Lesson for September 22, 2024
The Triumphs of Faith
Lesson 4
Hebrews 11
Verse 17-19
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son; it was he to whom it was said, ‘Through Isaac your descendants shall be named.’ He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.”
The test of offering up Isaac was designed to test Abraham’s faith in God. He offered up one of the most important people to him in the world – his only legitimate son, Isaac. By means of this test, God demonstrated to Abraham, Isaac, and to us as well, the faithfulness of God in keeping His promises. This event illustrated Christ’s substitutionary spiritual death and His resurrection from the dead, the ultimate guarantee of the fulfillment of all the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant.
The application for us is as we make progress in the Christian life, we will be tested. Consistent study and application of Bible doctrine is the proper way to prepare for testing. How could someone consider making such a tremendous sacrifice as Abraham did? How could someone consider giving up someone who was more important to them than their own life? And what is the real issue in this testing? The real issue for Abraham was whether he could properly apply the promise of God, pass the test of faith, and glorify God as a result.
It was he to whom it was said implies that Abraham understood and believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead, if necessary, to fulfill the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. Part of the fulfillment of the covenant was dependent on Isaac living and having descendants. Genesis 21:12, “But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.’”
Verse 20
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.”
Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac. Jacob, the younger son, was the true line of the Jewish race, because the promise to Abraham and Isaac after him was a spiritual covenant, and Isaac was a believer. Esau was an unbeliever and could not be the spiritual line of Israel. The Jewish race was founded on spiritual birth not physical birth. The true spiritual race was always through those who were believers. That is why Jesus Christ has the title of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, all of whom were believers.
Verse 21
By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff.”
Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, passed his blessing to Joseph’s two sons. Jacob gave a blessing to both of Joseph’s sons but stated that the younger son, Ephraim would be greater than the older son, Manasseh. This was an intentional decision to reward Joseph and his descendants for Joseph’s faith in and faithfulness to God. So, when we see the twelve tribes of Israel (Jacob’s sons), Joseph is not listed. Instead, Ephraim and Manasseh replace Joseph and his descendants receive double blessings from God. This was an exercise of faith by Jacob, because he believed God would fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant through Joseph’s sons. Ephraim’s tribe eventually became a leader in the promised land, while Manasseh and his tribe failed miserably.
His staff was a symbol of Jacob’s authority. The principle regarding the blessing of Jacob is that God does not bless the line of natural birth and privilege (Manasseh, the oldest), but God blesses the spiritual line (Ephraim, the youngest). It was the spiritual line of Ephraim that became the beneficiary of God’s grace in keeping the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant. Worshipped is the Greek word proskuneo,meaning to kiss a person face to face. It was a custom of the ancient world to salute one another by kissing the hem of the robe or the feet of the person receiving the recognition. Here it means to worship God by humbling oneself before Him and believing His promises.
Verse 22
“By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones.”
Joseph was the son of Jacob and Rachel, the youngest and favorite son of Jacob. While Joseph was in the process of dying, he recalled the exodus of the nation of Israel from bondage in Egypt as an encouragement to his sons. Joseph knew the Abrahamic Covenant, as well as the future of the nation Israel, as his father had outlined the great prophecy of Genesis 49. So, Joseph felt it necessary to remind his family that they were in the process of becoming a great nation and they could depend on the faithfulness of God to fulfill His promises.
The reason he gave orders concerning his bones was that he refused to be buried in Egypt, which was not the land of promise. Joseph commanded his bones be buried in the land of promise, as a sign of God’s faithfulness. When Moses assembled the people, and they were ready to begin their journey to Canaan, he took the bones of Joseph. Exodus 13:19, “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for he [Joseph] had made sons of Israel solemnly swear saying, God will surely provide for you, and you will carry my bones from here with you.”
The coffin was carried at the front of the people for forty years as a reminder of the faithfulness of God. Of course, the nation of Israel followed the coffin overtly, but they did not follow the coffin “spiritually.” They didn’t obey God’s message to them through Moses and follow it by reaching any level of spiritual maturity, as Joseph had done. They had the greatest Bible teacher of the time in Moses and refused to listen to his teaching and instead revolted against his leadership. The bones of Joseph were finally buried 470 years after he made his speech, according to Joshua 24:32.
God has provided everything necessary for our advance to spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity gives us the ability to face every problem in life with a maximum amount of inner happiness. There is no tragedy, disaster, difficulty, or heartache that can overcome a spiritually mature believer’s faith in God.
Verse 23
“By faith Moses when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”
The faith here is that of Moses’ parents, not of Moses. They believed that God would end slavery in Egypt after 400 years, which He had promised in Genesis 15:13. So, Moses’ parents, Amram and Jochebed, hid Moses when he was born for three months because of Pharaoh’s edict to kill all the Israelite boys when they were born. Pharaoh was afraid of the population growth of Hebrew children, so he issued an edict to drown every newly born male child.
Moses’ parents saw that Moses was an unusually beautiful child and thought that Pharaoh’s daughter, who bathed near the river, would save him. So, they placed Moses in a floating basket. (Acts 7:20) Moses’ parents were not afraid of the edict of Pharaoh, believing that God would keep him alive. And this is exactly what happened. Pharoah’s daughter saw the baby Moses floating in the river and rescued him and he became part of the royal court.
Verses 24-26
“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches that the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.”
Moses was educated in all of the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a dynamic man in words and in deeds. Moses was raised in the highest echelon of Egyptian society. He was brought up in the palace and was educated in the famous Egyptian schools. Moses was a genius in many of the fields that he studied, and he had been chosen to be the next in line for the throne of Egypt. However, God had other plans for Moses. Moses was approaching forty (when he had grown up) he decided to visit the Jewish people who were in captivity (the people of God). By some means, Moses had become aware of the origin of his birth and eventually made a decision to renounce the throne of Egypt and return to his countrymen (the Jews), who were in slavery, becoming the greatest enemy of Egypt. (Exodus 2:15)
Verse 27
“By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him Who is unseen.”
Moses fled Egypt into the land of Midian where God began to prepare him to lead the Jews out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Moses had believed in Jehovah (Jesus Christ) and deemed any reproach from the Egyptians was nothing compared to serving God. It took a lot of faith in God for Moses to give up the throne of Egypt. However, his faith in God and His promises caused him not to be afraid of the anger of the king. Moses had come to know God and understood that the reward of serving God outweighed the pleasures of Egypt. (Exodus 2-3)
Verse 28
“By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that He Who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.”
The story of how Moses commanded the Jews to sprinkle animal blood on their doorposts so the angel of death from God would pass over their house is well known by many. God was taking revenge on Pharoah for enslaving His people for many cruel years by taking the firstborn of each family, attempting to convince the king to let the Jewish people go.
Verse 29
“By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.”
We all know the story of the exodus from Egypt by the Israelites and how the Egyptian army pursued them into the Red Sea and Pharoah’s army was drowned, but the Jews were spared and crossed on dry land. (Exodus 14)
Victory for us is accomplished by exercising our faith in the truth of God’s Word. This exercise of faith overcomes anything that is part of the thinking of this world system that would hinder us from reaching our goal of spiritual maturity and glorifying God. Victory comes by applying the principles of the Word of God on a moment-by-moment basis, as we go through each day.