The Faith of Isaac

Opening:

It is a beautiful thing to open the Word of God on the Lord’s Day.

Introduction of the Passage:

This morning we will be in Hebrews 11:20. We will be examining the faith of Isaac. Specifically we will be examining the faith of Isaac in blessing Jacob and Esau.

Even though this is a short passage, I would ask you to stand with me out of reverence for the Word of God this morning.

Reading of the Passage:

Hebrews 11:20“20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

The Word of God. Let’s pray.

Prayer:

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we ask your blessing on our time in Your Word this morning. We commit it to You. Use it to conform us into the image of Your Son. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

Text Idea:

On the surface, our passage this morning seems to have a very straight forward idea. Isaac prophetically blessed Jacob and Esau by faith. But there is something even deeper here. It was the sovereignty of God that caused the blessing to be given. It was by God’s perfect will that Isaac’s faith led him to bless both of his sons.

Sermon Idea:

The main idea this morning is that according to the sovereignty of God, our faith has effect.

Interrogative:

But that is a very big idea, so what does it mean? What does it mean that our faith is effective through God’s sovereignty? That is what we will be studying this morning. So let’s dive in.

Transition:

And as we begin our study this morning we really need to examine what the Apostle is referencing. So let’s examine Isaac blessing Jacob and Esau.

Isaac Blessing Jacob and Esau.

Explanation:

The Apostle is referencing the account in Genesis 27. This is a fairly famous account. Likely those of you who grew up going to Sunday School will remember it. But let’s set the stage a little bit. Last week we examined Abraham and Isaac going up on the mountain. After this account the Bible records much. But Isaac marries a woman named Rebekah. And Rebekah, like Sarah, is barren. She cannot have children. But once again God does a miracle. And we see the birth of Jacob and Esau.

The Birth of Jacob and Esau.

This account is recorded in Genesis 25:19–28. Listen to this. “This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. 20 Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the LORD.

23 And the LORD said to her:

“Two nations are in your womb,

Two peoples shall be separated from your body;

One people shall be stronger than the other,

And the older shall serve the younger.”

24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

27 So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

This is such a fascinating account. Isaac and Rebekah plead with God. They beg God to give them children and God does. Rebekah conceives twins. But apparently in the womb they were fighting. Even in the womb these brothers were striving against each other. And God tells Rebekah something interesting. He says there are two nations in her womb. And then:

God Promised to Bless Jacob.

God says the older shall serve the younger. What God is here saying is that the covenantal blessing that was Abraham’s and is now Isaac’s will pass on to the younger. And this was in contradiction to the practice of that day. The older child always had the highest place of honor. The older child was the heir. We see this all through history. Even to this day if a nation has a king, the oldest son inherits the throne. But God says here that the blessing will pass to the younger of the two twins. God will be the God of Jacob.

And we see the boys born. Esau is a harry child. Esau means harry. He apparently was so thickly covered in hair that it was like a garment. And Jacob is born second, holding onto Esau’s heel. Because of this they name him Jacob which means “heel catcher.” But interestingly, Jacob also means deceiver. And this name seems almost prophetic for the account of Isaac blessing his sons. But there is one more thing I have to point out. The account of the birth of Jacob and Esau ends by pointing out that Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob and Rebekah loved Jacob more. Now parents should never play favorites, but Isaac and Rebekah did. And this plays a big factor in this account.

So let’s examine the account where Isaac blesses his sons.

Isaac Blesses His Sons.

I will be reading a lot. If you want to follow along with me, you can turn to Genesis 27. This passage has five movements to the story. It is an account of deception, trickery, and yes, blessing. So let’s dive in. The first thing we see is:

Isaac Intends to Give Esau the Covenant Blessing.

Genesis 27:1–4“1 Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.” 2 Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. 4 And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.””

Isaac here intends to give the covenantal blessing to Esau. And the first question should be why? Why would Isaac do this? God had said that He would bless Jacob. But Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob. So Isaac wanted to pass on the covenantal promise to his favorite son. But this was not what God had said. Isaac is here disobeying God. He was right to bless both sons in faith, but he is disobeying God in who he is going to give the promised blessing of God to. And Rebekah overhears this. And remember, Rebekah loves Jacob more than Esau. So what happens?

Rebekah and Jacob Plan to Trick Isaac.

Genesis 27:5-17 5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. 6 So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, 7 ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the LORD before my death.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. 9 Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. 10 Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.”

11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.”

13 But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” 14 And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

The story just keeps going with more twists and turns. The right thing to do would have been for Rebekah to lovingly go to her husband and say “my husband, did not God promise to bless Jacob above Esau? Why are you doing this?” But instead, Rebekah and Jacob pot to trick Isaac. They lie. Isaac is not doing what is right. He is disregarding what God had clearly said. But Rebekah and Jacob decide to fall further into sin. And Jacob here is not some upstanding character. He goes along with it. And they do trick Isaac.

Isaac Gives the Covenantal Blessing to Jacob.

Genesis 27:18-29 So he went to his father and said, “My father.”

And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?”

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.”

20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”

And he said, “Because the LORD your God brought it to me.”

21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to 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 did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him.

24 Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?”

He said, “I am.”

25 He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” 27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said:

“Surely, the smell of my son

Is like the smell of a field

Which the LORD has blessed.

28 Therefore may God give you

Of the dew of heaven,

Of the fatness of the earth,

And plenty of grain and wine.

29 Let peoples serve you,

And nations bow down to you.

Be master over your brethren,

And let your mother’s sons bow down to you.

Cursed be everyone who curses you,

And blessed be those who bless you!”

This is clearly the covenantal blessing. Isaac is here passing down to Jacob, who he thinks is Esau, the same blessing Abraham passed to him. And our Hebrews passage makes clear this is a prophetic blessing. This did come to pass. Jacob had his name changed by God to Israel. From him came twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. Jacob did rule over Esau. This was a prophetic blessing.

But Jacob earned his name here. Remember, Jacob means deceiver. He lied. He doubled and even tripled down on his lie to his own father. He deceived Isaac. And then:

Esau Returns to Discover the Deception.

Genesis 27:30–36

30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”

32 And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?”

So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.”

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”

36 And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

Esau returns to the devastating truth that his brother had stolen from him. Esau had previously sold the birthright, that is the greater portion of the inheritance, to Jacob. But now, Jacob had stolen the blessing.

And Isaac here seems to know that the blessing he had given was prophetic. He could not take it back. Jacob would indeed be blessed. Jacob knew his words were not just words. They were more than that. And Esau is heartbroken. And he asks Isaac to bless him too.

Isaac Blesses Esau.

Genesis 27:37-40 37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”

38 And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.

39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:

“Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth,

And of the dew of heaven from above.

40 By your sword you shall live,

And you shall serve your brother;

And it shall come to pass, when you become restless,

That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

Here again according to our Hebrews passage we know this was prophetic. It also came to pass. Esau did also become a nation. And that nation and Israel were always at strife. But the nation of Israel did subdue and enslave them. But after a long time, Esau’s descendants eventually did break free of the yoke. After this, there was war and Israel wiped our the nation of Esau.

Argumentation:

This is such an interesting account. And it is almost shocking that we would see it listed here in the great works of faith. I would wager that no one here would list this if I asked them about the great works of faith in the Old Testament. If I asked you to tell me what Isaac did by faith you would probably talk about how he trusted God to provide children even though Rebekah was barren. But you probably wouldn’t list this account.

How could this be by faith? Isaac did not even know he was giving the blessing to Jacob. He purposely was going to bless the wrong child and then Jacob in sin tricked him.

Transition:

But this is where we must weigh this account properly. We must submit to the Word of God, even when it does not make sense on the surface. We trust what God says and God says in His word:

The Prophetic Blessings Were Given by Faith.

Argumentation:

Listen again to our passage. Hebrews 11:20“20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

These blessings were given by faith. It was in faith of things to come that Isaac gave both Jacob and Esau their blessings. And they came true. These blessings were real. And Isaac’s faith worked beyond his own knowledge. His faith in the truth of God’s promise was not limited to his own actions or even knowledge of which child was receiving the blessing. And this comes to a central point.

God is Sovereign Even Over Our Faith and Will.

I said in the opening that the main idea this morning is that according to the sovereignty of God, our faith has effect. What do I mean? I mean that even our faith is subject to God’s sovereignty. One of the central truths of Scripture is that God is sovereign. I use that word a lot. Sovereign. What does it mean? What does it mean that God is sovereign?

It means that God is in complete control over every single aspect of reality. It means that nothing happens outside of God’s will. As the late R.C. Sproul famously said, “there are no maverick molecules.” Every atom of creation is under His hand. He is in control of it all. God is the divine arbiter of everything. There is never anything that happens that was not part of God’s plan. No star goes supernova outside of His command. No caterpillar emerges from a cocoon outside of God’s will.

And typically, we are okay with this idea as long as it does not affect us. If I were to say that God is in control of the operations of the stars, every Christian would issue a hearty amen. If I were to say that God is the One who feeds the sparrows, who clothes the lilies of the fields, every Christian would say amen.

But as soon as I say that God is in divine control over the hearts and yes even the faith of all men, it is met with resistance. It is hated. God being sovereign over the will and faith of men is despised in our age. But it is nevertheless true. God had accepted Jacob. God had rejected Esau. And this exact point is proved out in the New Testament. In Romans 9 the apostle Paul quotes from this passage in Genesis as an example of God’s sovereignty over the hearts and will of man.

God had chosen Jacob but rejected Esau. And to this people object. How can God do that? How can God choose one person and not another? And the Apostle Paul anticipates this objection. He says this in Romans 9:19–21“19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?”

We must remember that God is God and we are not. He is the Potter, we are the clay. Romans 9:22–24“22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory.”

You see, from before time began, God had chosen Jacob to carry on the promise. And Jacob was to receive this prophetic blessing. That was God’s will. But you will ask, “how can God use Jacob’s sinful actions to accomplish His will?” Beloved, there is so much comfort in the answer to that question.

God Uses Sinners to Accomplish His Sovereign Will.

As the old saying goes, God draws straight lines with crooked sticks. It was God’s will that Jacob receive that blessing. And yes, Jacob sinned in how he recieved it. But God drew a straight line with the crooked stick of Jacob. But that does not excuse his sin. Rebekah and Jacob are at fault. They meant that for evil. And it was sinful. So how do we answer this?

I think the story of Joseph answers this better than I ever could. Joseph was abused by his brothers. They threw him in a dry well, plotted to kill him, and then sold him into slavery while lying to their father, Jacob, all the while. This was an evil act. But in the end, what does Joseph say to his brothers? His brothers come to him in fear thinking he will kill them. What does Joseph say to them?

Genesis 50:19–20“19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

Listen to that! You MEANT it for evil. God MEANT it for good. The same word is used. Joseph’s brothers meant what they did for evil. They wanted to hurt him, even kill him. But in God’s sovereignty, He meant it for good. And we can say the same thing about this account. Jacob meant what he did for sinful reasons. Isaac meant to bless the wrong child. But God, in His overarching sovereignty, meant it for good. Matthew Henry says in his commentary “Rebecca and Jacob are not to be justified in the indirect means they used to obtain this blessing, but God will be justified in overruling even the sins of men to serve the purposes of his glory.”

And there is comfort here. There is such great comfort in this. And this is my charge to you.

Find Peace in God’s Sovereignty.

Sinners do not destroy the plan of God. There are so many mistakes in my past. And I wish I had not done any of them. I wish that I had always obeyed God. But I haven’t. But I look at the kindness of God’s plan. He, in His sovereignty used even my sin to bring me here. I have a beautiful and loving wife. I have covenant children. I have a church family that I love and that love me. I am a blessed man.

That does not excuse my sins. No, they were wrong. But God, in His sovereignty meant even that for good. And this brings me comfort and joy and even peace. And I hope we could all say the same. And I believe Jacob would say the same. He sinned in how he recieved the blessing. But I honestly believe that at the end of his life, he would have said the same. “I meant that for evil. But God meant that for good.

But even beyond this, the sovereignty of God brings peace even when others sin against us. The wrongs of others do not destroy the plan of God. What is it that gives Christians peace in the midst of the worst pain? It is trust that God is in control. God will take what they meant against us for evil and He means it for our good and His glory. Is this not the promise of Romans 8:28? “28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Have peace. Obey God. Trust in His sovereign will. If you are here and you are living in sin, repent but do not despair. Turn from your sin! Obey God! But beloved, never despair. Maybe you are here and you fear that the sins of the past are too great. How could God use you? Beloved, how could God use Jacob? He did. He redeemed him. Jacob’s sins were forgiven. They were washed white as snow. And if you are here and your are a Christian, your sins are washed. God has forgiven you. Your sins are cast as far as the East is from the West. The Lord remembers them no more. Be at peace.

Transition:

But I want to close this morning with a word of practical application. We are blessed to have many parents and grandparents in our church. So I give this word of exhortation.

Bless Your Children.

When we see this text there is one very practical point I do not want us to miss. The blessing of a father is powerful. Now, to clarify, Isaac was prophetically blessing his children. We are not prophets. But this does not negate the fact that we should bless our children. One puritan commentator said this about Isaac’s blessing on Jacob and Esau. “He blessed them; that is, he resigned them up to God in covenant; he recommended God and religion to them; he prayed for them, and prophesied concerning them, what would be the condition, and the condition of their descendants:”

Now we may not be prophets, but we can and should do all the rest. We should resign them up to God in covenant. We are a paedobaptist church. This means we seal our children with the covenant sign of baptism. That is what this is. It is publicly saying that God is the God of our children. They are Christians. And we raise them in the faith. We bring them up in the faith. They are members of the New Covenant. Act like it.

We ought to pray for our children every day. We should beg God that He would give them faith. Let us wear out our knees bringing our Children before God.

And we should bless them. Tell them often and always that they belong to Christ. That Christ died for them. When they sin, teach them how to repent. Teach them how to go to God and ask for forgiveness. And tell them that forgiveness is theirs through faith.

But speak words of blessing to them. Beloved, never underestimate the power of actually blessing your children. I am blessed to be the child of blessing. My parents made it pivotal to actively tell me they loved me. They told me God loved me. They actively spoke blessing over me.

I see so many parents and grandparents say such horrific things about their children. They call them such awful names. May we be different. Do not speak horribly about your children or grandchildren. Now I’m not calling you to lie. If they are naughty, say so. Tell them they are being disrespectful. Punish them. I’m not saying we should lie and say they are sweet little angels when they are being horrifically sinful. Children need to hear they are sinning when they are sinning.

But here is what we should do. Tell them you love them. Tell them they are blessed. Tell them they belong to Christ. How often do you tell your children or grandchildren or great grandchildren “God bless you” and mean it? Are you more likely to yell at your kids or thank God for them in front of them? Do your offspring know you are thankful for them by the way you speak about them? Do they have your blessing?

Beloved, God says in His Word that our children are holy, the same word used for believers. They are members of the covenant. With your words and actions, bless them. Make sure your kids know that they have your blessing.

And as your pastor, I make this pledge to you. Your children are welcome here. I long to bless every one of you within the service God has given me to perform. And that includes the children. Grown or infant. I give the words of Christ, and as His under shepherd I echo them with all my heart and soul. “Let the children come to Christ. For to such belong the kingdom of heaven.”

let’s pray.

Closing Prayer:

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Benediction:

Numbers 6:24–26“24 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’”