Introduction: Seeing Beyond the Grave
They say that "hindsight is 20/20," meaning it is easy to see things clearly after they have happened. But these two verses introduce us to a different kind of vision: foresight.
Isaac and Jacob were old men. Their bodies were failing. Isaac was blind, and Jacob was on his deathbed. Yet, at the very moment their physical eyes were dimming, their spiritual eyes were sharper than ever. They didn't spend their final moments looking back in regret or nostalgia. Instead, they looked forward. By faith, they looked past their own death and spoke with absolute authority about a future they would not live to see.
These verses teach us how to finish well. They show us that true faith does not retire; it passes the torch to the next generation.
1. Isaac: Faith That Submits to God's Plan (Verse 20)
Verse 20 tells us, "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come."
If you know the story in Genesis 27, you know Isaac’s physical situation was messy. He was old, blind, and actually intended to give the primary blessing to Esau, his favorite. But through a dramatic turn of events, the blessing went to Jacob.
Why is this listed as an act of faith? Because when Isaac realized what had happened—that the blessing had gone to the younger son contrary to his own plan—he didn't try to take it back. He didn't fight God. He realized God’s sovereignty was at work. In Genesis 27:33, after realizing Jacob received the blessing, Isaac trembled and declared, "yea, and he shall be blessed."
Isaac’s faith was demonstrated in two ways:
* He spoke of "things to come." He believed God’s promise so deeply that he treated the future success of his sons as a settled fact.
* He submitted his will to God’s will. Even though he preferred Esau, he recognized that God had chosen Jacob. Faith admits that God’s plan for our family is better than our own preferences.
2. Jacob: Faith That Worships in Weakness (Verse 21)
Verse 21 moves to the next generation: "By faith Jacob, when he was a dying..."
This is a profound picture. Jacob, the man who spent his life wrestling, scheming, and struggling, ends his life in an act of peaceful worship. He blesses his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Joseph's sons).
There are two powerful symbols here:
A. The Crossed Hands (The Blessing)
When Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons, he deliberately crossed his hands, placing his right hand on the younger grandson, Ephraim, and his left on the older, Manasseh. Joseph tried to correct him, but Jacob refused. By faith, Jacob saw that God often chooses the unlikely, the younger, and the weaker to display His power. He wasn't limited by tradition; he was guided by the Spirit.
B. The Staff (The Worship)
The verse says he worshiped "leaning upon the top of his staff." Why mention the staff? Decades earlier, Jacob wrestled with God and was left with a permanent limp. That staff was a constant reminder of his weakness and his dependence on God.
At the end of his life, he didn't lean on his wealth or his accomplishments. He leaned on the symbol of his brokenness and God’s sustaining grace. Even in his dying breath, he was a worshiper. He proved that while the outer man perishes, the inner man can be strong in faith.
3. The Legacy: Blessing the Next Generation
The common thread in both verses is the word blessed.
Isaac blessed his sons. Jacob blessed his grandsons.
This is the ultimate work of faith for a parent or grandparent. We work hard to leave our children an inheritance of money or property, but the greatest thing we can leave them is a spiritual blessing.
To bless someone by faith means to:
* Speak God’s promises over their lives.
* Entrust them into God’s hands, knowing He will care for them after we are gone.
* Model a trust in God that lasts until our final breath.
These men didn't see the fulfillment of the promises. They didn't see the nation of Israel formed, they didn't see the land conquered, and they didn't see the Messiah. But they died declaring that it would happen.
Conclusion
We will all face the end of our lives one day. How will we face it? Will we be bitter about the past, or will we be full of faith for the future?
Isaac and Jacob teach us that faith sees beyond the grave.
* Isaac teaches us to submit to God's sovereign plan for our families.
* Jacob teaches us to worship God even in our physical weakness.
Let us live in such a way that when our time comes, we are not found clutching the things of this world, but leaning on the staff of God's grace, speaking words of blessing and hope to those who follow us.
