HEBREWS 26


     We need to repeat a Scripture from the last lesson, so that we
will know what we are speaking of. Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in
faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar
off, and were persuaded of [them], and embraced [them], and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." Hebrews 11:14
" For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a
country." Hebrews 11:15 "And truly, if they had been mindful of that
[country] from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity
to have returned."

     We see in this, that Abraham, and those with him, were not driven
out of the land. Abraham, left by choice. He could have gone back at
any time. Abraham was following God's instruction when he left. The
only way he would have  come back, is if, God sent him back. We can
see here, that if Abraham had been constantly looking back, and
wishing for what he had in Ur, God could not have used him.

     Hebrews 11:16 "But now they desire a better [country], that is,
an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for
he hath prepared for them a city."

     Christians must realize that this is not our home here on earth
any more. The home we are looking for is in heaven. We are told by
Jesus Himself not to lay up our treasures here, but to lay them up in
heaven. Matthew 6:19 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal:" Matthew 6:20 "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal:" We see in the next few verses that Jesus
Christ is even now in heaven preparing a place for the Christians.
Heaven is our eternal home. John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God, believe also in me." John 14:2 "In my Father's
house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:3 "And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that
where I am, [there] ye may be also."

     Hebrews 11:17 "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up
Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten [son],"

     We spoke in the Genesis lessons, how Abraham offering up his only
son Isaac, was a type and shadow of God the Father offering up His
only Son Jesus Christ. The shadow is never exactly like the happening
the shadow was made from. In this particular instance, Abraham was
stopped by someone greater than himself. When the Father God offered
up His Son there was no greater to stop Him. If you would like to read
more on this, you can find the details in chapter 22 of Genesis.

     Hebrews 11:18 "Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed
be called:"
     Abraham had two sons, one by Sarah and the other by Hagar the
servant girl. God did not carry out the promises He had made to
Abraham through Hagar's son Ishmael. Ishmael is spoken of as Abraham's
son of the flesh. Isaac, who was Abraham's son by Sarah was the
miracle son of the spirit. God passed the blessings of Abraham down
through Isaac, not Ishmael. Genesis 17:19 "And God said, Sarah thy
wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac:
and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant,
[and] with his seed after him." Romans 9:7 "Neither, because they are
the seed of Abraham, [are they] all children: but, In Isaac shall thy
seed be called." We can see in this Scripture from Romans that this
blessing was not to be passed down through all of Abraham's sons, but
just through Isaac.

     Hebrews 11:19 "Accounting that God [was] able to raise [him] up,
even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

     This is speaking of the fact that Isaac was as good as dead the
three days on the journey. It was as if God had raised him from the
dead, when God stopped Abraham from sacrificing him. Here, again, we
see a shadow of the three days that Jesus' body was in the tomb.
Abraham had faith that even if he did sacrifice him that God would
raise him from the dead.

     Hebrews 11:20 "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning
things to come."

     We find two totally different types of blessings that Isaac
blessed his two sons with. Jacob got the right hand blessing, which is
the best blessing. The right hand blessing is the blessing in the
spirit. Esau received the left hand blessing, which was a flesh
blessing. You will quickly see the difference in the blessings in the
next few verses. We will look at Isaac's blessings first. Genesis
27:28 "Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness
of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:" Genesis 27:29 "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." Genesis 28:3
"And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply
thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;" Genesis 28:4 "And
give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee;
that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which
God gave unto Abraham." Now look at the marked difference in Esau's
blessings. Genesis 27:37 "And Isaac answered and said unto Esau,
Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to
him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and
what shall I do now unto thee, my son?" Genesis 27:39 "And Isaac his
father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the
fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;" Genesis
27:40 "And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother;
and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou
shalt break his yoke from off thy neck."

     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."

     This is probably one of the most distinct blessing differences of
the right hand and left hand in all of the Bible. Joseph had brought
both of his sons to be blessed by Jacob. Joseph deliberately placed
Mannaseh where he would get the right hand blessing, because he was
the oldest son. We see though, that God and Jacob had other plans.
Jacob crossed his hands on purpose {the Bible says wittingly} and gave
Ephraim the right hand blessing. The word Ephraim means double fruit.
That is exactly what happened, Ephraim got the preferential blessing,
or the double blessing. As we said above, the right hand blessing, was
in fact, the spiritual blessing. Let us look again at these two very
different blessings. Genesis 48:13 "And Joseph took them both, Ephraim
in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left
hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought [them] near unto him."
Genesis 48:14 "And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid [it]
upon Ephraim's head, who [was] the younger, and his left hand upon
Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh [was] the
firstborn." Genesis 48:15  "And he blessed Joseph, and said, God,
before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed
me all my life long unto this day," Genesis 48:16 "The Angel which
redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on
them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow
into a multitude in the midst of the earth." Genesis 48:17 "And when
Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of
Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to
remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head." Genesis 48:18
" And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this [is]
the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head." Genesis 48:19 "And
his father refused, and said, I know [it], my son, I know [it]: he
also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his
younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a
multitude of nations." Genesis 48:20 "And he blessed them that day,
saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim
and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh." We see in this
that Joseph made the sign of the cross, when he touched the boys and
blessed them. I truly believe that this is really saying that the law,
which was first, was not the right hand blessing. The gift of grace,
which was the younger, was the best blessing. God blesses whom he
will. when He will. To find out more about Ephraim and Manasseh, read
the study in Genesis. This Scripture of the younger being blessed with
the right hand blessing and the one we previously read have to do with
the Jews and Christians. We Christians are blessed through the grace
of Jesus Christ.

     Hebrews 11:22 "By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the
departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning
his bones."

     Joseph knew that the children of Israel were sojourners in a
foreign land. He knew that some time in the future, his people would
return to the land God had promised Abraham as an inheritance for his
descendents. Even though this would be a very long time later, Joseph
made them take an oath to take his bones with them when they went to
the promised land. Genesis 50:24 "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."
Genesis 50:25 "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." Exodus 13:19 "And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for
he had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will
surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you."
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."

                             Notes







































                             Questions 26

1.  Abraham was not driven out of the land of Ur of the Chaldees but
    went out __ __ ___ ______.
2.  If Abraham had been constantly looking back, longing to return,
    God ______ ___ ____ _____ ___.
3.  God hath prepared for him a ____.
4.  Where is the Christian's home?
5.  Where are we to lay up our treasures?
6.  Where do we find the Scripture that tells us that Jesus is
    building us a place in heaven?
7.  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up _____.
8.  What was this that Abraham did a type and shadow of?
9.  What was the difference in Abraham offering Isaac up, and God the
    Father offering up Jesus?
10. Who would the blessings of Abraham flow through?
11. Who was the mother of Isaac?
12. Who was the mother of Ishmael?
13. Which son did God establish Abraham's covenant with?
14. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 19 tells us that Abraham believed what
    would happen if he sacrificed Isaac?
15. What was the three day journey of Abraham and Isaac symbolic of?
16. Why was the right hand blessing better than the left hand
    blessing?
17. What would Ishmael and his descendents always be to Isaac and his
    descendents?
18. Who did Joseph bring to his father for him to bless?
19. What was strange about the blessings of the 2 boys?
20. What angered Joseph about the blessings?
21. What does Ephraim mean?
22. What sign did Jacob make when he blessed the boys?
23. What does the author believe is symbolically shown here?
24. What commandment did Joseph make to the children of Israel before
    he died?
25. What did they do with Joseph's bones?