Questions:
- When you think of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, what thoughts (positive and negative) come to your mind concerning their lives?
- Look up the following passages and note what the ways Isaac was faithful: Gen. 22; Gen. 25:21-26; Gen. 26:25.
- Isaac had favored Esau over Jacob. Why was this wrong? Look up the following passages and demonstrate how he ultimately submitted to God’s will: Gen. 27:33 and Heb. 11:20
- How did Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph face death with confidence?
Sermon Summary:
As we read these three verses and consider the three examples, there is one thing they all have in common – they died trusting in the promises of God.
These three examples provide us with some really practical lessons. The first two did many things that were not honouring to God, whereas the life of Joseph gives a positive example. These men had weakness yet they did ultimately trust in the Lord.
Faith believes in the promises of God.
Remember, when God appeared to Abraham He made him a promise, “And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you” (Gen. 17:7). Furthermore, the Lord provided this following specific information:
“Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:13-16)
- ISAAC (11:20)
This first example seems rather surprising. When you read about his life, you wouldn’t really tend to look at him as a great man of faith. Notice what the writer to the Hebrews focuses in on: Read Heb. 11:20.
Isaac, the child the Lord promised to Abraham, continues the line in which God will fulfill the covenant promises of blessing made to Abraham. Isaac marries Rebekah and together they have twin sons, Jacob and Esau. The life of Isaac includes both faithfulness and failure. His faithfulness is seen in submission to his father (Gen. 22), in his trust in God for children (Gen. 25:21-26), and in his prayer life (Gen. 26:25). The New Testament affirms his faith in the Lord (Heb. 11:20). Isaac also failed (we will consider this below). Despite his failures, God remained faithful to His promise to Abraham, which was repeated to Isaac (Gen. 26:4).
Marriage
Isaac didn’t get married until he was 40 years old. When Abraham was advanced in years he instructed his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. Abraham wanted the wife for his son to be from his homeland (this journey was over 800 kilometers). Abraham’s servant goes on the long journey and seeks guidance from the Lord and makes a specific request (Gen. 24:12-14). Once he arrives Rebekah shoes generous kindness and does exactly what the servant had prayed. God is then praised (Gen. 24:27-28), Rebekah and her family acknowledge this to be God’s will, she is blessed, and she leaves for home and family to marry Isaac (cf. Gen. 12:1-3). When she arrives she covers herself with a veil before the wedding. Isaac is informed then the two marry (Gen. 24:62-67). This marriage is a highpoint and shows the reader that God’s promises made back in Genesis 3:15 and 12:1-3 are coming to pass.
Children
For twenty years, Isaac and Rebekah were unable to have children, as Rebekah was infertile. Isaac prayed for his wife and God answered his prayer (Gen. 25:21). This shows the consequences of the curse (Gen. 3) and God’s plan to undo the curse through the blessing promised to Abraham (Gen. 12). Rebekah conceived and she was carrying twins! The Genesis account records that “the children struggled together within her” (Gen. 25:22). This is a theme reaped in Genesis (and throughout the Bible) of conflict (cf. Gen. 4). It is the playing out of the conflict between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. God reveals to Rebekah His sovereign plan for the children – the older will serve the younger: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23). This sets the stage for God’s plan to pass on the promise made to Abraham, repeated to Isaac, in the life of Jacob.
When they were born, we learn about their different personalities and temperaments. Esau was a more outgoing outdoorsman, whereas Jacob was a more reserved homebody. Problems occur when Isaac favoured Esau and Rebekah favoured Jacob (Gen. 25:27-28). This is followed by the birthright incident. Esau displays disregard and Jacob deception. Despite Isaac’s initial act, in the end, he acknowledged that what happened is what was supposed to happen. This reveals that he ultimately submitted to God’s plan (Gen. 27:33 and Heb. 11:20).
- JACOB (11:21)
Marriage
After deceiving his father and infuriating his brother, Jacob leaves home and at his parent’s counsel seeks a wife from Paddan-aram from the house of Laban (Rebekah’s brother). This is similar to the instructions Abraham gave his servant for Jacob (Gen. 24:3-4).
Jacob goes on his journey and along the way stayed at a certain place to sleep and rest. As he slept he had a dream of a ladder on the earth that reached to Heaven. Angels were going up and down. Then the Lord stood above it and said,
“And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’” (Gen. 28:13-15)
This amazing announcement of the Lord repeat the promises made to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) and Isaac (Gen. 26:4). This again reveals God’s grace and faithfulness to bring about His eternal plan. Jacob awoke and knew God was in this place, so he named it Bethel, which means “House of God”.
Jacob finally arrive sat his destination and seeks out his uncle Laban. Laban had two daughters (Leah and Rachel), and Jacob set his affection on Rachel. Jacob agreed to work for Laban for seven years in order to be able to marry Rachel. His affection was so strong; these seven years “seemed to him but a few days” (Gen. 29:20). After the seven years the time had come for the marriage. However, Laban deceives Jacob and gives him his other daughter Leah. Jacob didn’t realize until the morning after the wedding. With the combination of darkness and the veils worn, this explains why he didn’t know. After complaining, Laban agrees he can marry Rachel, but if he worked another seven years for him.
Children
With a bad start to married life, family life becomes dysfunctional and divided. A battle of births takes place. Jacob loved Rachel and didn’t show the love toward Leah he should have. The Lord then allowed Leah to have children and Rachel to be barren. Over time, Leah gives birth to four sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah). Rachel was crushed by this and was filled with envy, so she sent Jacob to go in to her maidservant (cf. Gen. 16:1-4). Two boys were born (Dan and Naphtali). Responding to this, Leah sends Jacob in to her maidservant. Two boys were born (Gad and Asher). After having a dispute, Leah buys the opportunity to lie with Jacob, and she bears her fifth son, Issachar. After this she conceived again and had her sixth son, Zebulun and then had a daughter named Dinah. Then God opened Rachel’s womb and allowed her to conceive and she gave birth to a son named Joseph. During this dysfunctional time, eleven sons and one daughter is born to Jacob. Later on Rachel has one more child, and she dies giving birth. His name is Benjamin. In total, Jacob had twelve sons.
Later God blesses Jacob and changes his name to Israel. He reaffirms the promise made to Abraham and Isaac (Gen. 35:11-12).
- JOSEPH (11:22)
Joseph was the eleventh of Jacob’s twelve sons and was Rachel’s firstborn. Due to Jacob’s deep love for Rachel, Jacob had a special love for his son Joseph (Gen. 37:3). The story of Joseph spans from Genesis 37-50 and explains how God preserved this family (from which will come blessing) through Joseph. The life of Joseph also provides the reader with many practical principles for trusting God’s sovereignty and obedient Christian living.
Sold into Slavery
The Joseph narrative begins when he is seventeen. Jacob’s special love for Joseph was seen in his treatment of him, an example of that is the robe of many colours he gave him (Gen. 37:3). Immediately he is seen as living a righteous life in contrast to his brothers (Gen. 37:2) and he received revelation from God by means of dreams (Gen. 37:5-7, 9). When Joseph shared the first dream with his brothers they hated him even more (vv. 5-7). They understood the implication of the dream to mean that he will one day rule over them. This is actually fulfilled later in Egypt. The second dream of Joseph confirms that Joseph will rule over his family, and it contains imagery used to symbolize Israel (cf. Revelation 12:1). Filled with fury, the brothers of Joseph plan and plot to kill him. At different times, both Rueben and Judah argue that he shouldn’t be killed. Though Reuben is seen as the kinder of the two. In the end, Joseph is sold as a slave for twenty pieces of silver (Gen. 37:28). So as to provide a cover-up, they killed a coat and soaked the robe of many colours in the blood. They deceived their father with the news that Joseph died by means of a wild animal attack. Meanwhile, Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt, to an officer of Pharaoh named Potiphar (Gen. 37:36).
Service in Egypt
Life changes radically for Joseph now that he is in Egypt. In this narrative, Joseph goes from being a slave in Egypt to being the superintendent of Egypt. Despite the difficulties Joseph faces, it is clear that the Lord is with him (Gen. 39:2, 3, 21, 23). Joseph’s tragedy turns to triumph as a result of God’s sovereign grace. Joseph is promoted in the house of Pharaoh and becomes an overseer. Potiphar greatly trusted Joseph. Things go bad when Potiphar’s wife is attracted to Joseph’s handsome “form and appearance” (Gen. 37:6). After many attempts at seduction, Joseph refuses her offer to lie with her and flees from the situation. This is very different to Reuben and Judah (Gen. 35:22; 38:15-18). Potiphar’s wife then creates a fabricated story to make it look like Joseph had made advances toward her (Gen. 39:11-18). Potiphar responds with swift action and has Joseph sent to prison. Though the situation seems bad, the Lord was with him and enabled him to prosper. He was promoted to being in charge of the other prisoners (Gen. 39:21-23).
While in prison, Joseph meets two men who formerly worked for Pharaoh, a cupbearer, and a baker. Joseph rightly interprets their dreams, revealing that one of them will be reinstated to serving Pharaoh whereas the other will be killed. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember Joseph when he is reinstated, but he forgot him (Gen. 40:23). After two years, Pharaoh has a troubling dream and no one could interpret it for him (Gen. 41:1-8). The cupbearer remembers Joseph and shares his experience in prison with Pharaoh (Gen. 41:9-13). Pharaoh then summons Joseph, and Joseph gives glory to God (Gen. 41:16) and interprets the dream reveals a time of prosperity and then famine in the land (41:25-32). He then provides a proposed plan of survival (Gen. 41:33-36). Pharaoh was pleased with what he heard, so he promoted Joseph to being second in charge overall in Egypt (Gen. 41:39-40). Joseph was now thirty years old and went about his new role (Gen. 41:46).
Salvation in Egypt
The famine had also reached the land of Canaan, where Jacob and his eleven sons were living. By the providence of God, Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt to obtain some grain. He held back Benjamin his youngest son, for fear of any harm (Gen. 42:1-5). When his brothers arrive in Egypt, they bow down before Joseph. This happens in fulfillment to dreams (Gen. 37:5-9). They didn’t recognize as twenty years have passed, but Joseph recognized them. After the first visit, they were accused of being spies. So as to prove their innocence, Joseph requested that they prove it by bringing back their youngest brother from Canaan. Simeon was then held in custody. After journeying back, this news broke Jacob’s heart. With the effects of the famine still occurring, they needed to return, this time they had Benjamin with them. Joseph put on a grand feast for them. Then as they prepared to leave Joseph arranges for a silver cup to be placed in Benjamin’s sack. After being accused of theft and being told that Benjamin must remain in Egypt, Judah pleads with Joseph. Judah’s speech reveals that he is a changed man. Unable to control himself any longer, he reveals to them that he is Joseph (Gen. 45:1). In the end, his entire family relocates to Egypt, and by means of Joseph, the whole family is saved and experience blessing in the land of Egypt. What was meant for evil against him, God meant for good, so that many would be kept alive and saved (Gen. 50:20). Joseph dies in the land of Egypt at the age of 110.
The stage is now set to see how God’s plan unfolds by taking this family, which has now become a large group of people and turns them into a nation.
CONCLUSION
God’s Word Must be Trusted
God’s Purpose will come to Pass
God’s People should face death with confidence