Presents
Pamphlet 1987 Hebrews kc 21-1
To "know whose child you are" is quite a revelation to many of God's children!
Presents
Pamphlet 1987 Hebrews kc 21-1
To "know whose child you are" is quite a revelation to many of God's children!
One of the greatest "eye openers" to the sons and daughters in this final generation occurs when they come to "see" the fulfillment of the promises, the unbreakable covenant, that God made to Abraham (Gen. 17:4-7), established in Isaac (Gen. 26:1-5), and confirmed in Jacob (Gen. 35:10-12) whose name was changed to Israel. Therefore, let us begin today's study by reading the confirmation that God Almighty gave to Jacob:
Yes, for the "fatherless" and "orphans" of the "Lost 10 Tribes" of true Israel to discover the way back home to their "fathers" literally fills their hearts with joy and gladness and increases their faith tremendously. I mean, to "know whose child you are" is quite a revelation to many of God's children! To that end, one of the promises of God was that He would send "Elijah the prophet (teacher)" to "turn back" the heart of the (lost) children to their fathers in these last days before the "great and dreadful Day of the LORD"! And as you know if you have faith, God ALWAYS keeps His promises.Genesis 35:10-11
And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.[11] And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
In our last study we read of the faith that both Abraham and Sarah had regarding the promised seed and how that Abraham, in knowing with certitude that God's promise of both Messiah and an "innumerable multitude" would come through Isaac, had the faith to obey God when He asked him to sacrifice his only begotten son. Yes, Abraham believed that God could and would resurrect his son! In today's study, Paul is going to acknowledge for our benefit the faith of the Abraham's son and grandsons, the patri-archs (patri = fathers) Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, through whom the blessings of national greatness would come as promised.Malachi 4:5-6
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:[6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest [before] I come and smite the earth with a curse.
What is it we are to understand by this one short verse concerning the faith of Isaac? Well for one thing, that the blessings concerned a future time, a time to come, even the last days when both Jacob and Esau would become great nations, as in "superpowers".
You "see", we cannot know very much unless we go back and establish a firm foundation by learning all that transpired with Isaac and Rebecca and Jacob and Esau and know who these two nations are today that were in Rebecca's womb (Hint: They are America and Russia). Then we can know why it is Isaac blessed the younger over the elder as he blessed the future generations of these two! It is written (Rom. 9:13) that God loved Jacob but hated (loved less by comparison) Esau, even while they were still in their mother's womb. That is because even in "the world that then was" (2 Pet. 3:6) Esau did not regard (as in despised) his heritage, which he would once again prove in the flesh by "selling out" for a mere bowl of red pottage. Esau simply did not have the faith to truly trust God!Genesis 25:23
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
Also, a careful examination of the scriptures, knowing that Isaac knew what transpired at his sons' births concerning the "heel grabbing" and what God said in Gen. 25:23, will reveal that Isaac was aware of and had faith in the plan of God, i.e. that the greater blessings would go to Jacob.
Below is the blessing Isaac bestowed on Jacob after drawing him near to "kiss" and "smell the smell of his raiment", determining the smell to be that of a field.
The deeper student will refer to the Song of Moses, Deut. 32, in understanding the "dew of heaven", etc.Genesis 27:27-29
And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:[28] Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
Again, Esau received the lesser of the blessings because he did not have faith, for when he was an hungered he literally sold his birthright. There is nothing knew under the sun and Esau will still "sell out" his people today for the same reason.[29] Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
However, unlike his brother Esau, Jacob did have faith as testified to next!
The word "staff" used in this verse means a "sceptre" or "baton of royalty". In other words, this was a divine blessing Jacob bestowed upon Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, whom he literally adopted and split the birthright (national blessings) between the two. In so doing, Manasseh (whose name means "forgetful") actually became the 13th tribe, which is quite interesting because a little homework will reveal that the number "13" is stamped all over the Great Seal of the United States of America. In fact, there are 13 sets of "13" between the reverse and the obverse of our seal. Yes, Manasseh has become a "great people" indeed!Hebrews 11:21
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
Joseph believed all the promises of God without "wavering" and therefore knew, having no doubts whatsoever, that the children of Israel would exodus the land and dwell in the land flowing with milk and honey. He showed his faith along with his desire to be with them when he "gave commandment concerning his bones". Here is the account in Genesis where Joseph "makes mention" of the exodus:[22] By faith Joseph, when he died [was dying], made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.
And sure enough God did visit them to deliver them out of the land. Exodus 3:8 "And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites."Genesis 50:24-25
And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Here also is the commandment of Joseph concerning his bones:
You will find that because of Joseph's faith God saw to it to bless the fulfillment of his desires: Joshua 24:32 "And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph."[25] And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
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