See the Bible Through Jewish Eyes BIBLE STUDY WITH DR. RICH FREEMAN
Examples of Faith: The Patriarchs /Part 2/
Abraham and Sarah) — Hebrews 11:17-22
In this study, continuing the writer’s use of
the patriarchs as examples of faith, we come to
a familiar portion that is very prevalent in the
celebration of Feast of Trumpets, one of the fall
festivals. In Hebrews 11:17, the writer opens with
an amazing statement; “By faith Abraham, when he
was tested, offered up Isaac,” referring to Genesis 22,
commonly called the Akedah, or Binding of Isaac.
Abraham had waited twenty-five years since God’s
original promise to make him a great nation.
Ishmael was born, and Abraham endured God’s
rejection of Ishmael as the son of the promise.
Abraham is asked by God to take Isaac on a threeday
journey to Mount Moriah
and offer him there as a burnt
offering. What was going
through Abraham’s mind as he
complied with God’s request?
It is not mentioned specifically
in the original portion in
Genesis 22, but the writer of
Hebrews gives us that insight.
He says in Hebrews 11:17-
18, “and he who had received
the promises was offering up his
only begotten son; it was he to
whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your
descendants shall be called.’”
Abraham, knowing that God
promised to make him a great
nation through Isaac, had faith
that God would somehow find
a way. The writer of Hebrews
tells us in 11:19, “He considered
that God is able to raise people
even from the dead.” Isaac, in
these verses, is a type of Messiah—the parallels
between Isaac and Yeshua are extraordinary.
The next three patriarchs, Isaac, Jacob, and
Joseph, also have particular moments in their
lives when their faith served as examples for us.
Hebrews 11:20 says, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob
and Esau, even regarding things to come.” In
Genesis 27, Jacob had tricked Isaac into thinking
he was Esau, his older brother. Isaac blessed Jacob
with the blessing for the elder son, a blessing with
predictive prophecy. Even though Isaac was tricked
to bless the son he did not want to bless, and vice
versa, by faith he knew that those blessings would
ultimately come to pass.
Hebrews 11:21 says, “By faith Jacob, as he was
dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped,
leaning on the top of his staff.” For more than twenty
years Jacob believed that Joseph was dead. Now,
after finding out that Joseph had become prime
minister of Egypt and appointed by God to save
NOVEMBER 2018 / THE CHOSEN PEOPLE - 6
and protect His people from
a great plague, Jacob had the
joy of pronouncing a blessing
over Joseph and his two sons,
Manasseh and Ephraim. Jacob
predicted that the older would
serve the younger, and though
Joseph protested, Jacob, by
faith, knew that this was true. As
a result of his faith, Jacob even
in his dying days was able to
worship as he leaned on his staff.
Lastly, Hebrews 11:22
says, “By faith Joseph, when he
was dying, made mention of
the exodus of the sons of Israel,
and gave orders concerning his
bones.” Like his father Jacob
and his grandfather Isaac, Joseph
by faith made predictions
of things he believed would
come to pass. He knew that
God had made promises to
Abraham regarding his descendants entering the
Promised Land, and by faith Joseph knew that
ultimately it would come to pass. And so his final
words to his brothers were that they would
eventually enter that promised land, and he made
his brothers promise to bring his bones into that
promised land, which they ultimately did.
Dr. Rich Freeman, D. Min.
serves as the Vice President
for Church Ministries
and Conferences with
Chosen People Ministries
and lives in South Florida
with his wife, Julia.
Hebrews 11:17-22
17 By faith Abraham, when he was
tested, offered up Isaac, and he
who had received the promises
was offering up his only begotten
son; 18 it was he to whom it was
said, “In Isaac your descendants
shall be called.” 19 He considered
that God is able to raise people
even from the dead, from which
he also received him back cas
a type. 20 By faith Isaac blessed
Jacob and Esau, even regarding
things to come. 21 By faith Jacob,
as he was dying, blessed each of
the sons of Joseph, and worshiped,
leaning on the top of his
staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when he
was dying, made mention of the
exodus of the sons of Israel, and
gave orders concerning his bones.