Hebrews 11:20-21
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
As Abraham faded off the scene, His promised son, Isaac, took up the mantel by leading the family and continuing to follow God. But we know that he didn’t do everything right. There was favoritism and strife which caused many issues both during the life of Isaac and afterwards between the two brothers, Jacob and Esau. This pattern continued with Jacob and his 12 sons (Jacob’s name had been changed to Israel by then) as the younger son was favored over the others which caused jealousy and led to the brothers selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt.
In the midst of all of this strife and jealousy is a redeeming thread that runs through the accounts of the descendants of Abraham. Even in the lives of these broken, sinful men, God remains faithful. The blessing that Isaac bestowed upon Jacob and that Jacob bestowed upon the children of Joseph spoke of a time when God’s promises would be fulfilled. While they had not seen these things in their lifetimes, they were moved by faith to trust in the Word of God and know that their descendants would one day see these blessing become a reality.
I don’t know about you, but this gives me hope. Hope that God will continue to work in the lives of my children in spite of my brokenness. Even though there are times where I failed, God remains faithful and can redeem my mistakes and shortcomings. Hope in the knowledge that He doesn’t just give up on me but continues to show His grace in my life. Hope that the promises that we cling to will be fulfilled, maybe not during our lifetime, but there is a day that is coming where we will worship at His feet and receive the blessings of His promise of eternal rewards, greatest of which is the gift of living in His presence throughout eternity.
Today let us ReFocus our hearts and minds on Christ and his faithfulness. Just as with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we can trust in the word of God and know that He will do as He has said and give His grace in spite of our failures.