Isaac’s Faith: Blessing in the Midst of Uncertainty (Hebrews 11:20)

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.” (Hebrews 11:20)

We do not know a lot about Isaac’s life, but it is interesting that the event that Hebrews highlights upon is a moment when he is aged, blind and momentarily deceived.  The account of Genesis 27 is usually regarded negatively but here it is used to show faith.  A simple lesson is that God does not need us in our prime to show His Kingdom Glory.  We don’t have to know it all to please the One who does know it all.  We just need to trust Him. 

Isaac’s blessing is less about Jacob and far more about Jesus. 

• Genesis 27:(26-)29: “May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed.”

Isaac’s faith is often overshadowed by the more dramatic stories of his father Abraham and his son Jacob. However, in the quiet act of blessing his sons, Isaac demonstrated a profound trust in God’s sovereignty over the future. His faith wasn’t in his own abilities or in the immediate circumstances, but in the unfailing nature of God’s promises.

Isaac was fully aware that the future of Israel was in the hands of God, not in his own control. He understood that the blessing he bestowed wasn’t about his personal preferences or desires but about aligning his will with God’s will. Even when it seemed that Jacob was not the likely choice to receive the blessing, Isaac trusted God’s plan. The blessing was, in a sense, a prophetic act, declaring the faithfulness of God to His covenant promises.

“Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.” —A.W. Tozer

Isaac’s faith was rooted in a deep knowledge of God’s character. His blessing of his sons was an act of faith that pointed to a greater reality—the faithfulness of the God who had promised.           

Romans 9:6-8  Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:  (7)  Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  (8)  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

Frankly, the family of Jesus is less about a blood line and far more about a line of faith(fullness). 

Isaac’s faith challenges us to look beyond our immediate circumstances and bless the next generation, trusting that God has a plan for them, just as He did for Isaac’s sons. Blessing others, especially our children, is an act of faith that acknowledges God's sovereign control over the future.

Isaac’s act of faith calls us to bless others with the awareness that God’s plans and purposes are ultimately in His hands. We can trust Him with the future, knowing that His ways are higher than ours.  God can use even our moments of apparent failure to reveal His Victory. 

Prayer:
Father, grant me the faith to trust You with the future, especially when the path seems unclear. May I bless others not from my own wisdom but from a heart that trusts in Your sovereign plan.  God please grant us hearing, seeing, smelling and feeling in accordance with Your Will.

Job 4:17-21  ‘Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?  (18)  Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error;  (19)  how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth.  (20)  Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it.  (21)  Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

 

 “Whence comes it that, in the ceaseless tide of humanity, rolling westward throughout the ages, this one caravan of a simple nomad Bedouin—this single drop in the mighty stream—has fastened on itself the attention of men (the world)? The answer is contained in one word, It was his faith which singled him out in the counsels of God, and has stamped him in the hearts of men.” (Lightfoot, Sermon Bible)         Who?  Abraham.

Jews = 0.2% of the world population

Christians = 31.6%

Muslims = 24.9%

= 56.7% of the world lays claim to Abraham (4.6 billion people)

Why? He didn’t kill a giant; he didn’t build an Ark; not swallowed by a whale or saved from a burning fiery furnace; he didn’t have super human strength; he didn’t even write any of the Bible.  All of those amazing feats were done by faith but faith is also found in the simple things of a life lived for God.  As Charles Spurgeon said “By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.”  Sometimes faith is a leap, but most of the time it is one small step at a time.  Abraham moved by faith, had babies by faith and defended his family by faith.  Sure it was a great act of faith on Mount Moriah (Gen 22), but Abraham’s faith was also seen in how he lived life every day.  Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness (Gen 15:6).

Romans 4:16-25 

 

Heb 11:8-19

 

Hebrews 11:8  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

ὑπακούω hoop-ak-oo'-o  = to hear under (as a subordinate), to listen attentively; by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority: - obey.

The winds and the waves foamed and raged but contrary to their desire and the basic laws of nature, they fell quiet beneath the “Peace be still” of the King of Glory. Even the winds and the sea obey Him as they recognize and yield to His Power and Authority.  If these dumb elements pay homage to their Maker, so should I, so should you, and so did Abraham. 

When God said “Go”, Abraham went.  When God said “Stay”, he sojourned.  When God instructed him to sacrifice it all, Abraham in essence, said “Show me the mountain”.  It doesn’t take much imagination to conclude that all of these “faith” decisions were not a “piece of cake” for Abraham.  Uprooting and leaving your family and your home presents new challenges.  Living in a tent when you can physically afford a house takes more than just determination.  Trusting God with your most valued Earthly possessions is the right investment regardless of today’s market; but these actions are not always comfortable and oftentimes, we are actually called out of our comfort zone.  Charles Spurgeon famously said, “Faith is the root, and obedience is the fruit.”   

V. 9 ~ Genesis 13:18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.

Notice the transient nature of Abrahams sojourning vs the lasting nature of his worship; his tent moved but his altars were built.  We are told that our lives are like a vapor here.    

2 Peter 1:13-15  I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder,  (14)  since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.  (15)  And I will make every effort so that after my departure (ἔξοδος) you may be able at any time to recall these things.

σκήνωμα skay'-no-mah = an encampment, (figuratively) the Temple (as God’s residence), the body (as a tenement for the soul): - tabernacle. ἔξοδος  ex'-od-os = an exit, (figuratively) death. (Used 3x: Luke 9:21 & Heb 11:22)

2 Corinthians 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.       We are earthen vessels; we are chemicals that are found in dirt, skillfully arranged into complex biochemical beings.  But what really gives us value is what is inside.  The treasure is not the vessel but rather the contents.  What gives us value is the presence of God in our lives. 

2 Cor 5:1-10  Now but not now. 

Abraham had the child and lived in the land that was promised to him, yet the promise was much bigger than just concerning dirt.  We understand that the promises made to Abraham had their fulfillment in Jesus.  Jesus is the eternal promised seed that would bless the World, and Jesus is the promised land which brings us into the favor and presence of God. 

Abraham and his descendants were promised a land, Moses later led them back to this land, but ever since it has been under attack and Hebrews 11 hints to the fact that they have never fully obtained the promise.

As faith is connected with obedience, it is also connected to or at least not hindered by “not knowing”.  Herein lies an important quality of our Christian faith.  We are not trusting outcomes we are trusting our Creator.  “These all died in faith, not having received the promises” (11:13 & 39).  Often, when people get angry with God, it is because they were trusting in the outcome and are not trusting in the Goodness of their Almighty God.  We recall the words of Job “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (13:15).

1 Chronicles 16:34  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!    

May we continually say, “God, You are good and You do good; teach me your ways (Psalms 119:68).

 

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Faith in 3 periods: Pre-flood, Patriarchs & Prophets

Pre-Flood: 

Hebrews 11:4  By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice… through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.  (Faith à Acceptable Sacrifice à Righteous)

 

Able is found 160 X in the Bible and in 42 out of 66 books.

Abel is found only 16 X in the Bible: 8 x in Gen 4, 4 x in the NT & 4 x as a (City) 

So Biblically, there is not a lot to draw from regarding Abel.

Genesis 4:4  and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, (likely revealed by fire from Heaven ex. Lev 9:24; 1 Kings 18:38)

By faith - In the future Redeemer. Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice - The firstlings of his flock, implying both a confession of what his own sins deserved and a desire of sharing in the great atonement. (Wesley)

1Jn_3:12  (KJV)  Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.  Jud_1:11  (KJV)  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. 

Contrary to Abel, Cain was of the wicked one and chose a way that was not the way of God. Cain’s poor choices were no doubt influenced by his flesh and not His faith.  Such a course led him to follow and become an example of the Devil.  In Contrast, Abel, was a hero of faith, followed a different Way, served a different Master and ultimately has a better testimony.  In multiple ways, Abel’s life began to blend with and lift up the Life of Jesus (through the sacrifice of his offering and the sacrifice of his life). 

“He being dead still speaks”…not denying his death but acknowledging his enduring testimony. 

Theologically, Abel’s blood spoke of Jesus and practically, Abel’s blood preached guilt.

Hebrews 11:4 vs 12:24 Abel’s blood cried out to God for judgment and pointed to guilt but the blood of Jesus cries out to God for mercy and provides innocence.

Mat 23:35  so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. (Luke 11:51) 

Revelation 6:10  They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Heb 12:24  (but, we have come) to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.  The better word is “Innocent”. 

Proverbs 15:8  The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.   Proverbs 21:27  The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent. 

So, even if it wasn’t brought with evil intent, it is still an abomination?  Why?... Because it was without faith.  Faith is what connects us to Christ, and if (without faith) without Christ then yes, it is an abomination. 

Hebrews 11:5  By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now, before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God.

Genesis 5:21-24  When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah.  (22)  Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.  (23)  Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years.  (24)  Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

With all of that time spent with God, do you think Enoch knew anything about Jesus?

Jude 1:14-15  It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones,  (15)  to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

In truth, we might say of Enoch those same things spoken of the Apostles: “And they recognized that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). 

Because of his close relationship with God, he was in a similar straight as brother Paul who said “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  (22)  If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.  (23)  I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  (24)  But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. (Phil 1:21-24)

 The big difference is… Enoch didn’t stay, he was “Translated”.

 

“Translated” = G3346  μετατίθημι  met-at-ith'-ay-mee

to transfer, transport, exchange, change sides, carry over, change, turn.

G3331 μετάθεσις met-ath'-es-is  =  Change  +  Position

Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be His helpers, other lives to bring?
Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the foe?
Who is on the Lord’s side? Who for Him will go?
By Thy call of mercy, by Thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side—Savior, we are Thine! (Havergal 1877)

Thinking about our deep need for Jesus, we find commonality with those words spoken long ago about wisdom.   Proverbs 8:34-36  Come to my home each day and listen to me. You will find happiness.  (35)  By finding me, you find life, and the LORD will be pleased with you.  (36)  But if you don't find me, you hurt only yourself, and if you hate me, you are in love with death.

 

While here on Earth, Enoch was commended as “having pleased God”, how?... by Faith.   By grace through faith, he chose Jesus.  Spiritually, he was translated, which led to his eventual physical translation.

 

Hebrews 11:7  By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this, he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

 

Ezekiel 14:14  Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord GOD.

The point here is not that man can save himself (by no means).  Rather, these three men are exemplified for their uprightness as men that stood in the gap in their day; standings which actually saved others around them.   But the point being emphasized in Ezekiel is the unredeemable nature of Israel at the time of the Babylonian captivity.  They were so far gone and the gap was so large now that even a champion of faith in their midst would prove unable to thwart their impending judgment.  Of the three mentioned, we know the least about Noah, but enough still to recognize that he “found Grace in the eyes of the LORD”. 

 

2 Peter 2:5  And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Noah is referred to here not only as a preacher of righteousness but also as the “eighth”.  Most explain that Peter is simply stating that there were eight souls saved in the Ark (previously established in 1 Peter 3:20).  But two additional thoughts(?) come to mind.  Was Noah the last person on the Ark (eighth)?  Is there a significance in the number “8”?  Circumcision took place on the eighth day and Jesus’ resurrection is sometimes attributed to the eighth day (the day after Sabbath).  Both of these eighth-day coincidences speak to a new beginning, which thing Noah also preached about. 

               It doesn’t take much imagination to see Noah’s Ark as a foreshadowing of the salvation found only in Jesus.  While the Ark was being prepared, Noah very likely preached to the heathen observers around him.  But without doubt, Noah’s life was a sermon that still preaches well today.  Such is the case with those who choose a different path in this life; their lives become a testimony and a light to those around them.  As we spend time with Jesus, our speech will begin to naturally give us away as “having been with Jesus”.  Even if we try to hide our faith as Peter, “Surely…our speech betrayeth us” (Matt 26:73).  So is the case with Noah; trying and without trying he was a “a savour of death unto death” for those that refused to believe and perished. 

 

 2 Corinthians 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:   (Story of peoples smells)

By Grace through Faith such is our Goal, to be made in His image, to walk like Him, to talk like Him and even to smell like Him.   For He is Worthy, and this World is in desperate need of a Savior.

 

Faith

Hebrews 11:1-3, 6

How much do you depend on your eyesight?  How much would life change if tomorrow you awoke blind?  Our five senses greatly influence the course of our day.  Matt 6:22 -what comes into the eye directs the course of the body.  So if we are to be directed and propelled toward spiritual things, we must use faith as the eye of our mind.  By faith, we can see God, Heaven, and its treasures.  Without faith, we cannot see God or serve Him, but will only be able to serve ourselves.

V. 1 “Faith is”…….

Oxford English Dictionary on “Faith”: Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary on “Faith”: Allegiance, Fidelity,  belief and trust in and loyalty to God,  firm belief in something for which there is no proof, Complete trust

Strongs G4102: πίστις Pistis persuasion, conviction, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation

Thayers: conviction of the truth of anything, belief, fidelity and faithfulness.

 

Are these good definitions?  Maybe.  What is the best way to define something? -- By the Bible.  Let the Bible provide the context. 

Faith is one of the weightier matters of the Law (Matt 23:23) and one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).  “Faith toward God” is an elementary principle (Heb 6:1).  Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).  Faith is one of the 3 remaining gifts (1 Cor 13:13), and it comes by “hearing the Word of God” (Rom 10:17). 

 

In Hebrews 4:2 remember the Gospel did not profit the children of Israel in the wilderness because it was not mixed with faith. àA lack of faith works disobedience in our lives, which brings us to a just reward.  Also, in Hebrews 10:22, after being shown the grace of God we are encouraged to “Draw Near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”  We are encouraged to hold fast and not forsake for the just shall live by faith.  “The Just shall live by his faith” coming from Hab 2:4 where the word faith brings the meaning of faithfulness/ steadfastness. After exhorting us to endure and not backslide, we are shown how others were able to endure.

  

Faith is “Substance” and “Evidence”.

Substance: G5287  ὑπόστασις  hupostasis 1) a setting or placing under 1a) thing put under, substructure, foundation  2) that which has foundation, is firm;  used 5 times in the NT and 3 of those are translated “Confidence”. 

Hebrews 3:14  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence (G5287) steadfast unto the end;

Romans 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Imagine faith as the solid base or support for your hope. It’s the thing that makes your hope real and tangible, even if the outcome hasn’t happened yet.

Evidence: G1650 ἔλεγχος  elegchos 1) a proof, that by which a thing is proved or tested

2) conviction.

2 Timothy 3:16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof (G1650), for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

 

V. 3 The universe did not come into existence out of some other visible thing (but by God). The Earth was formless and void but God created life.  Not as a seed brings forth a plant or a father and mother a baby, but something from nothing (but by God).  God is the uncaused first cause. 

               Using our understanding of modern science we might also understand the verse to hint towards the elemental building blocks of creation: atoms/particles etc.  With the naked eye, we cannot see a single atom, but because of what we have learned about chemistry, we believe that the individual atom is there (and connected to others).  

 

Evolutionary diagrams :

Faith is a sense of the mind that enables our other senses to reach towards Heaven.

Faith is not just a belief in something abstract but a confidence in God's promises that functions as a reality in the believer's life, providing an unshakable foundation and conviction in what is to come, even when it is not yet visible.

 

2 Cor 4:16-- 5:9 What is really real?  Because Paul looked at the eternal things, which are not seen through faith, he was able to set his aim on heaven.  We must learn to live and walk by faith and not sight.  What God tells us must be more important and real than what we (our senses/this world) tell us.

With a tool like a microscope, we are able to see bacteria that we can’t normally see.  When we look through a microscope, it changes our perception of reality.  Then we accept bacteria (something we can’t see) to be a reality.  It then will likely change the way we live.   So then, it is understandable why someone who has not yet looked through faith can’t understand the truth.  Without faith, the truth appears to be foolishness (1 Cor 2:14).  So by using the gift of faith, we walk in a different reality than those who walk only by sight.  As sight is a sense of the body so faith is a sense of the mind.  A Christian will see things differently and will consequently act differently. 

V. 6 If any “draw back”, My soul has no pleasure in Him (Heb 10:38). Faith is a necessary ingredient.

James 2:14-26 Somehow, we have been allowed to think of faith and works as two polar opposites.  The Bible speaks of them as working together.   1 Thes 1:3

Faith without works is dead; which is true of love as well.  Persuasion leads to action; love leads to action (John 14:15; 1 John 2:3-5; 3:16-18).  These are gifts given to the church (1 Cor 13:13; Gal 5:4-6), to be used for the edification of the church and to bring Glory to God.  A microscope that is not looked through is useless, not filling its intended purpose, “dead.”  Likewise, God gives us faith to be lived and to be used.

 

The demons know that God is real, they know that Jesus died on the cross and why, but, they do not trust him. 

 

Wheelbarrow analogy:  believing a man can walk across a tightrope with a wheelbarrow and then believing enough to get in the wheel barrow.  God wants us to trust Him for our Salvation so much that we quit trying to save ourselves.   God wants us to trust Him in our relationships so much that we put Him first in those relationships and follow the counsel of His Word.  He wants us to trust Him in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, to love and to cherish till death do us… unite. 

The disciples were sometimes rebuked because of their little faith and in Luke 17:5 they ask Jesus to increase their faith.  May we understand the need for our faith to be increased as well.