By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. (Hebrews 11:20-21)

Isaac And Jacob – Faith Overcomes Weakness

The faith of Isaac and Jacob looked beyond the customs of men and accepted the will of God as their guide. That faith was severely challenged throughout their lives. Isaac was deceived in giving his blessings to Jacob, and Joseph watched as his father, Jacob, blessed his two sons in the wrong order. All of this was because of the faith in things to come. Faith is always looking ahead, and it comes from trusting in God.

Following a long-held tradition of the fathers blessing their sons, Isaac and Jacob blessed their children and grandchildren, which became part of the divine plan from God. For Issac and Jacob, this came from their reliance upon the providence of God stemming from their great faith in the will of the Lord.

Isaac favored his eldest son, Esau, while Rebekah took Jacob under her wing. It came to pass when Isaac was old that he thought he might die. Before he died, Isaac wanted to pass on his blessing to Esau. Through deception, Jacob received the blessing instead of Esau as the divine “supplanter” of what was rightfully Esau’s.

Jacob would live to be one-hundred forty-seven; when realizing he was dying, he asked to bless the sons of Joseph. Joseph had married Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, and had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. When Jacob asked to bless the sons of Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim were brought to their grandfather.

In a repeat of the blessings of Isaac on Jacob and Esau, Jacob chose to bless Ephraim (the younger) over Manasseh. Jacob put his right hand on the head of Ephraim to receive the greater blessing. Like Isaac blessing Jacob over Esau, Jacob followed the providential plan of God to raise Ephraim above Manasseh.

The Hebrew writer emphasizes the matter of faith on the part of Isaac and Jacob. They both realized God’s greater plan, even if they did not understand. Isaac was upset that he had blessed Jacob with the blessing of the firstborn, but he did not try to change it. He accepted by faith the will of God. Jacob blessed the young sons of Joseph as the will of God. In both stories, trust in God was first and foremost. Faith comes from the heart, trusting in the will of God in the face of ridicule, opposition, and the world’s norms. Esau and Manasseh should have received the blessings, but God had a greater plan.

Our faith must trust in the will of the Lord whether we understand everything God desires. In simple trusting faith, we obey and give God the glory. The stories of faith reflect the simple reliance on the truth that God knows what is best, and following His will becomes a blessing. Faith can be hard to accept sometimes, but allowing God to work in our lives will increase our faith. Then faith can have its perfect work and establish trust. Faith will always overcome the weakness of human logic.