Monday November 16, 2009
HEBREWS: DIVISION IV
THE SUPREME AUTHOR OF FAITH: JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S SON, 10:19-11:40
J. Isaac’s Faith: A Repentant Faith, 11:20
(11:20) Introduction: Isaac is the prime example of a person who believes the promises of God, but needs to repent before he can receive them. Isaac is an example of the person who believes in the things to come despite sin.
1. (11:20) Isaac— Faith: Isaac’s faith was a faith that believed in the things to come despite sin (Genesis 27:1-40). Isaac believed that God would fulfill His promises through his sons, fulfill His promises despite the selfishness and conniving deception of his sons.
Jacob was the younger son who stuck closer to his mother. He was somewhat of a homebody. Esau was Isaac’s older son, a true outdoorsman just like Isaac. Therefore, Isaac preferred Esau. He wanted Esau to receive the greater blessing of God, in particular he wanted Esau to be the seed through whom God would fulfill His promise of a promised land and of a nation of people.
Isaac was aged and blind when he was ready to pass the blessing on to his sons. Now note several facts.
Þ God had told Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, that Jacob was to be the one who was to receive the blessing; the older son was to serve the younger.
“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” (Genesis 25:23).
Þ Isaac was reluctant to obey God. In fact, he did not want to obey God; he preferred Esau. When it came time to pass the blessings of God’s promise on to his son, Isaac planned to ignore God’s will and bless Esau.
“And 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. And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; and make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die” (Genesis 27:1-4).
Þ Rebekah overheard Isaac’s plans to ignore and bypass God’s will. Therefore, she plotted with Jacob to deceive Isaac and have him pass the blessing on to Jacob. Remember: Isaac was blind and unable to see; therefore Jacob was able to deceive Isaac and receive the blessing.
“And 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. And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him. And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And 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. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. 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: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 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” (Genesis 27:22-29).
Þ Isaac refused to reverse the blessing when the deception was discovered. In the final analysis, he repented. He turned away from his own desires and did God’s will.
“And 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” (Genesis 27:33).
The point is this: Isaac’s faith was firm about the future despite sin. At first, Isaac was unwilling to follow God and do as God had said. And his son Jacob set out to secure God’s blessing by deception. Jacob was unwilling to wait upon God; he felt that he had to help God out even if it meant lying and deceiving. But in the end, Isaac repented: he believed God and he did God’s will. He could have easily reversed his blessing, but he refused. He had reached the point where he knew that God’s will had to be done. Therefore, he repented and turned from his own will to the will of God.
Note through all of this the strong faith in things to come. Isaac believed in the promises of God; he believed in the promised seed and the promised land. He never saw the promises fulfilled, not during his life upon this earth. He was only a pilgrim and sojourner on earth, never seeing the promised land. But he believed and held firm to his belief—so firm that he passed the blessing of God’s promises down through his son Jacob. Isaac died, but he died as a man of faith, as a man who repented and did God’s will.
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).
“Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” (Acts 8:22).
“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30).
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14).
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).
“But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die” (Ezekiel 18:21).
Copyright: Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible, Chattanooga, TN Used by Permission
