Faith Looks to the Future

“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).

With all the important events in the lives of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, why did the writer of Hebrews choose to mention these?

It was customary for an aging father to pronounce blessings on his sons. But these three occasions were more than fathers wishing their children well. Each of these is a specific prophetic utterance.

Isaac’s blessing on Jacob was that God would give him abundance and mastery over other nations. “Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you” (Genesis 27:27-29). To Esau he proclaimed that he would dwell away from fertile lands and live by the sword. He would serve his brother, but would become restless and rebel (verses 39-40). All of those words came to pass in the histories of Israel (Jacob’s descendants) and Edom (Esau’s descendants).

Jacob said of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, that God would bless them and make them a multitude. Israel would one day pronounce the blessing, “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!” (Genesis 48:15-20). And so it was: Manasseh grew to be one of the largest of the tribes of Israel, while Ephraim became so dominant that during the divided monarchy the northern kingdom was often called “Ephraim.”

Joseph’s dying message to his family was this: “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.” He was so certain of this that he made his brothers swear to bring his bones with them when they left Egypt (Genesis 50:22-25). Both Joseph’s prophecy and his family’s promise were fulfilled four centuries later (Exodus 13:18-19).

What can we learn from the final words of these great patriarchs?

1. Faith has a confident outlook. As inspired prophecies, the words of these great men reflect supreme confidence that God would bring them to pass. The same faith that shaped their view of the distant future should guide our outlook on each new day. As Joseph trusted God’s promise to bring Abraham’s descendants to Canaan, so we should trust God’s promise to provide the things we need. Worry over life’s necessities is not the response of faith (Matthew 6:25-34).

2. Faith instills itself in future generations. The final message of these men to their children and grandchildren was not about finances, or politics, or even primarily family; it was about trust in Almighty God. Children learn from their parents what their parents truly value. Parents who are committed to God and His purposes will succeed in teaching their children godliness (Ephesians 6:4).

These patriarchs believed what God revealed concerning the future. Through faith, they saw the unseen. God has also revealed the future to us: “…for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29). The life we live is testimony to whether or not we believe that promise.