Sermon
# 61
Hebrews Notes
Title: Isaac’s Remarkable Faith
Text: Hebrews 11:20
Readings: Buddy
Daugherty – Bob Poncer
Subject: Faith Bowing to the Will
of God
Date: Tuesday Evening – August 7, 2001
Tape # W-55b
Introduction:
Were I searching an example of faith, a single act
of faith, by which I wanted to instruct, comfort and encourage our hearts in
this matter of believing God, I am certain I would never have thought about the
example given in our text tonight. In fact, that which is here held before us
as a great example of remarkable faith, I have always thought of as an example
of great weakness. So, when I began preparing this message, I was immediately
confronted with some challenges. Read the text with me, and you will see why.
[Hebrews 11:20]
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Isaac and His Family
Our text refers us to the 27th chapter of
Genesis. You will recall that Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons, Jacob and Esau.
Esau, the firstborn, was exactly the kind of son every man wants, all boy.
Judging by the description we are given of him he probably wasn’t much to look
at; but he was all boy. He was strong, manly, an outdoorsman, a sportsman, a
great hunter. He and Isaac were real buddies. Esau appears to have always
endeavored to honor his father.
Jacob, on
the other hand, was apparently a bit of a sissy, a momma’s boy. He was soft,
delicate, and always hanging around his mother’s apron. Jacob was as conniving
and scheming as Esau was plain and forthright. He was as weak as Esau was
strong.
When it
came time for him to die, Isaac was anxious to give the blessing of God to his
beloved son Esau[1].
The birthright, normally, should have been Esau’s. He was the firstborn. And
Jacob sure wanted Esau to have it. Who better to represent him and carry on his
family than Esau? So he sent Esau out to kill a deer and fix him a pot of stew,
so that they could have their favorite meal together, reminisce about the
things they had enjoyed together, and then Isaac would bless his favorite son.
But there was a problem with
Isaac’s plans. Isaac’s plans, desires, will and purpose were directly contrary
to God’s purpose. God loved Jacob and hated Esau. The Lord God chose Jacob. The
Lord God had ordained that Jacob be the one through whom the covenant would be
established, through whom Christ should come into the world, through whom he
would accomplish his purpose of grace, through whom ultimately he would bring
salvation to all his elect.
The Birthright Despised
Esau had long before sold his birthright to Jacob in
a moment of trial. It wasn’t much of a trial. He had been out in the fields, as
usual; and as usual, Jacob had been in the kitchen with momma. When Esau came
in, he was hungry and wanted the mess of beans Jacob had cooked. Jacob, in his
normal deviousness, seized his opportunity, and made a deal with Esau.
[Genesis 25:27-34]
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field;
and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling
in tents. [28] And Isaac loved Esau,
because he did eat of his venison:
but Rebekah loved Jacob. [29] And
Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: [30] And Esau
said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint:
therefore was his name called Edom. [31] And
Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
[32] And Esau said, Behold, I am at
the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? [33] And Jacob said, Swear to me this
day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. [34] Then 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.
Rebekah’s Plan
Now, when Isaac was dying and wanted to bless Esau,
Rebekah overheard the conversation between them and came up with a plan of her
own by which to deceive her husband and secure God’s blessing for her favorite
son, Jacob. She had Jacob to kill a kid of the goats and bring it to her. She
made a stew for him to take to Isaac, and put the skin of the goat on Jacob, so
that Isaac would think he was Esau and bless him. Jacob was scared to death;
but the plan worked, because Isaac was blind.
A Picture of the Gospel
I cannot go on without calling your attention to the
fact that this is exactly how sinners receive the blessing of God. This is a
beautiful picture of the gospel. I will not make any effort to excuse Rebekah’s
actions, or Jacob’s But this much is clear: Rebekah knew what God’s purpose
was; and she was determined that the promise of God be Jacob’s. Jacob knew what
that birthright represented; and he was determined to have it. They both
hazarded everything to get it. If we would have that same blessing, the
blessing of God’s grace, we must do exactly what Jacob did.
·
A Lamb must be killed. – No blessing can be had from God without a
sacrifice being made.
·
We must bring the holy Lord God that savory meat he loves. – Christ
himself.
·
We must come to the holy Lord God in the skins of his darling Son. – As
Jacob came to Isaac wearing Esau’s clothes and in the skins of the slain goat,
so we must come to him robed in the righteousness of Christ, wearing his
garments of salvation.
·
Coming to God in Christ, he cannot see us. – All he sees is Christ and
us in him.
Isaac’s Remarkable Faith
Now, I want us to look at the picture given us in
Holy Scripture of Isaac’s remarkable faith. The Holy Spirit specifically
declares that Isaac, in an act of faith, blessed both his sons, both Jacob and
Esau.
[Hebrews 11:20]
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Jacob
[Genesis 27:15-29]
And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them
upon Jacob her younger son: [16] And
she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth
of his neck: [17] And she gave the
savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son
Jacob. [18] And he came unto his
father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my
son? [19] And 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. [20]
And 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. [21] And 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. [22] 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. [23] And he
discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands:
so he blessed him. [24] And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said,
I am. [25] 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. [26] And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. [27] 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: [28] Therefore God give thee of the dew of
heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: [29] 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.
Esau
[Genesis 27:30-41]
And 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. [32] And Isaac his father said unto
him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau. [33] 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.
[34] And 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 subtlety, and hath
taken away thy blessing. [36] 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? [37] And
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? [38] And 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. [39] And 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; [40] And 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. [41] And
Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and
Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then
will I slay my brother Jacob.
Let me
show you what I have gleaned from the Scriptures. I will not get close to
expounding our text or my subject tonight. I plan to come back to it, at least
two or three more times in the coming weeks. But here are eight lessons I have
gathered from the Scriptures we have read.
I. God almighty saves whom he will.
Let men rant and rave and hoot and holler all they
wish, “Salvation is of the Lord!” God has mercy on whom he
will. He chooses some and passes by others. The purpose of God according to
election stands firm. “The foundation of
God standeth sure: the Lord knoweth them that are his!”
[Romans 9:10-16]
And not only this; but when
Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by
our father Isaac; [11] (For the children being not yet born, neither
having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election
might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) [12] It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. [13] As it is written, Jacob have I
loved, but Esau have I hated. [14] What
shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness
with God? God forbid. [15] For he
saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I will have compassion.
[16] So then it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
II. God’s elect are almost always those we least
suspect might be.
God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not
our thoughts. And God’s choices are not our choices. Isaac chose Esau; but God
chose Jacob.
Illustration: David and his
Brothers
[1 Corinthians 1:26-29] For ye see your calling, brethren, how that
not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: [27] But God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; [28] And base things of the world, and
things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea,
and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: [29] That no flesh should glory in his
presence.
III. Faith cherishes and prizes Christ above all
things.
Faith chooses Christ. Faith seeks Christ. Faith
counts Christ precious and all things but dung in comparison to him.
[1 Peter 2:6-8]
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a
chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be
confounded. [7] Unto you therefore
which believe he is precious: but
unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the
same is made the head of the corner, [8] And
a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient:
whereunto also they were appointed.
IV. Unbelief despises Christ and cherishes the
lusts of the flesh.
A. Esau sold Christ for a moment’s gratification. –
There are multitudes like him!
·
The Sons of Korah
·
Elimelech
·
Judas
·
Demas
B. Jacob preferred Christ to anything and
everything.
I do not know what all Jacob saw in the birthright
at the time; but I know what the birthright represented. It represented Christ
and God’s salvation in him. For that, Jacob was willing to incur his father’s
wrath, a life of separation from family and friend, and anything else.
V. Now, listen to this. Don’t miss it. I promise
you, this fifth thing is worth much thought and consideration. – God
gives every one of us exactly what we want.
A. If I
want Christ, I am fully aware that God himself made me want him; but if Christ
is what I want, Christ is what I shall have!
[Jeremiah 29:11-14]
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. [12] Then shall ye call upon me, and ye
shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. [13] And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. [14] And I will be found of you, saith
the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all
the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD;
and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried
away captive.
B. If you
want the world, if you want self-gratification, if you want what all men
naturally want and chose, if you despise Christ and choose your own lusts, God
will give you that.
Oh, how I pray that God will cause you to seek
Christ. But if you despise him and choose to serve your own lusts, God will
give you what you want.
1. Esau
found enough to gratify his heart in the portion with which he was blessed
(“I have enough” – Gen. 33:9). His
blessing proved to be his everlasting curse.
[Proverbs 1:23-32]
Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I
will make known my words unto you. [24] Because
I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man
regarded; [25] But ye have set at
nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: [26] I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your
fear cometh; [27] When your fear
cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress
and anguish cometh upon you. [28] Then
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me: [29] For that
they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: [30] They would none of my counsel:
they despised all my reproof. [31] Therefore
shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own
devices. [32] For the turning away of
the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
2. Jacob,
when he had given everything away, found that which gratified his heart and
soul in his blessing (“I have
enough” – Gen. 332:11). His blessing is Christ!
VI. Now, turn to Ecclesiastes 3:11, and learn this.
– When
the Lord God shuts a sinner up in reprobation, he is doomed forever.
If God gives a person up, if God turns a sinner over
to himself and lets him have his own way, he is as good as in hell. When God
shuts the door, the door is shut!
Illustration: God shut the door going into
the ark before the first raindrop fell from heaven!
[Ecclesiastes 3:11]
He hath made every thing beautiful
in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find
out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
VII. Nothing stands in the way of or in any way
hinders the purpose of God.
Yes, blessed be his holy name, God always has his
way, overruling our wills, our desires, our purposes, and even our most
reprehensible behavior, to accomplish his everlasting purpose of grace!
VII. Now, turn back to Genesis 27 and learn this. – Faith
ultimately bows to the will of God, because that is what every believer truly
wants. – “Thy will be
done!”
[Genesis 27:33]
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 27:39-40]
And 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; [40] And 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.
[1] This patriarchal blessing was much, much more than a father’s wishes for his son. It was the blessing of God in the firstborn, passed on from generation to generation in the patriarchal ages. It represented Christ and all the blessings of God’s boundless grace in Christ.