By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
Hebrews 11:20-22
One of the great and powerful ideas behind The Godfather movies is that of family. In the first Godfather movie, Vito Corleone is constantly emphasizing the importance of the family. In scene after scene, Marlon Brando is talking about the family and how they must always support and defend one another.
Michael keeps up the family tradition when he follows in his father’s footsteps, becoming The Godfather. When Fredo, his older brother, tries to go against the family, Al Pacino says the words that sends chills up and down our spines, “Don’t ever take sides against the family ever again[1].”
Why support and defend the family? Is it because of the traditions and everything that’s happened in the past. Yes, in part. Some of the importance comes from all the things that our families have gone through. What we as a family have endured. It’s about our heritage. Our legacy as a family.
But that’s not the end of it. Families always, always, always look towards the future. It’s giving future generations the benefits of what we’ve accomplished and experienced. Families look to the future so they can keep going on. Growing. Influencing generations to come and their community.
Like families, faith also at both the past and the future. Faith says that God has been with us through all the things we’ve gone through. Both good and bad memories, God has never left us. He’s been in control all along.
In the same way, faith also looks forward. Faith believes that no matter what’s around the corner, God is there. He’s in control of the unknown and uncontrollable future. Faith puts our trust in God for what we can’t see. What we don’t know.
So, when it comes time for the writer to remind the Hebrews, he uses their faith family. They are reminders that they’ve heard about all their lives. Their experiences, pains, and sorrows will be a comfort to the Hebrews who are going through their own persecution. He pulls together these three examples one after the other to make his point.
Jacob and Esau. You couldn’t imagine two sons more different. They had their problems with the family and with each other. Jacob had first tricked Esau[2]. With his mother’s help, he also tricked Isaac their father[3]. Because Esau lost everything, he was out for blood and Jacob ran for his life[4]. And while there is forgiveness in the end, Jacob is still fearful[5].
Joseph’s Sons. When Pharoah gave Joseph a wife, they couldn’t have been more different. Asenath was from a well-known Egyptian family with money and power. Joseph was Jewish and had been a slave down in the dungeon. Their marriage broke every rule in the books on both sides of the family, and they’re sons would have been look at as half-breeds by everyone.
Exodus. Even though Joseph had experienced the greatest career roller coaster in the history of the world, he wasn’t focused on his accomplishments. Instead, his thoughts are on the entire nation of foreigners and people who’s careers were hated by the Egyptians[6]. He knew about how God had promised to give the land of Canaan to Abrahams descendants[7].
As I think back about these people and their families, I can only shake my head. Talk about a dysfunctional bunch of people. Just think about it for a minute, there was liars, thieves, murders, scammers, and kidnappers to name a few. Certainly nothing to write home to mom about. What would your parents have said if introduced your future in-laws and went through this list of things that they were known for?
Just another example of how God doesn’t save or use the worthy. He’s not limited to people that achieve some standard of goodness or moral purity. It’s just the opposite. God love and saves only the people who are humble enough to know that there’s absolutely nothing that they can do to deserve or earn his love or blessings.
This is why Jesus had to come and die for people just like you and me. Not perfect. Heck, we’re not even good. The only thing we’ve got going for us is that we know that we’re in desperate need of help. That we can’t do it on our own. That we need God to step in and save us. For him to repay our debt that we’ve dug ourselves into. This is what the good news of Jesus is all about. It’s truly amazing grace.
Noodling Questions
Give two good and bad examples of how your family influenced your faith walk.
How can a messed-up family experience increase our life of faith?
Why is Jesus dying for our sins so hard to understand?
[2] Genesis 25:29-34
[3] Genesis 27:18:29
[4] Genesis 27:41
[5] Genesis 33:3,4
[6] Genesis 46:34
[7] Genesis 12:7, 15:7
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