The Hall of Faith: Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jesus, and Us
EXPOSITORY ARTICLE | Shane Carrington | Sulphur Springs, Texas
Introduction
The story of Israel is the story of Jesus. God’s plan for bringing Christ to the world was earnestly set in motion from the time God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a great nation. God told him,
“Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).
Later, when Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac, God elaborated on the promise concerning the coming of Jesus.
“In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Genesis 22:18).
The seed promise is the culmination of the others in these passages.
“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as referring to many, but rather to one, ‘And to your seed,’ that is, Christ” (Galatians 3:16).
To get to that point, the story of Israel had to go through Abraham’s descendants, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Ponder three important points about these men that bring us to Jesus.
Foreigners and Travelers
Of Abraham, the Scripture says,
“By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10).
Note the kind of faith Abraham possessed and consider how faith like that impacted his son and grandson. His faith led him to put God above his earthly heritage, be a foreigner in a strange land, and trust in the grand Architect of the universe to lead him and provide for him. Abraham did these while not understanding the intricacies of what God was doing. Raising his son, and thus impacting his grandson, with that kind of faith gave his descendants an opportunity for strong faith in the unseen God. We need to raise our children with that same faith!
As Christians, we are, “aliens and strangers” (1 Peter 2:11) in this world. God has commissioned us “to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). Since we are surrounded on every side by temptation and sin, it is imperative that we are constantly “looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). We must teach this to our children like Abraham and Sarah did Isaac. They taught him by example, and, no doubt, by words. We must do the same (Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Ephesians 6:1-4).
The Ultimate Sacrifice
While pondering Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22; Hebrews 11:17-19), we usually concentrate on Abraham’s attitude during that process. This reveals significant information about this event. Abraham trusted God in the most difficult of human circumstances, setting an example for all to follow, including his son.
At the same time, we are given few details concerning Isaac’s viewpoint of what occurred, but we can imagine the look in his eyes as Abraham prepared to sacrifice him and raised the knife.
“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son” (Hebrews 11:17).
At the beginning of the narrative, Isaac’s sense of wonder surfaces.
“Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ And he said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together’” (Genesis 22:7-8).
Isaac was curious, but he trusted his father. When the scene was completed, imagine Isaac’s relief that God provided an appropriate animal for sacrifice! What lessons they both must have learned on this occasion!
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his promised son foreshadows God’s willingness for His Son to experience death on behalf of humanity. Also, Abraham received Isaac back from the dead, “as a type” (Hebrews 11:19). Since God prevented Abraham from carrying out the sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham figuratively received Isaac back from the dead. That “resurrection” foreshadowed the real resurrection of Jesus, who could not have come to this earth without His earthly ancestor, Isaac. Also, without Jesus’s actual death and bodily resurrection, we would have no hope, and Abraham’s story would have been for naught.
Blessing the Patriarchs
One of the privileges of the patriarchs was to bless their descendants. Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all participated in this.
“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come. By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones” (Hebrews 11:20-22).
These three cases share some very important truths.
When Isaac blessed Jacob (Genesis 27), the future of the nation of Israel was described in terms similar to what God previously told Abraham (Genesis 27:27-29; cf. 12:1-3).
“May peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you” (Genesis 27:29).
In time, God brought this to pass.
Jacob’s blessing of Joseph’s sons also discusses the future of the nation (Genesis 48).
“He blessed Joseph, and said, ‘The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; and may my name live on in them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth’” (Genesis 48:15-16).
Finally, the book of Genesis ends with Joseph giving instructions about his remains.
“Joseph said to his brothers, ‘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 on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.’ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, ‘God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.’ So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt” (Genesis 50:24-26).
In this, he also references God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about the land.
The lineage of Abraham, and the promises God made to him concerning the land and the nation, pointed to the coming of Jesus. God blessed the nation of Israel in order to bless the world through His Son (Genesis 12:1-3). We should be thankful that God worked so patiently to bring Jesus to humanity.
Conclusion
Abraham, “…was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). God wants us to imitate his faith (Romans 4:12; 1 Peter 2:11). Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph lived through the unfolding of God’s plan. Their faith was instrumental in bringing Jesus to this world. As a result, you and I can live in Christ and participate in these blessings and promises.
“And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40).
May we never take this gift for granted.
October 2023 | GROW magazine
