FAITH'S LEGACY

Hebrews Chapter 11 is not only the Faith Hall Of Fame in Scripture, it is the account and clear record that the Patriarchs lived a faith that embraced the Promises God made to them! The Patriarchs in the Bible are primarily Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These men were the foundational fathers of the Israelite Nation, shown in the Book of Genesis. They were crucial to Judaism, and later to Christianity, for establishing the Covenant God made with them regarding His promise of land, linage, and blessings to mankind that were to come. Keeping in mind that Abraham lived on this earth 2,000 years after the creation of man, we have to realize he had no Bible on which to base his knowledge of and faith in God. He only had his own conscience (Romans 1:20) and most likely, stories handed down through the years. I find it amazing to see how this man had the kind of faith that he exhibited!

"By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. . . ." (Hebrews 11:8-10). "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 instructions/orders concerning his bones", some 400 years before it happened! (Hebrews 11:20-22). In the first seven verses of the 11th chapter of Hebrews, we see:

1) Faith explained

2) Faith exemplified, and

3) Faith emphasized.

So, let's examine this legacy of faith in more detail. First, FAITH IS DEFINED! "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). In other words, faith is actively "stepping out" in trust and confidence in God and His promises, even though we don't see the actual things which we hope and trust for that come from God. It is a deep-seated conviction we have and act upon that 1) God exists, 2) is fully capable of, and 3) will provide ALL we need in response to our faith and trust in Him! We can In Him receive what we hope for and much more than we presently can view or see as current reality.

As we act on it, this faith/trust grows and develops! It is living and dynamic, not some dormant and useless feeling! This faith is truly a legacy, which we must pass on to future generations, just like the Patriarchs did! For you see, it all began with Abraham, but his faith did not stop with him. He was faithful in handing it on to family who came after him! So, we must ask ourselves, do we have active, living and dynamic faith, and are we purposefully passing it on to those who come after us?

Second, we see FAITH'S LEGACY TO EACH INDIVIDUAL! Take note of Abraham's son Isaac! "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things (promises) to come" (Hebrews 11:20). Isaac left the blessing of faith to his sons Jacob and Esau, purposely given, for them to follow. His blessing upon them directly involved the promises God had given to him, demonstrating that he, himself, fully believed and embraced those promises. He wasn't worried that maybe his "hope in things not seen" would not be delivered on!

Third, we also read of FAITH'S LEGACY TO THE FAMILY! Jacob is this example in Hebrews. He was slipping close to death, and as eternity neared, he demonstrated two distinct priorities. Of course, his number ONE PRIORITY WAS GOD AND WORSHIPING HIM! His second priority was his family! "By faith, Jacob, as he was dying, blessed all of his sons, including the sons of Joseph (his grandsons), and worshiped. . . ." (Hebrews 11:21). Jacob did in fact believe in and embrace the promises of God that his father had also handed down to him!

This triad of Faith-Builders is clearly identified in the Hebrews 11 passage. These faith-builders are Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! There are three very important characteristics they all possessed as they lived their faith and passed its truth and value on to their family! These are:

1) They all believed in the unbreakable Promises of God! They knew God both makes and keeps His promises! You and I can also count on that fact! We read, ". . .God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago" (Titus 1:2). And, ". . .God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath (promise), so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie. . . ." (Hebrews 6:17-18). Regarding this truth, we will either believe, embrace and act on it, or we will believe satan's lies that God does not keep His promises! Which do you choose?

2) They all relied on the unshakable Covenant God made! "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abraham, saying, 'To your descendants I have given this land, from the River of Egypt as far as the great river, the River Euphrates' " (Genesis 15:18). God renewed that same Covenant to Isaac and Jacob.

3) They all rested in the unmistakable Peace of God! "As for you, you shall go to your fathers (i.e. die) in peace. . . ." (Genesis 15:15). Even though they did not live to see the promises fulfilled, they did NOT give up their faith, even when near the point of their death!

Fourth, there is FAITH'S LEGACY FOR A NATION! "By faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the future exodus of the sons of Israel. . ." (Hebrews 11:22). Joseph's prophesy of faith, that God would take the Nation of Israel back to "the land of promise" was fulfilled by God through Moses. The Legacy Of Faith pertaining to the Nation of Israel was activated by Joseph's faith. He thus reminded these descendants of "Israel" of God's Covenant with them.

I believe it is possible that every time the descendants of Israel talked of their departure from Egypt, they were remembering Joseph and his example of faith and trust in God's promises to their ancestors, and of embracing these promises made to the Nation! There are Biblical evidences of Joseph's faith regarding the expression of it in relationship to Israel. He chose faith over worldly prosperity. His sincere desire was to be a vital part of what God was doing and he wanted the same for Israel! Joseph chose to be an Israelite rather than an Egyptian. Though spending a number of years in Egypt, he was not interested in Egyptian pyramids, mummies, treasures or prestige, or in building his own kingdom. He was a devoted believer in the God of his fathers, even in the midst of adversity. His faith in God was a definite reminder to Israel to keep their faith in God and to never return to bondage. Joseph knew this life is NOT the end; there is an eternal life to be had! To him, death was not the end, but the beginning! He declared that God woud fulfill his Covenant Promise to Israel as he reminded his family on his death-bed. "Joseph said to his bothers, 'I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land (Egypt) to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob' " (Genesis 50:24).

As we observe from this blog, the LEGACY OF FAITH is REAL, INSPIRING and CHALLENGING! Let us leave this kind of legacy too!