Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
 
WE are learning about Genesis as we read Hebrews, aren’t we? This verse refers to the blessings Isaac gave to his twin sons, Jacob and Esau. Genesis 27 tells us Jacob deceived his father and received the blessing Isaac planned to give to Esau. Here is Isaac’s blessing to Jacob:
 
Genesis 27:28-29 “May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness – an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”
 
And here is Isaac’s blessing to Esau: Genesis 27:39-40 “Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”
 
Note Jacob’s blessing is one of plenty and rulership over his brother and the nations. Esau’s blessing points to struggle and rebellion. In our understanding of blessing, this may seem more as a curse on Esau. But we must see Isaac’s words as the life and purpose God had prepared for each.
    The brothers’ lives would fulfill Isaac’s words. Esau established the nation known as the Edomites and lived in the area near the Dead Sea. It was a place of struggle. The Edomites were often at war with Israel and under its authority.
    Jacob’s story dominates much of Genesis. He would be named Israel. His sons became the heads of Israel’s 12 tribes. The lineage of Jesus Christ goes through Jacob.
    How is it, then, that Hebrews says Isaac’s blessing was done in faith? Wasn’t he doing what every father did? Were his words to Jacob meant for Esau? Should Esau have been in Jesus’ lineage?
    Faith is evident here in the words each man received. Isaac spoke the words God had given him to speak to Jacob and to Esau. Before the twins were born, God said to their mother Rebekah: Genesis 25:23 “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
    The LORD’s sovereign plan was at work. He was preparing the place and the people who would be Abraham’s offspring. The line to Israel and to Jesus would go through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Each of these men dealt with doubt and struggled to see God in their lives. Yet, the Lord was faithful to keep them in his plan to redeem the world. Within each of them was a God-given faith the Lord used to advance his kingdom.
    Hebrews points us to the beginning of God’s plan, so we can we can faithfully point to the end of God’s plan. We likely struggle as the ancients did, wondering what is right. And can we believe the world is on course toward the Day of the Lord?
    God wants us to know that it is. We have learned the stories of past struggles, so we have the faith and strength to continue the work God has given us to do. Be at peace in God’s presence. Know he has the power and the patience to fulfill his prophecies.  
     

Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.
 
HEBREWS’ reference here is from God’s command to Abraham: Genesis 22:2 “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Much has been written, taught and preached on this extreme test God placed on his chosen servant. Many devout people have said, “I would have told God, ‘No!’ on this one.”
    But Abraham faithfully said, “Yes, Lord.” He traveled three days to the mountain. He  prepared the altar, tied Isaac to the altar and raised a knife to slay him.
    What was God doing? Hadn’t Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac? Had God not promised Abraham his descendants would be more numerous than the sands on the seashore? How could Abraham take his son to the altar?
    The answer comes within the journey. As they neared the mountain, Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Then Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. (Genesis 22:7-8)
    We breathe a sigh of relief when the angel holds Abraham’s hand: “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,”  he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” We are grateful the merciful God provided a substitute ram in the thicket. And once more God confirms his covenant with Abraham: “Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:18)
    Yes, Abraham needed faith to first leave his home when God called him to go to Canaan. With some struggles, Abraham remained faithful as he waited for Isaac’s birth. But Abraham’s depth of faith to intend to slay his only son is beyond measure. Such faith can only come from a deep, reverent trust in God’s to know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Perhaps the long distance to travel from Haran to Canaan and the 25 years of waiting for Isaac’s birth were God’s way of deepening Abraham’s faith for this moment. Time waiting on God is Gold’s growing time. He uses the waiting to gather you into a more personal, trusting relationship with him. If God had quickly given him Isaac, Abraham would not as deeply experienced God’s presence, patience and power to fulfill his promises. Abraham was able to take his son to the mountain because his faith told him “God himself will provide the lamb.” Abraham knew God’s provision amid the impossible.
    Abraham was right that day. And he was right about God’s future substitute. About 2,000 years later, God did provide the lamb who takes away the sins of the world. It is believed that God took his Son, his only son, to that same mountain. In faith, Jesus went to the cross. In faith the Son obeyed the Father’s will to be your substitute for God’s wrath.
    Be encouraged in your waiting time. Know it is a time God wants you to more personally know his patience, presence and power to complete his promises to you.
          

Hebrews 11:9 By faith Abraham made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. & 13-16 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
 
WHAT is the city prepared for them? The apostle John saw it in Revelation 21:2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. God is preparing your eternal home. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob anticipated the glorious eternal city described in Revelation 21.
     Israel’s three patriarchs were wealthy men. But they did not see God’s promise of a great nation fulfilled in their lifetime. Isaac had two sons. Jacob had 12 sons. And Jacob’s family remained under 80 people through much of his lifetime. Israel did not begin to expand until they settled in Egypt, where God blessed them to multiply for 400 years before their exodus to the Promised Land. God said he would do it, and he did it in his time.
    About 800 BC David conquered Jerusalem, and it became Israel’s home for a time. In 587 BC Babylon destroyed the city. The Jews rebuilt it and the temple on their return in 517 and years following. Then the Romans destroyed Jerusalem completely in 70 AD. Since then Jerusalem has been the center of many wars and political conflict. It is a city today of several religious groups and many who have no faith. Jerusalem hardly seems to be the city where God will reside eternally with his church.
    But this is God’s promise, isn’t it? Abraham and his sons did not see the vast numbers of people God promised. But they knew they were aliens in a strange land. They knew they belonged in the future place God promised, for he has prepared a city for them.
    This is true for us, too,  isn’t it? The earth is not our home. We are aliens here. In faith, the Spirit has set us apart from the world. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, so we will be with him. (John 14:2) Many pray for Jerusalem to become God’s city. And so we should. The new city will come from heaven on the Day of the Lord.
    Understand, then, Christian, you are an alien on earth, citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Live with joy. You don’t see the promise fulfilled yet. But know the promise is for you. Your God is true to his Word. 

Hebrews 11:11-12 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age – and Sarah herself was barren – was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
 
SOME Bible translations highlight Sarah’s faith here: Hebrews 11:11 It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child (NLT) She needed a large measure of faith, too, didn’t she? After all, Sarah had several reasons to deny God’s promise of a vast population to come from her and Abraham. How could a barren woman past child-bearing age have a son?
    This was surely the most difficult waiting of all for Abraham and Sarah. Imagine hearing God’s promise Genesis 12:7 “To your offspring I will give this land.” and nothing happens. Where is the offspring? Whose children? And God then expanded his promise in Genesis 13:16 “I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth.” Year after year, this extraordinary promise lingered. Did God really say what they heard? 
    Abraham then believed his servant Eliezer would become his heir. Sarah’s idea was to use her slave Hagar to give birth to a son (Genesis 16). And Sarah laughed when God said she would have son within a year (Genesis 18). Still God was at work. As he chose Noah to save the human race, he had chosen Abraham to father the line that would lead to Jesus Christ to redeem the human race. God remained present with Abraham.
    One way he confirmed his promise was through the ceremony of the firepot passing through sacrificed animals. (Genesis 15) The fire represented God’s holiness. In this blood covenant God confirmed to Abraham he would do as he had said. Be attentive. This is a one-way promise that cannot be undone. In faith we must believe God is holy. His promises come from heaven to fulfill his will to return the earth to a new, holy creation to bless all nations of the earth.
    God’s blood and fire covenant with Abraham foreshadowed God’s fiery presence on Mt. Sinai in Exodus when he gave the covenant of the law to Israel . It also illustrates God’s very personal presence with the nations through Jesus’ New Covenant of his body broken and his blood shed for you.
    These are God’s promises from heaven. Now we, God’s chosen, await a Son – the Son of God, the Son of Man – to complete the promise “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3)
           We may doubt or be distracted in the waiting. We may attempt to resolve our faith challenges with our own means. But be ever mindful God has called you to faith. You must know God has decided what he will do. Our faith is to know the Son will come to bless the nations of the world.  

Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
 
GENESIS 11-25 narrates Abraham’s story. Hebrews divides Abraham’s faith life into three parts: his journey to a new land, his son Isaac’s birth and Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. We’ll consider his journey to the new land first.
    God’s call on Abraham was a command and a promise: “Go to the land I will show you…all peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” (from Genesis 12:1-3) Abraham, his wife Sarah and nephew Lot traveled with their many possessions about 1,000 miles to Canaan. There the LORD added this promise: Genesis 12:6 “To your offspring I will give this land.” Abraham’s faithful response was to build an altar and worship God. God’s command and promises became the foundation of Abraham’s life.
    Note that God did not say he would give the land to Abraham. Abraham had journeyed to this land to discover God required he still live as a nomad. He was as a stranger, at the mercy of his neighbors for pasture and water. Abraham could not see the future, so he had to wait on God, wondering “How, God?” and “When, God?”
    The wait was long and difficult. Genesis relates several conflicts – and even a brief war – between Abraham and neighboring kingdoms. Nearly 600 years would pass before Israel, Abraham’s inheritance, arrived to possess the land.
    In faith, Abraham did not go home. If Abraham were as many of us are – impatient and eager to see results – he might have said, “Enough! God’s not doing what he said he would. I’m going home.” Even in the difficulty of waiting and the temptations to turn from God, Abraham stayed. Abraham realized God is the one who builds the future. He has a plan for blessing the nations of the world. He will do so in his way and in his time. Faith is being sure of what hope for and confident in what we do not see.
    Hebrews’ author was urging the early church – and through the Spirit he is urging us – to remain faithful in the place God has put us. Hold tightly to God’s promises. Jesus said it this way: John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
    Where has God sent you? To a church, a neighborhood, a profession, a new city, a new country? He has given us a place to be to help others prepare for the inheritance of a heavenly city. The waiting will likely be difficult. Still, we must be faithful to listen and await the LORD God to complete his promises.    
  

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
 
NOAH is Hebrews’ second example of faith’s definition:
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 
    The Bible describes the world around Noah with God’s judgment: Genesis 6:7 “I am grieved that I have made them.”  We can believe that Noah hoped for a great change in people’s behavior. A righteous man loves God, and he wants others to love God, too. A righteous man hopes for salvation for the lost and broken.
    Then God commanded Noah to build an ark – an enormous container measuring 600 feet long, 100 feet wide and 60 feet high. It was large enough to hold two of each animal and many species of birds from around the world. The ark was salvation for Noah and his family.
    A flood? What is that? It is believed the world was watered by springs from the deep before the flood. Water that would cover the earth was incomprehensible.
    But Noah had faith in things he had not yet seen. He believed God would do what God said he would do. After all, hadn’t God created the heavens and the earth? Surely he could do something he had not done before. If God had spoken the world into existence, one must have faith in what God says.
    Hebrews says Noah in holy fear built an ark to save his family. What is holy fear? This is a response to God in love, worship and expectation. A holy fear is the wisdom to know God is true to his word. One understands God’s power to destroy and to save. He has a right fear of God’s judgment and a holy response to God’s salvation. Holy fear is obeying God with gratitude for his benevolent goodness to choose us to salvation. Noah was extremely grateful God had granted him the faith to do this great work. And out of this work God would save Noah’s family.
    Has God chosen you? Do you gratefully enjoy a loving relationship with him? Are you listening to him with a holy fear?
    Noah’s faith also condemned the world. This means that Noah’s obedience revealed the world’s disobedience. When people know you live as you do because you follow Jesus Christ, but they reject the Bible, your faithful life condemns them. They see what is right, but their refusal to do right is their condemnation.   
    Noah is your ancestor in Jesus Christ. He had heard the wonder of God’s work to create and the promise to redeem. He believed God. And his belief saved him from condemnation. Noah’s faith moved God’s redemptive plan through judgment toward the cross.
       Note Hebrews 11 is focusing on individuals whose faith made a significant difference in God’s salvation plan. Hebrews will mention 14 more men and women whose individual lives built a framework of responsive faith for us today. In turn, each of us has a responsibility to faithfully frame Jesus’ salvation for the next generations. Be a righteous man, woman in God’s sight.

Hebrews 11:5-6 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
 
GENESIS 5 is an account of the generations form Adam to Noah through Adam’s son Seth. Seth is the righteous son who replaced Abel. God’s plan to send a Redeemer would go through Seth’s line to Noah to Noah’s son Shem to Abraham.
    Amid the generations is Enoch, whose life is defined with this remarkable sentence: Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. (Genesis 5:23-24) God did this because Enoch was commended as one who pleased God.
    Enoch was well-known among the Jews. A book known as 1 Enoch was written during the time between the Old and New Testaments. Its 106 chapters records visions God gave to Enoch. Jude also speaks of Enoch: Jude 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones.” Apparently Enoch was a prophet to the family lineage that ultimately led to Israel and to Jesus.  
    Elijah is the only other person recorded in Scripture who was taken directly from this life into  heaven (2 Kings 2:11-12). God touched Elijah with a special measure of faith to perform remarkable miracles in Israel. Elijah’s faith work revealed God’s power and promises to Israel. It is apparent God also touched Enoch with a special measure of faith to reveal God to the generations preceding Israel. God grants faith to many, so we can know him and please him.  
    Faith is the only means to please God, isn’t it? As illustrated with Cain – and Cain’s line in Genesis 4 – a faithless life is a self-pleasing life. People will try many ways to satisfy themselves and their own needs. How many times have you heard someone say, “I have my own way to God.” Or, “I’ll believe in God if he does something for me.” But it is only faith that allows us to respond to God and to enjoy his rewards.
           These are lessons learned throughout Scripture. Hebrews wants the church to know faith is God’s gift. They must treasure faith because it is life.

Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
 
WHY is Hebrews 11:1 so often quoted among Christians?
    It’s a balm for uncertain times, isn’t it? And we know that in many ways each day is uncertain. To stay on a steady course in our relationship with God, we need hearts that hold a certain hope of God’s unmovable presence to claim our lives as his own. How do we have that faith?
    We first understand that our faith is God’s gift to us. From heaven’s throne, God has granted our hearts the desire to know who he is. He opens our minds to know his deeply personal commitment to save us into eternal life. He points us to the future to know what that salvation means for our life evermore. We learn these truths in the Bible’s pages that reveal our Creator’s power to steadfastly move his purpose from the Garden of the Fall to the Living Waters of Redemption.  
    Faith is sure when we understand faith is not a work we must do, but it is the catalyst that forms our lives each day. Faith is the means to believe God exists and has worked for mankind’s good since creation. The Old Testament is a testimony of many faith-filled ancients. These are people God chose to fulfill his purpose at particular times in history. The remaining verses in this chapter will focus on Abraham and mention many others as examples of these ancients steadfast faith.
    Our faith is certain, too, when we know that In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1) Even though no one witnessed God’s creation, by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command. What we see now in the heavens and on the earth did not exist until God said they would exist.
    We remember and quote Hebrews 11:1 because faith must be the foundation of our lives. And in turn, faith must be the essential element of the church’s existence. If we attempt to follow Jesus and be Jesus’ church with material goals and human effort, we may succeed for a time. But a true gospel ministry will only expand when faith empowers God’s work in our individual and corporate lives. Faith allows us to be persistent, to persevere and be patient when the Lord seems slow to answer. If we are truly a faith-filled church, God will bring about what we hope for, perhaps not in our time, but he will do so in his time. 
           Hebrews 11 is a testimony of our LORD God’s great, saving work among us. With a view of the past we can now look ahead to surely expect Jesus’s full restoration of the kingdom of God on earth.
 
           

Hebrews 10:35-39 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” 39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
 
TO persevere is to continue to pursue a goal against all opposition. Those who persevere do not throw away their confidence because of rejections, trials and challenges. In fact, they see these as progressive steps toward success.
    Long ago, the prophet Habakkuk found it difficult to persevere through the culture of sin in Judah: Habakkuk 1:2 How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?” Although he prophesied God’s judgment on Judah’s sin, the prophet struggled to keep the confidence that God would fulfill his word. Then God gave to Habakkuk the words Hebrews quotes in verses 37-38: Habakkuk 2:2-3 For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”   
    God told Habakkuk what we all need to know: God will work in his time to do his will on earth. While we await his timing, we are not to shrink back from our work. God will not be pleased with those who lose their confidence in the Lord. God was preparing Babylon to punish Judah. This occurred in his time.
    As Habakkuk, we may wonder why God has not judged the world and established his new heaven and earth. We watch the world seem to disintegrate into spiritual chaos and wonder, “How long, Lord?” Hebrews urging the church to keep their confidence in God’s prophetic word is a good lesson for us. Persevere in your faith. Know you will receive what God has promised you.    
    And while we wait, let us respond to God’s call to advance God’s kingdom on earth. One reason he waits is to fulfill the work to extend the gospel to every tribe and tongue. He encourages us with such scriptures as 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  He commissions us to advance our faith into a faithless world.
    We Christians should never be “shrinkers”. We need to always keep our confidence we are God’s children. The Holy Spirit has ignited us to faith in our Lord’s unstoppable power to be his people on earth. That means we confidently stand to contend for God’s purpose against all opposition because God has saved us.