Let us continue on this journey through Hebrews 11. This post is a breakdown verses 20 to 26. Each verse will be stated from the ESV, followed by connecting scripture references, word studies or other personal thoughts. I continue to hope you find this resource useful, insightful and perhaps even encouraging. Because faith, as I’ve heard it said, is the currency of heaven.
Faith:
complete trust
or confidence
in someone
or something.
~~~
Hebrews 11: Part 4 – Verses 20-26
20 By faith Isaac invoked future
blessings on Jacob and Esau.
Who is Isaac? He was the son of Abraham and Sarah.
In relation to the verse, Isaac was nearing the end of his life, and he was to bless
his children before he died; and the eldest to receive the better blessing. In
Isaac’s family, Esau, although he was a twin, was born first, and in order to
receive the blessing his father wanted to give him, Esau would have to “hunt
some wild game” and preparing tasty food for Isaac to eat (see Genesis 27:2-4).
We see in Genesis 27, Jacob, with the help of his
mother (Isaac’s wife), deceived his father into thinking that he was his
brother Esau. Isaac, nearing his death, was pretty much blind and relied on his
other senses to identify with his surroundings. Ultimately, although Isaac
heard Jacob’s voice, his hands, nose and mouth, told him that Esau had
completed the task Isaac had sent him to do, and Isaac blessed Jacob in Esau’s
place (see Genesis 27:27-29).
21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed
each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
Who is Jacob? We were introduced to Jacob in the
last verse, and his story spans from Genesis 25 to 50. Jacob’s story is merged
in with his son’s Joseph, along with many other biblical characters. There are
many aspects of it, which I will not be studying and discussing at this time.
Who are Joseph’s sons? Manasseh and Ephriam. “Before
the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter
of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. Joseph called the name of the
firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and
all my father’s house.” The name of the second he called Ephriam, “For God has
made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:50-52).
Joseph presented his sons to his father, Jacob (Jacob’s
new name was Israel): “And Joseph took them both, Ephriam in his right hand
toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right
hand, and brought them near him. And Israel stretched out his right hand and
laid it on the head of Ephriam, who was younger, and his left hand on the head
of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn)” (Genesis
48:13-14).
I find it so shocking that Jacob, who had deceived his
own father took his older brothers blessing, is now blessing his grandchildren,
and Jacob crossed his hands so the younger would have the blessing of the
firstborn child. Jacob’s eyes were dim (Genesis 48:10), but I honestly believe Jacob
may had a soft spot for the younger son of Joseph (being the younger child,
(To be honest, I couldn’t find the specific verse were Jacob is bowing in worship over the head of his staff. If anyone finds it, please let me know, and I will update this post! Thanks.)
(To be honest, I couldn’t find the specific verse were Jacob is bowing in worship over the head of his staff. If anyone finds it, please let me know, and I will update this post! Thanks.)
22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his
life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions
concerning his bones.
Genesis 50:25 –“Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”
Exodus 13:19 – “Moses took the bones of Joseph with
him, for Joseph made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will
surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”
Joshua 24:32 – “As for the bones of Joseph, which
the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the
piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem
for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of
Joseph.”
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was
hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was
beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
First of all, at the time Moses was born, there was
a king over Egypt (Pharaoh) whom wanted all Hebrew baby boys to be killed by
being thrown into the river (see Exodus 1:22) because the Hebrews lived in the
land of Egypt and they were multiplying rapidly and Pharaoh feared they would
become too mighty for Egypt (Exodus 1:9). However, the Israelites
multiplication was a promise from the Lord to Abraham back in Genesis 22:17
(also see Hebrews 11:12).
Now in Exodus 1:15-17, we meet the midwives,
Shiphrah and Puah, and we see their faith in their reverent fear of God. They
did not do as the king of Egypt It is shown that when we fear the Lord He will
deal well with us (see Exodus 1:20-21).
Who were Moses’ parents? Moses’ parents are Levi and
his mother, who was also a Levite, was not named in the bible. In Exodus 2:1-3
we see his mother conceive and give birth to Moses. She sees that he is a
beautiful child and hides him for three months. Ninety days of hiding a little
crying baby must have been hard because of the threat hanging over every
new-born male life! But this section of scripture shows us the faith of Moses’
parents, because after having hid Moses, and being no longer able to hide him,
Moses’ mom put him in a basket and “placed it among the reeds by the river
bank” (verse 3).
Moses’ sister, Miriam, also showed great faith. She
followed the basket down the river (Exodus 2:4) and was prompt in letting
Pharaoh’s daughter know she knew a Hebrew woman who could nurse the child
(Exodus 2:7)!
The faith of Moses’ parents was almost immediately
rewarded when Pharaoh’s daughter agreed to let Miriam take the child to this
Hebrew woman to nurse him (see Exodus 2:8-9). And, incredibly, Moses’ mother
was given wages! She was paid to raise her own son! Only God could work that
out.
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown
up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
The following scripture shows that Moses
identified with the Hebrews as his own people (and, technically, he was one of
them):
Exodus 2:11-12 NIV – “One day, after
Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their
burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He
looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and
hid him in the sand.”
25 choosing
rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting
pleasures of sin.
Instead of being recognized as an
Egyptian, Moses identified with being a Hebrew, which he was. As an Egyptian,
he would have had access to anything he wanted; the best food, the best
entertainment, the best education, the best living quarters, the best girls...
Moses was raised to be a prince of Egypt, since Pharaoh’s daughter found him
and took him in as her own (Exodus 2:10).
But Egypt did not fear God; they did not
serve God; they had no regard for the living God. I truly believe, that even
though Moses was raised to be the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, his own parents
taught Moses about the fear of the Lord. And this faith is evident, since Moses
wrote the Torah (or Pentateuch; the first five books of the Bible; Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
Quote: “Jesus, the Bridegroom suffered
for His Bride, the new Israel, just as Moses suffered for God’s Bride, the holy
nation of old Israel.” ... Now “because of Moses’ faith, his suffering to
fulfil God’ plan for Israel was joined to the suffered of the Redeemer-Messiah,
the One who would bring the ‘reward’ Moses had his eyes fixed upon, eternal
salvation.”
Source: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/Exodus/Exodus_Lesson_2.htm
Romans 5:3-5 – Not only that, but we
rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not
put us to shame, because Gods love has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
2 Corinthians 4:17 – “For this light
momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all
comparison”
26 He
considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt,
for he was looking to the reward.
To be honest, I was
completely stubbed on what “the reproach of Christ” meant. So I looked into
it... I listened to this sermon:
https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/let-us-go-with-jesus-bearing-reproach
So, what is the
reproach of Christ? The word reproach is an expression of disapproval, or
disappointment. When I think about the reproach of Christ, I think about
joining in with Christ’s sufferings, to experience the opposite of comfort, to
not be accepted by the standards of the world.
For example, where the world expresses
the approval of having multiple partners throughout the course of someone’s
life prior to marriage, there may be an expression of disapproval when someone has
“saved themselves” for the one they are hoping to marry. The world says take a
test drive, it’ll be fun, where the standard of Christ is to live pure and holy,
and doing so will only hurt your own soul. (Sorry if that example was a little
deeper than expected.)
John Piper made a few
points I would like to share... to paraphrase:
Moses had given up all
the access to every single thing anyone could have ever wanted, to join in with
the people of Israel (God’s chosen) in looking forward to the promises of God (“looking
to the reward” aka a heavenly home). We
are called to do the same. “The radical call of Jesus to join him on the
Calvary road... to bear his reproach with him - can always be caricatured and
ridiculed and made to look foolish... [but] it frees you to go on in the way of
an empty, shallow, comfort-seeking routine that some people call life.” There
is no joy in the world, but there is joy in Christ. John Piper also said “there’s
a massive vacuum in the soul” and if we think we can fill it with these
temporary fixes, we are wrong.
The reproach of Christ isn’t
something we do all on our own: Jesus is with us in this. We are to hold on to
the hope of a greater reward than what this world has to offer, looking to the
reward of a heavenly home with Christ (see Hebrews 11:10, 14-16). In 1 Peter 5:10 it says: “And after
you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to
his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and
establish you.”
~~~
More to come!
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