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 Previous Return to Hebrews Next 

THE PAST ENCOURAGES THE PRESENT

Hebrews 11:19-22

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.    The primary exhortation to the Hebrew Christians to whom the book was written is:  “Be faithful!”

 

B.      The writer has already used examples from the past to encourage his readers.

 

C.     In Hebrews 11, the writer turns to the examples of faithful individuals from the past.

 

D.    Outline of the chapter:

 

i.                    FAITH (Heb. 11:1-3)

ii.                  FATHERS (Heb. 11:4-22)

iii.                FOUNDER (Heb. 11:23-31)

iv.                FEARLESS (Heb. 11:32-38)

v.                  FASTENING (Heb. 11:39-40)

 

I.                   FAITH (Heb. 11:1-3)

 

II.                FATHERS (Heb. 11:4-22)

 

A.    It is interesting that the inspired writer does not go back to Adam and Eve as the first example of faith.

B.      Abel (Heb. 11:4)

C.     Enoch (Heb. 11:5-6)

D.    Noah (Heb. 11:7)

E.      Abraham (Heb. 11:8-19)

1.      Abraham’s Departure (Heb. 11:8)

2.      Abraham’s Dwelling (Heb. 11:9-10)

3.      Sarah’s Delivery (Heb. 11:11-12)

4.      The Faithful’s Death (Heb. 11:13)

5.      The Faithful’s Desire (Heb. 11:14-16)

6.      Abraham’s Display (Heb. 11:17-19)

a.      The presentation (Heb. 11:17)

b.      The promise (Heb. 11:18)

c.       The premise (Heb. 11:19)

1)      Abraham’s reckoning (Heb. 11:19a)

 

Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead…

 

a)      God knew the thoughts of Abraham when it came to this matter.  He knew the line of reasoning that Abraham took that enabled him to move forward in faith.

b)      Accounting

-          Strong (3049):  take an inventory, conclude

-          Thayer:  to reckon, count, compute, calculate, take into account, a thing is reckoned as, to reckon inward, count up or weigh the reasons, to deliberate, to gather or infer, to consider, take into account, weigh, determine, purpose, decide

c)      Abraham thought about this action.  He came to the conclusion that if he put Isaac to death, God would raise him up, even from the dead.

-          Abraham trusted God and the power of God.

-          LESSON:  We are not called to perform acts of faith comparable to this.  Why can’t we trust God and His mighty power?

d)     Go back to Genesis 22:5.  These are the words of Abraham to his servants who he left behind when he and Isaac went into the mount of Moriah.

 

And Abraham said unto his young man, Abide here with the ass; I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

 

-          Both of us will go.

-          Both of us will come again.  This is a statement of great faith.

2)      Abraham’s receiving (Heb. 11:19b)

 

…from whence also he received him in a figure.

 

a)      There was a sense in which Abraham did received Isaac from the dead.

b)      The writer says:  “…he received him in a figure.”

c)      Figure

-          Strong (3850):  the Greek word parabole, a laying along side of, a similitude

-          Thayer:  a comparing, comparison of one thing with another, likeness, similitude

d)     In the mind of Abraham, Isaac had been dead for three days. 

-          His faith had put his son to death when he received God’s command.

-          When the angel stayed his hand, his son was brought back to life (Gen. 22:11-12).

 

And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham:  and he said, Here am I.  And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him:  for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

 

F.      Isaac (Heb. 11:20)

1.      Faith

 

By faith Isaac…

 

a.      Isaac was the “only begotten son” of Abraham.

b.      He, too, possessed great faith in God.

c.       His faith rested in the words that he spoke about his sons about things that would ultimately come to pass.  Things that he would never see.

2.      Favors

 

…blessed Jacob and Esau…

 

a.      Jacob and Esau were the sons of Issac.

1)      They were twins born to Rebekah.

2)      Esau, however, was the firstborn.  The firstborn always received the greater blessing from the father.

3)      Jacob stole Esau’s blessing by deceiving his father (Gen. 27:6-27, esp. v. 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.

 

b.      Both sons received a blessing (Gen. 27:28-29; 39-40; 28:3-4).

3.      Future

 

…concerning things to come.

 

a.      Jacob (Gen. 27:28-29; 28:3-4)

 

Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine;  let 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…and God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;  and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.

 

1)      From Jacob would come the nation of Israel.

2)      This nation would be superior to other nations that sprang from the loins of Jacob. 

3)      The land promise was also given to him.

b.      Esau (Gen. 27:39-40)

 

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; and by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off they neck…

           

1)      Esau would initially form the nation of Edom.

2)      Notice the word:  “…and by thy sword shalt thou live…”

 

G.     Jacob (Heb. 11:21)

1.      Dying in faith (v. 21a)

 

By faith Jacob, when he was a dying…

 

a.      In the Bible, we find individuals who possessed abundant faith in their youth (Ex., Daniel and the three Hebrew youths).

b.      We also find men like Jacob who possessed abundant faith in their old age and up to the point of death.

c.       LESSON:  It is at the close of life that faith needs to grow even stronger.  At death, our fate is sealed.  We are forever in the hands of the Almighty God.  Why would someone become unfaithful at the end of life?

2.      Declaring blessings on Joseph’s sons (v. 21b)

 

…blessed both the sons of Joseph…

 

a.      The middle years of Joseph’s life were not lived in his father’s house.  He grew up alone in Egypt.

b.      When Joseph was made second in command in Egypt, he was given Asenath to marry (Gen. 41:45).

 

And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-paaneah:  and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On.

 

c.       By Asenath, Joseph received two sons (Gen. 41:50-42).

 

And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.  And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh:  For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.  And the name of the second called him Ephraim:  for God hath caused me to the fruitful in the land of my affliction.

 

d.      We read of Jacob’s blessing these two sons in Genesis 48:12-20.

1)      These sons are not full-blooded Hebrews, yet Jacob accepts them as his own.

2)      The older son Manasseh should have had the right hand of Jacob upon him to receive the superior blessing.

3)      When Jacob blessed the sons, he placed his right hand on Ephraim the younger and his left hand on Manasseh the older. 

4)      Joseph sought to correct this matter, but Jacob said he knew that he was doing (Gen. 48:19).

 

And he father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great:  but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

 

5)      Giving the superior blessing to the younger son was an act of faith.  He trusted God’s will to make Ephraim superior over Manasseh.

3.      Devotion to God (v. 21c)

 

…and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.