7. Isaac’s Faith

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Hymns: RHC 284 Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus 542 Saved by Grace 532 Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us

Hebrews 11:20 (KJV)

 20  By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.

 Isaac’s Faith

OUTLINE
(1)  Knowing God’s Planned Future

(2) Submitting to God’s Planned Future

 

INTRODUCTION

The late pastor Dr Criswell distinguished our God as the infinite God who holds the future when he said in a sermon on Predestination, “There’s no one that knows the future but God.  I can tell you a way by which you can become a multi-multi billionaire: if you know the future, five minutes.  That’s all.  Three minutes.  That’s all.  Two minutes if you’re fast enough.  I can tell you a way where you can become a multi-multi billionaire, and in time would own the whole world: if you can predict the future two minutes.  Just go to the stock market and before stock goes up, buy it; before it goes down, sell it.  In no time at all, if you can do that, know what will happen in two minutes, you can be a multi-multi billionaire.  No man knows the future.  Not even a stockbroker.  No man knows the future except God.

He observed well, “It is a part of the perfection of God that He have a plan, a purpose.  As you cannot think of the sun without heat or light, so you could not think of God without a plan and a purpose.  God does not act whimsically, or sporadically, or advantitiously, or opportunistically, but God moves according to a great plan and a great purpose.  It is also a part of the sovereignty of God that He achieves His purpose in human history.  These things that happen do not surprise Him.  These things are according to His foreknowledge.

As Isaiah says in chapter 14, “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.  For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it?  And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” [Isaiah 14:26-28].  Or, as is avowed in my text, “My counsel will stand, and I will do all My pleasure” [Isaiah 14:10].

Above this earth, and above its history, there presides a great sovereign Lord, and He guides the events of time and tide according to His foreknowledge and His elective choice.  I can see that plainly in the Bible, for the Lord will avow a thing that is going to come to pass, and then through the centuries He will guide it to that achievement.

Isaac’s faith was commended because Isaac submitted to the will of God concerning God’s will for the chosen seed by which Christ will come.

 

(1) Knowing God’s Planned Future

(2) Submitting to God’s Planned Future

 

(1) Knowing God’s Planned Future

…concerning things to come…

It was evident in Issac’s life that God showed him His will that through Jacob’s seed and not Esau’s that the Messiah would come.

God said to Rebekah, Genesis 25:21-27 (KJV) 21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. 23 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. 24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. 27 And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.”

This story that unfolded in Genesis 25:19-34 and Genesis 27:1-40.

Leon J. Wood said well, “Growing up, the twins little resembled each other. Jacob was fair, a man of the house, beloved of the mother. Esau was rugged, a man of the outdoors favoured by his father. In keeping with God’s prediction, they did clash (Gen. 25:27-34). They had grown to be young men when Jacob one day took advantage of his home position to persuade Esau to sell him his birthright. Having been born first, Esau enjoyed the inheritance rights of the eldest son. Jacob wanted these rights and persuaded Esau to exchange them for a portion of food Jacob was preparing. Esau, having been in the field, was hungry and foolishly made the trade urged by Jacob. Jacob is to be criticized for coveting something that was not his own, but, at the same time, Esau gave up a legal right of lifelong value for the satisfaction of a moment. The birthright secured for its owner the headship of the family and the possession of a major share of the family property. How poorly Esau measured relative values.”[1]

By events and choices, God demonstrated the prevailing of His will. What a great God we serve! It must cause us to worship Him and give Him glory.

The quotation “Man proposes but God disposes” came from the devotional work “Of the Imitation of Christ” that was written in Latin by Thomas Kempis. This book is said to be one of the most widely book after the Bible itself. It contains many wisely expressed insights of spiritual lessons in the Christian faith. Chapter 19 of Book 1 where this quotation is found aptly summed up the intriguing story of Genesis 27 that described Isaac’s blessing of Jacob to be the progenitor of the Messianic line.

“For the resolutions of the just depend rather on the grace of God than on their own wisdom; and in Him they always put their trust, whatever they take in hand.

For man proposes, but God disposes; neither is the way of man in his own hands”.

 It was the will of God from the time Esau and Jacob were born that the blessing of God goes to Jacob instead of Esau.

 Here was the intrigue in this third generation. Instead of a son through the handmaid in the like of Ishmael, we have a son from two of the loins of Isaac whom God Himself will choose to represent Him. This son will be the younger of the twins named Jacob who was chosen instead of Esau his elder brother.

Roger Ellsworth observed well, “By placing Jacob, the second child, over Esau, the Lord was driving home the essential nature of salvation. He was showing that it is entirely a matter of His doing. Jacob had done nothing to deserve being set over Esau. Esau had done nothing to being set aside. Jacob was elevated solely because it pleased God to do so. It was sheer grace. There was absolutely nothing for which Jacob could take credit. He could not explain his elevation by saying he was stronger than Esau. He was not. He could not explain it in terms of being wiser than Esau. He proved to be, but God placed him above Esau while the two of them were still in the womb. We cannot attribute wisdom to Jacob at this stage. God has always liked to act in this particular way. He has always delighted in elevating the weak and foolish over the strong and the wise. When Israel needed a king, God bypassed all the more impressive sons of Jesse and settled on unimpressive David (1 Sam. 16). When God sent His Son into this world, He bypassed Jerusalem, the religious, cultural and political centre of that region, and settled on tiny, unimpressive Bethlehem. When Jesus chose His twelve disciples, he by passed the movers and shakers of the day, the elite of society, and settled on some fishermen, a tax-collector and a political zealot or two. The apostle Paul affirms that God operates in the very same way in this matter of eternal salvation. As a general rule, he bypasses the wise, the mighty and the noble, and settles on the foolish, the weak and the base (1 Cor. 1:26-28).

1 Corinthians 1:26-28 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:

 You can be absolutely sure that salvation is the result of God’s grace just as much as Jacob’s elevation.

 Romans 9:10-13 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.

It is not a matter of our meriting it or our working for it. It is all the product of God’s grace. It is God who chooses, calls and grants repentance and faith. If we love Him, it is because He first loved us. There is not one shed of credit that a saved person can take for himself. All glory goes to the Lord.

How sinful nature resists this teaching! But while we resist, the Bible insists. Just as the Lord God chose Jacob, so he has chosen each of His people. The apostle Paul affirms in these breathtaking words: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6)

We have here the fact of election: “He chose us.” Here we have its time: “Before the foundation of the world; its basis: “according to the good pleasure of His will”; and its vehicle: “in Christ”. Here also is its purpose: “that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” And here is the proper response to it: “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” We may quibble all we want about why the Lord would operate in this way, but whether we like it or not, this is His way, as He made abundantly clear in His revelation to Rebekah.”[2]

As we read this account, we see God’s will fulfilled. As Solomon and Jeremiah wisely wrote under divine inspiration:

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

As Charles Bridges said well, “Inscrutable indeed is the mystery, how He accomplishes His fixed purpose by free-willed agents. Man without his free will is a machine. God without His unchangeable purpose ceases to be God (Mal. 3:6). As rational agents we think, consult, act freely. As dependent agents, the Lord exercises His own power in permitting, overruling, or furthering our acts. Thus, man proposes, God disposes. Man devises; the Lord directeth. He orders our will, without infringing our liberty, or disturbing our responsibility. For while we act as we please, we must be answerable. We observe this supremacy, in directing, not only an important end, but every step toward it; not only the great events, but every turn; not only in his own people, but in every child of man.”

God declared His will when He said, “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.”

Esau was responsible for losing his birthright because he sold it to his brother Jacob. And so it does not surprise us that the final blessing of Isaac went to Jacob.

“There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” (Proverbs 19:21)

(2) Submitting to God’s Planned Future

  • By faith Isacc blessed Jacob and Esau…

For Jacob … Genesis 27:27-29 (KJV) 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  et 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.

For Esau … Genesis 27:34-40 (KJV) 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 subtilty, 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.

We observe the intrigue here in this family where the father Isaac sought to defy the will of God by willfully planning to bestow the blessing upon Esau. And we observe here also that Rebekah having known the will of God schemed to steal the blessing for Jacob by deception.

 “O Lord, I know, that the way of a man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23)

Was the use of deception a justified means to a justified end? Certainly not! Lying is always wrong albeit Jacob was simply obeying the instructions of his mother.

How does the entire story add up? We observe here several thoughts.

God’s Will Cannot Be Thwarted

1 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. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: 3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.

We observe how Isaac sought to defy God’s will by insisting to bless his elder son Esau albeit secretly. By the providence of God, Isaac’s conversation with Esau was overheard by his wife Rebekah who knew that it was God’s will that Jacob is the heir.

5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. 6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death.

Rebekah sounded off the matter to Jacob. To fast-forward the story, we observe how Isaac’s planned attempt to defy God’s will fail miserably.

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.

 

Isaac came finally to accept God’s sovereign desire that Jacob would be chosen to carry on the Messianic line when he said, “yea and he shall be blessed” referring to Jacob’s blessing as a fulfilment of God’s sovereign purpose.

Carl McIntire observed well, “The great drama of the struggle between the will of God reaches its peak in Genesis 27:33, “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.” Between the word “him and the word “yea,” Isaac changed! Between those two little words, he surrenders his will and faith enters in to claim the victory. “Yea, he shall be blessed”. Isaac, by faith, now gives the blessing to Jacob, willingly, and with a full surrender before the will of God. Faith here overcomes the flesh. This is the vital lesson for every Christian. Esau was conquered by the will of the flesh; but Isaac, though tempted and though partially yielding, did not succumb, and faith in God’s will gave him the victory.”

God’s Will Ought to Be Carried Out God’s Way

We observe here the sinful scheming of Rebekah and Jacob “to help”fulfil God’s will. As highlighted in the introduction, was the use of deception a justified means to a justified end? And because Isaac was blind, it gave Rebekah and Jacob an opportunity to deceive him. Is it really correct to attribute sin to Rebekah and Jacob in this situation? Could it not rather be said that they were only seeking to bring God’s will to pass? It was, after all, God Himself who had promised that Jacob would be elevated over Esau.

Surely not! Lying is always wrong albeit Jacob was simply obeying the instructions of his mother. Boice observed well, “Jacob was no child. He was probably 77 years old at this time. Yet, he went along with Rebekah’s base scheme and lied to his father and even dragging the name of God in his deception.”[3] Jacob was culpable for willful deception. So was Rebekah. Could God have worked out a righteous means for Jacob to finally receive his father’s blessing? He could have but He permitted the deception to be carried out but it does not mean He condones it.

Rebekah and Jacob fail to believe that God has the power and wisdom to carry out what He Himself had promised! We do not know how God would have carried out His word concerning Jacob and Esau but God’s word is to be trusted and had Rebekah and Jacob had been content merely to trust the Lord and wait for Him, they would have found His promise to be utterly secure and Jacob would have been elevated over Esau without having to resort to sinful scheming and trickery. We may not know how God would have bring it to pass for It is not ours to know what God has reserved for Himself. It is rather ours to trust what He has clearly revealed.[4]

However, Rebekah and Jacob chose the way of deception bringing great dishonour to God and His name.

 

CONCLUSION

Truly, we see that God is sovereign and yet man is responsible for his actions! Sin has its consequences. The man of God will by faith do the will of God. May we live our lives in God’s will according to God’s way!

[1] Leon J. Wood, A Survey of Israel’s History, Zondervan Publishing House, 1986, 50.

[2] Roger Ellsworth, Be Patient God hasn’t finished with you yet! – Learning from the life of Jacob, Evangelical Press, 2003, 19-21.

[3] James Montgomery Boice, Genesis Volume 2, Baker Books, 1998, 754.

[4] Roger Ellsworth, Be Patient, Evangelical Press, 2003, 32.