HEBREWS 11:20-22 [Leaving a Legacy Series]
A FAITH THAT DEFEATS DEATH
[ (Gen 27:27–40; 48:1–22; Gen 50:20-25]
The blessing of faith is of constant use throughout the Christian’s life, but it is of special usefulness when we die. Faith has a great work to do in our last days helping believers to finish well, to die in the Lord so as to honor Him and leave behind a witness to the faithfulness of God, His word of truth, and the excellencies of His ways.
God is glorified when His people leave this world with their faith sails flying at full mast. If anyone should die triumphantly it should be believers. When the Holy Spirit triumphs over our flesh, when the world is consciously and gladly left behind for heaven, when there is anticipation of glory in our eyes as we enter into the presence of the Lord, our dying is pleasing to the Lord. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.” (Psalm. 116:15).
The patriarchs briefly mentioned in these verses illustrate the power of faith in facing death (CIT). Now these saints had not always lived faithfully. They had lived and trusted God imperfectly, just as we do, but they grew in their devotion to God and obedience to His word. Thus Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were able to exhibit great faith at the end of their lives. Each one faced death in full confident faith.
Many believers find it difficult to anticipate and to face death. Yet a Christian, who for the most part, has walked with God faithfully often finds that the last hours of his life are the sweetest. Whatever the ups and downs of their lives, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph went out basking in the sunlight of true faith.
These saints ended life completely confident in God’s word passing on the promises of the inheritance to their children. They not only continue to believe what they had never seen, they passed on what they had never seen to their children. That is the assurance of faith and it was the greatest inheritance they had to pass on to their children. Though they had not seen the land possessed, the nation established, or the world blessed, they bequeath faith in these promises to their children.
These men did not doubt that the promises would come true. They did not die in the despair of unfulfilled dreams, but in perfect peace despite the unfulfilment of the promises, confident because they were God’s promises. They knew by faith that God would fulfill the promises because they knew He was a covenant-keeping God and a God of truth. They died saying, “They will come. In God’s time the fulfillment will come.” They died defeating death, knowing that even though they physically died, God’s promises could not die. That is magnificent faith, the kind of faith that God honors. [MacArthur, John. Hebrews. Moody Press. Chicago.1983. P. 338]
I. ISAAC’S FAITH, 20.
II. JACOB’S FAITH, 21.
III. JOSEPH’S FAITH, 22.
The patriarchs mentioned here likewise looked to the future in faith. In verse 20 Isaac, trusting God to fulfill His promises to Abraham and his descendants, pronounced blessings on his own two sons Jacob and Esau regarding their future. “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.”
“Isaac” was the son who had been promised to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Isaac in the two chapters in Genesis (26 & 27), that record his life was seemingly a passive and quiet man. Though his life was one of many mistakes and failures, he continued to grow in faith.
The greatest thing Isaac had going for him was his father who exhibited and taught the life of faith. This naturally led him to be a son of faith. As a healthy young man in his latter teens he submitted himself to his 100 plus year old father to the extent that he allowed himself to be bound for sacrifice. This is an example of his obedient faith not only to his father but to God.
At Abraham’s death he received his father’s blessing and God Himself reaffirmed His covenant with Isaac in Genesis 26:3-4.
(27:27-29,39,40). Where God said “ I will be with you and bless you.” Without his father’s guidance Isaac stumbled along in life, even wanting to pass on the promise of the covenant to Esau instead of Jacob. Yet it was by faith he blessed them both concerning things beyond this life. Isaac’s faith was particularly exhibited in his old age, when he blessed his two sons in regard to their future (Gn. 27:27–40). In God’s providence, and contrary to Isaac’s natural preference and intention, he transmitted the blessings of the covenant to his younger son Jacob. Though Esau and his descendants would be subservient to Jacob, he also blessed him (Genesis 27:38-40). The irreversibility of the future covenant blessing given to Jacob caused Isaac to acknowledge that God would fulfill His promises in spite of man’s stubbornness or deceptions in His own way in His own time.
Just as his father had done with him, Isaac passed on the blessings of God’s promise to his sons by faith. He had absolute certainty that they would come to pass. These promises were the inheritance they cherished as much as most people cherish material possessions, fame and power.
II. JACOB’S FAITH, 21.
Verse 21 recounts that Jacob, when old and feeble, while still sojourning in Egypt, by faith blessed each of the sons of Joseph. “By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the tip of his staff.”
Jacob was Isaac’s son and Abraham’s grandson. Jacob’s sons became the fathers of the12 tribes of Israel. Jacob’s life was like his father’s in many ways. It was up and down spiritually. Sometimes he walked by faith and sometimes he stumbled by sight. He had times of great faith and times of fear and anxiety. He bargained with God on occasions (Gen. 28:20-21) and on other occasions he readily acknowledged God’s blessing (31:5). He reverently praised the Lord when he had the dream of the heavenly ladder (28:16-17), and once he was so intent on receiving God’s blessing that he wrestled with Him all night (32: 24-26).
Unlike his fathers, Jacob did not try to circumvent God’s plan for his heirs. Joseph, though younger than all his brothers except Benjamin, was the chosen son to bless, just as Jacob, though younger, was chosen above Esau. In fact Joseph received a double blessing for his two sons. Ephraim and Manasseh were both blessed although again the younger son, Ephraim, received the greater blessing (48:19). Consequently, instead of only one tribe descending from Joseph, as with his brothers, two tribes (often referred to as half-tribes) descended from him.
At his death Jacob’s each of his sons received a separate and distinct blessing (Gen. 48: 15,16). Even when Jacob was dying in a strange land, he believed the promise that Abraham’s descendants would be like the sand on the seashore and would inhabit the promise land and that in them all the nations of the world would be blessed. Once again, what was never possessed was passed on in faith. True faith helps us see beyond the grave. Jacob died with that kind of faith worshiping even as he died.
[Staff or bed are the same Hebrew word with different vowel points mihah is bed, mahehis is staff. Leaning on his shepherd’s staff (LXX) would indicate that he died as he lived, a pilgrim. He died knowing the journey was not over, that he had not yet arrived at his permanent home.]
III. JOSEPH’S FAITH, 22.
Again, like his father and grandfather, when his end was near, Joseph spoke in faith about the fulfilment of God’s promises in the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and asked for his bones to be buried in the promised land. “By faith Joseph, when he was dying (finishing) made mention (remembered) of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.”
Joseph, one of Jacob’s sons, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers (Gen. 37). Eventually, Joseph was sold again, this time to an official of the Pharaoh of Egypt. Then even due to his faithfulness spent a number of years in Pharaoh’s prison. Because of Joseph’s faithfulness to God, however he was eventually given a top-ranking position in Egypt. Joseph could have used that position to build a personal empire but instead he chose to believe God’s promise to his great grandfather Abraham. After he had been reconciled to his brothers, Joseph brought his family to be near him and as his inevitable death approached, he requested that his bones be taken to the promised land when the Jews eventually left Egypt four hundred years later (Genesis 50: 24, 25).
Faith means trusting in God and doing what He wants, regardless of the circumstances or consequences. Joseph’s life certainly is a wonderful illustration of faith that made him steadfast under temptation and patient under unjust treatment. As Stephen said in Acts 7:9f, he endured his trials nobly and triumphed over them.
Joseph’s faith is a testimony to God’s providence. His story reminds us of how God is looking ahead of our situation in order to bring good out of evil.
Joseph’s story also reminds us of how we need to look at life–not in terms of the evil or the difficulty we see at the moment but of the good that ultimately can come out of a situation, a person or a family. Joseph’s life is a lesson in the importance of a positive attitude (Gen. 50:20).
A positive attitude is built on faith. Sensing success in dark times, discovering victory in the appearance of defeat - these are traits of successful people. They are attitudes that are built, on a foundation of faith.
Someone has suggested that people can be described by the following statistics: 1 percent make things happen, 9 percent watch things happen, 40 percent wonder what happened, and 50 percent wonder why it happened.
Leaders like Joseph could make things happen because their outlook on life was built on a foundation of faith. They could see God’s guiding hand even in difficult times. Their optimism, their positive attitude toward life kept them moving in the right direction.
From 17 years old onward Joseph lived in Egypt. Though a fourth-generation heir of the promise, he could not claim even to have sojourned in the Promised Land, much less to have inherited it. It had been some two hundred years since God made the initial covenant with Abraham. Two hundred years of promise, and no fulfillment in sight. In fact, by the time of Joseph’s death, none of Abraham’s descendants (that is, the descendants of promise) lived in the Promised Land at all. Because of the famine in Canaan, Joseph had brought his father and his brothers to Egypt. Jacob was carried back to Canaan after he died, and Joseph would be satisfied if only his bones could be buried there. If he could not inherit the land at least the land could “inherit” him. It was not until the promised exodus (When God confirmed to Jacob that it as ok to go to Egypt because he would bring them back a great nation, Gen. 46:2- 4.) Joseph’s bones were actually taken to Canaan (Ex. 13:19), but his heart and his hope had always been there.
He had to look ahead to see the promise, yet he saw it clearly and confidently. “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you, and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised by oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob” (Gen. 50:24). While he was making his brothers swear to take his bones back to Canaan, he repeated the assuring words of faith, “God will surely take care of you” (v. 25).
Thank God that He is willing to help you to see His guiding hand in all you do. If you do you too will die full of faith in the promises of God.
In CLOSING
In these three incidents, the patriarchs looked beyond their own deaths to the reward that God had promised his people. Faith is an essential part of these biblical characters’ life. They believed the promises of God and walked in their light obediently and persevered in belief no matter the obstacles. They lived by faith, and they died in faith. They all died without having obtained the promises that God made and yet they never doubted that the promises would come true. They died not in despair but in hope. Their faith defeated death. There is something of eternal greatness here. Their faith was beyond this life in the eternal promises of God. Though they did not see the promises fulfilled their life was a link to their fulfillment.
All three of these men believed God in the face of death. Their faith had sometimes wavered in life, but it was strong and confident in death. Death is the acid test of faith. For hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, courts of law have taken a dying man’s word at face value. The need for lying and deception is over, and what is said on a deathbed is usually believed. So with our testimony of faith. Not only is the need for hypocrisy and pretense over, but it is extremely difficult to fake faith when you know you are facing eternity. A dying man’s faith is believable because a sham cannot stand this test.
A Christian who fears death has a serious weakness in his faith, for to die in Christ is simply to be ushered into the Lord’s presence. “For to me, to live is Christ,” Paul says, “and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). For those who believe, “Death is swallowed up in victory” ( I Cor. 15:54).
The all-important legacy we can leave our families is not a comfortable home and a large income. The greatest legacy is a spiritual one that no amount of money can buy. It’s an example of unwavering trust in God’s love and wisdom. It is also an example of steadfast endurance, courage, patience, and hope for eternity when all hope in this world is gone. If you leave that legacy for your family, they will bless your memory until they too depart for glory.
Are you providing a lasting spiritual legacy of priceless value for those you love? A life lived for Christ is the best inheritance we can leave our children.
Is your faith lifting you beyond this life. Is there a sustaining that will carry you into eternity leaving behind a blessing of confidence in God’s promises, in His word to your heirs? There should be. There can be. Step out in faith right now and make this heritage of faith yours today.
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear God, we praise & thank You, for Your mercies are new every morning. Your love for us is endless. You care about our well-being irrespective of our situation. Father, we are fearful. You have not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Therefore, we reject fear, especially the fear that comes with aging and we claim our freedom from oppression by faith in Jesus’s name. Father, we cling to You, for we know You will never leave us nor forsake us.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, the thought of death can be sad and for some terrifying. As humans, we are fully aware that our lives are bound to come to an end. Although we are constantly reminded of this sad reality, we leave it all in Your loving Hands. Your Love covers us from the moment of our birth until the end of life. Although life itself is beautiful, we know that pain is never completely avoided. But we boldly ask that You may get rid of the physical, emotional, and spiritual burdens we have been carrying in the span of our life. O God, our Heavenly Father, have pity on Your children in great bodily weakness who are drawing near the gates of death. May we never let go of the promise of God’s love that does not end even after death. We know that we will all face our physical death one day, so grant us faith in Jesus for eternal life.
In your presence, there is fullness of joy. Draw us closer to You by Your Spirit, O God, and give us victory. Hide us under the shadow of Your wings. We thank You for Your presence in my life. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
