one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall the
younger."
This statement was made before the boys were born. "
Look at their delivery (Genesis 25:24-26).
Genesis 25:24-26: 24And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold,
there were twins in her womb. 25And the first came out red, all over like an hairy
garment; and they called his name Esau. 26And after that came his brother out,
and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac
was threescore years old when she bare them.
Look at their differences (Genesis 25:27, 28).
Genesis 25:27, 28: 27And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man
of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. 28And Isaac loved
Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Esau was cunning hunter, a man of the field. He was loved by Isaac because of his venison.
Jacob was a plain man who dwelt in tents, and was a shepherd. He was loved by Rebekah.
The test
Genesis 25:29-34: 29And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and
he was faint: 30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red
pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31And Jacob said,
Sell me this day thy birthright. 32And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die:
and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33And Jacob said, Swear to me
this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34Then
Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose
up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
Esau gave Jacob his request (Verse 30). Jacob gave Esau his response (Verse 31). Esau made a rash assessment of his condition (Verse 32). He had a reckless disregard for the birthright (Verses 33-34).
The time of blessing (Genesis 27).
Consider the decision made by Isaac (Verses l-4).
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Verses l-4: 1And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim,
so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My
son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. 2And he said, Behold now, I am
old, I know not the day of my death: 3Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy
weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some
venison; 4And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I
may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.
Jacob, however, was very deceitful (Verses 6-25).
Verses 6-25: 6And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard
thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7Bring me venison, and make me
savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.
8Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.
9Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and
I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth: 10And thou shalt
bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.
11And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy
man, and I am a smooth man: 12My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall
seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.
13And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my
voice, and go fetch me them. 14And he went, and fetched, and brought them to
his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 15And
Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the
house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: 16And she put the skins of the
kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 17And she
gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of
her son Jacob. 18And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said,
Here am I; who art thou, my son? 19And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau
thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and
eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. 20And Isaac said unto his son,
How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the
LORD thy God brought it to me. 21And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray
thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The
voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23And he discerned
him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed
him. 24And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. 25And he
said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may
bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him
wine, and he drank.
Rebekah had a plan (Verses 5-13). Jacob appeared to be happy to participate in his mother’s plan (Verses l4-25). The result was the declaration of the blessing upon Jacob (Verses 26-29).
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Verses 26-29: 26And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss
me, my son. 27And 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: 28Therefore God give thee of the dew of
heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29Let 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.
Part of the blessing was a material one (Verses 27, 28); the national blessing (Verse 29), and the covenant blessing (Verse 29; Genesis 12:1-3).
Genesis 12:1-3: 1Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country,
and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew
thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy
name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed.
The declaration of blessing was affirmed (Verses 30-36; Genesis 25:23).
Verses 30-36: 30And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of
blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his
father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 And he also had made
savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my
father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me. 32And Isaac
his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn
Esau. 33And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that
hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest,
and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed. 34And when Esau heard the
words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto
his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father. 35 And he said, Thy brother came
with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing. 36And he said, Is not he rightly
named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my
birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast
thou not reserved a blessing for me?
Genesis 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.
There was also the desire and blessing of Esau (Verses 36-40).
Verses 36-40: And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted
me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken
away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? 37And
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Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all
his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I
sustained him: and what shall I do now unto thee, my son? 38And 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. 39And 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; 40And 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.
By faith, Isaac overcame the will of his flesh and the will of Esau's flesh. The flesh of Isaac wanted to bless Esau. The flesh of Esau wanted the blessing even though he had despised and sold his birth right. Perhaps Isaac remembered God's declaration before Jacob and Esau were born. This may have encouraged Isaac to let the blessing on Jacob stand.
JACOB-FAITH OVERCOMING THE WILL OF MAN
Hebrews 11:21: "By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both sons of
Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff."
Genesis 48:1-20: 1And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph,
Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim. 2And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto
thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. 3And Jacob said
unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and
blessed me, 4And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply
thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy
seed after thee for an everlasting possession. 5And now thy two sons, Ephraim
and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came
unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6And
thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after
the name of their brethren in their inheritance. 7And as for me, when I came
from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there
was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of
Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem. 8And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said,
Who are these? 9And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God
hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I
will bless them. 10Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not
see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced
them. 11And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo,
God hath shewed me also thy seed. 12And Joseph brought them out from between
his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13And Joseph took
them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh
in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who
was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands
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wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15And he blessed Joseph, and said,
God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed
me all my life long unto this day, 16The Angel which redeemed me from all evil,
bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of
Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from
Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. 18And Joseph said unto his father, Not
so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 19And
his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a
people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater
than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. 20And 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.
Jacob was sick (Verse l). Joseph and his sons presented themselves to Jacob (Verses 2-20).
Manasseh and Ephraim were brought forth to Jacob (Verse l; Genesis 41:51, 52).
Genesis 41:51, 52: 51And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For
God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. 52 And
the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful
in the land of my affliction.
They were blessed by Israel as Ephraim and Manasseh (Verses l4, 18-20). Israel, the prince of God, pronounced the blessing upon Joseph's son. He was firm in giving the blessing and overcame the will of Joseph who wanted Manasseh blessed as the firstborn (Verses l8-20).
Joseph received a double portion blessing of birthright (Verses 21, 22). Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, had lost the birth right because he had defiled his father's bed (Genesis 49:3, 4).
Verses 21, 22: 21And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be
with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. 22Moreover I have
given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the
Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
Jacob's worship
Hebrews 11:21: 21By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of
Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
Gen. 47:31b, "…And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head."
Jacob had just gotten the promise from Joseph that he would bury him in Egypt but would carry him back to the promised land and bury him in the sepulcher of his fathers (Genesis 47:28-3l).
Israel showed faith in God's promise and his faith included worship.
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Genesis 47:28-3l: 28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the
whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. 29And the time drew
nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now
I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and
deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: 30But I will lie
with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their
buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. 31And he said, Swear unto
me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
Conclusion
All of the events in the lives of Isaac and Jacob are not discussed in Hebrews 11. One event in the lives of Isaac and Jacob are used to show how faith worked in their lives to make certain that they were in the will of God. Each of them pronounced blessings when they were old and nearing death.
But this circumstance did not keep them from following God by faith.
When a person lives by faith, it not surprising that faith will be present as they approach death.
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