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PATRIARCHS OF PROMISE. Hebrews 11:17-22. 3/03/2024. #37.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when 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 departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
1. Abraham put to the test
a. Abraham and Sarah waited a long time for a son
a1. Abraham was promised a land he did not possess and a progeny he did not have
a2. Abraham was promised to be a great man in
whom all families on earth would be blessed
b. When Sarah bore a son at 90, she called him Isaac (laughing), for she laughed with incredulity and joy
c. As Isaac grew, he was labeled the son of promise
d. When God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac many things must have gone through his mind
a1. God had promised Isaac as the fulfillment of God’s stated plan
a2. Genesis 9:6 God had decreed murder was a horrendous sin, punishable by death
a3. God’s promises can’t fail, so Abr. Believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead
b1. Genesis 22:26 God told his servants to wait behind and both would return
b2. Abraham’s faith in God’s word was solid
e. Isaac was called by God Abraham’s only son
a1. Only means unique son (monogenes), for Abraham had other sons (Ishmael, and later the sons borne by Keturah)
a2. Monogenes is used of Jesus in John 3:16, for Jesus was the uniquely begotten son, and all other sons have been adopted
f. Abraham received Isaac back from the dead
a1. Abraham had offered up Isaac, fully intending to sacrifice him (trusted God)
a2. God stopped Abr. and gave Isaac back to him, replacing Isaac with a ram
a3. Unlike Eli, who did not honor God over his sons, Abraham was willing to give God his son
a4. Later, God gave His Son for us
2. Isaac, the great link
a. Isaac was a peaceful, quiet man, who kept moving further south to remove himself from harassment
b. Even though Isaac thought that he was blessing Esau, when he blessed Isaac, he later recognized that Jacob was the son of promise
3. Jacob, a mixed bag
a. Jacob was a man of faith, but he had his issues
a1. He was manipulative, conniving, and greedy
a2. He showed favoritism and selfishness
b. Jacob did believe the promises of God
a1. He believed that God was giving him and his descendants a great inheritance
a2. At the end of his life, Jacob described himself as having few days and hard
c. When Jacob was old he passed the blessing on to his 12 sons (leaders of the 12 tribes)
a1. As Jacob laid on his bed or leaned on his staff (in Hebrew, either is possible), he gave each son, his future
a2. Much of the trouble Jacob had was his own doing, but he trusted in the Lord’s leading
d. Joseph trusted the Lord and received a double portion in the land (Ephraim and Manasseh)
a1. Though, ruler of Egypt, his heart was in the Promised Land, so he wanted his bones taken there to be buried (Shechem)
a2. Acts 7:9-16 looked forward to a great reward
Key Passage: Acts 7:9-16
9 “And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. 11 Now a famine and great trouble came over all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no sustenance. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. 13 And the second time Joseph was made known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to the Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives to him, [b]seventy-five people. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt; and he died, he and our fathers. 16 And they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem.