Dec 19
8
*****
Scripture Reading: Genesis 35
“God said to Jacob, ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.’ So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.’ So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem. And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother. And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth. God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.’ So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, ‘I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.’ Then God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it. So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, ‘Do not fear, for you have another son.’ And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant: Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant: Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram. And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.” (Genesis 35, ESV)
*****
[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.]
Introduction
At first glance Genesis chapter 35 might seem like a random collection of unrelated facts pertaining to the life of Jacob and his family. But upon closer examination we find that this chapter follows a patern already established in the book of Genesis. It brings the section which began at 25:19 concerning the descendents of Isaac to a conclusion while at the same time preparing the reader for what will follow. Chapter 35 functions like a hinge, therefore. It closes the previous section and opens the next to us.
I would like to remind you that after the prologue of Genesis 1:1-2:3 the book of Genesis is divided into 10 sections. Each of these 10 sections begin with the phrase, “these are the generations of…”, or something close to that. For example, Genesis 2:4 says , “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created…” Genesis 4:1: “This is the book of the generations of Adam.” Genesis 6:9: “These are the generations of Noah”, etc. After each of these introductory headings we find a record of the offspring of the figure that was named — the offspring of the heavens and earth, the offspring of Adam, of Noah, the sons of Noah, Shem, Terah, Ishmael and Issac. Notice that in chapter 36 we will consider the generations of Esau, and beginning in 37:2 we will consider the generations Jacob, which will bring the book of Genesis to a conclusion.
Genesis 35 is a very important chapter in that it brings the eighth section of the book of Genesis — that is, the one that tells of the generations of Isaac — to a conclusion while also preparing us for what will follow, namely, a prolonged consideration of the sons of Jacob, with special attention given to Joseph, through whom the nation of Israel would be preserved in the world.
The story of the generations of Isaac began in 25:19. His two sons, Esau and Jacob, were the main characters in that story. I will not repeat the story in detail, for we have been considering it for some time now. But in brief, Jacob and Esau were twins. It was revealed to their their mother while they were still in the womb that, contrary to way of the world, the older would serve the younger. Jacob the younger was to have the birthright and the blessing, and not Esau the older. Even more significant, Jacob would be the one to receive the promises of God that were given first to Abraham and to Isaac. Jacob would be blessed of the Lord and he would be a blessing. He would become a great nation. He would possess the land of Canan. And through him all of the families of the earth would be blessed. These promises were given to Jacob time and time again. And one thing was made very clear — these promises were given to him, not because he was deserving, but by the grace of God alone, for Jacob was a deceptive, self-serving, and manipulative individual at the start. But God pursued him, called him, and changed him in the course of time.
These changes took place within Jacob through suffering. As a consequence of his deceitful behavior towards his father and brother he was driven away into exile. And while in exile he was given a taste of his own medicine. He himself was deceived by his uncle, Laban. He served him like a slave. But God was faithful to call Jacob back to the land that was promised to him. God preserved him. God graciously wrestled with him, so as to humble him further, bringing him to a place of deeper dependence upon him.
In chapters 33-35 we find an account of Jacob entering back into the land of Canan. In chapter 36 we will learn that Esau would leave Canan for what would become Edom in the hill country of Sier.
I say all of this to you by way of introduction not so that you might win at Bible trivia. Instead, I say all of this hoping that it will help us to not loose sight of the big picture of the story of Genesis, which is in fact the beginning of the story of our redemption that is told in the Bible as a whole.
It is easy to loose sight of the big picture of Genesis and of the Bible as we focus our attention on these little stories about the lives of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, but we must not! These little stories — though meaningful in and of themselves — are a part of a much bigger and more important story — the story of the redemption of God’s elect through Jesus who is the Christ, and the renewal of all things in heaven and earth by his finished work.
Please bear with me for just a little while longer while I labor to set this little story (and all others) into the context of the bigger story of Genesis and of scripture.
We must never forget how the book of Genesis begins. The book of beginnings begins with the story of the creation of the heavenly realm and also the earthly realm. There we learned that God’s purpose for creating the earth was to make it a place suitable for human habitation. Not only that, but it was to be a place where man would commune with God. Adam and Eve were created by God and they were placed within Eden. There they walked with God. There they were to worship and serve him. They were to expand that garden paradise. They were to multiply, living in personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience to their Maker.
What then was the original creation? We have observed that it was a temple, or sanctuary where man communed with God. We might also say that the original creation was a kingdom. To have a kingdom you must have land, citizens, and a king. In Eden all three were present — land, citizens, and a king. Eden was the place, Adam and Eve were the citizens, and God himself was the king. Adam also had a kingly role to play, but only as a viceregent living under the supreme authority of the King of kings, and Lord of lords.
This is the picture that Genesis 2:4-25 paints. It describes the original creation as a holy kingdom. It describes Eden as a sanctuary where our first parents enjoyed communion with God. But we must not forget Genesis 3, for Genesis 3 explains to us why we do not live in a world that is all “kingdom of God” and all “sanctuary of God”. I do not need to convince you that we do not live in the world that Genesis 2 describes. Far from it! We live in a world that is filled with the hatred of God, sin, suffering, and death.
Those opening chapters of Genesis must not be forgotten for they tell us of God’s original design, his original offer (life eternal through obedience), and the rejection of that offer in Adam’s rebellion. The kingdom of God was offered, but rejected, friends.
What does that have to do with Genesis 35, you ask? The answer is, everything! The stories of Genesis 1-3 are the backdrop to these stories. You will not be able to make sense of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, nor of the significance of Jacob and his family entering the land to worship God without the backdrop of Genesis chapters 1 -3.
Here is my question: What was God up to when he called Abraham out of Ur and promised to bless him, to make his name great and to bless the nations of the earth through him? What was God up to when he promised to make Abraham into a great multitude — into nations and kings? What was God up to when he promised to give Abraham a land? What was God up to when he gave those same promises to Abraham’s chosen offspring, Isaac and Jacob? Was he only concerned to bless those men and their families? Or was this start of something much larger?
The answer is that God was beginning to provide a way of salvation for the world. He was beginning to recover what was lost in the sin of Adam. These stories regarding Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are among the first of God’s initiatives to take back that which was stolen by the evil one. Here in Genesis we find the beginning of God’s redemption. He called one man from amongst the nations, and he promised to make that one man into many. He would also give that one man and his descendents a land. Kings would come from him. A nation would be born! And through that people and nation a savior would come into the world. And he would provide salvation, not only for the physical descendents of Abraham, but for all the nations of the earth.
We must never loose sight of this big picture story of redemption — the story of the in-breaking of God’s kingdom into a fallen world, and the renewal of God’s temple which has been defiled by the sin of God’s creatures.
*****
I. Jacob’s Journey Into Canaan Was A Preview Of Israel’s Conquest Of Canaan Under Joshua And Our Entry Into The New Heavens And Earth In Jesus The Christ
The first thing that I would like to recognize is that the story of Genesis 35 concerning Jacob’s journey into Canaan was a preview of Israel’s conquest of Canaan under Joshua, and our entry into the new heavens and earth in Jesus the Christ.
You might be thinking, where do you see that in the text, Pastor? Well, this is clearly seen only when we keep the big picture story of scripture in view. You have probably heard it said that we must interpret individual passages of scripture in the context. Most, when they hear the word “context” think of the paragraphs or chapters that immediately precede or follow, and that is right! But we must also remember the whole Bible is the context of any given passage of scripture.
And when we consider the whole story from Genesis to Revelation it becomes clear that Jacob’s journey into Canaan was a preview of Israel’s conquest of Canaan under Joshua and our entry into the new heavens and earth in Jesus the Christ.
Jacob went into exile and found himself in bondage to Laban for many years. The Lord called him out of that “foreign” land to enter the land of promise. Laban pursuit him, but God preserved Jacob. The Lord appeared to Jacob and promised to always be with him. Jacob feared the sounding nations for they were greater than he, but God made them tremble so that Jacob might enter the land safely.
This story should sound familiar to you, for it is a little miniature version of a much bigger and much better known story — the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt under Moses and their conquest of Canaan under Joshua. In other words, Jacob, who was given the name Israel, experience in miniature what his offspring (Israel as a nation) would experience on a larger scale many years later.
[APPLICARTION: Think of the impact this would have upon the people of Israel as the left Egypt, sojourned in the wilderness, and prepared to enter Canaan to conquer it in the days of Joshua. They would have remembered the experiences of Jacob their forefather and been encouraged. They would have been encouraged to know that this was according to the plan of God. They would have remembered the promises of old. They would have remembered that just as God was faithful to Jacob, God would be faithful to them to being them safely into the land.]
But let us also remember that exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan was itself prototypical. In other words, when God redeemed Israel from Egypt and let them safely into the land of promise it was a little miniature version of a much bigger and much better known story — the story of spiritual Israel’s deliverance from the kingdom of darkness, their being transferred into the kingdom of light, and their entrance into the new heavens and new earth under and by faith in Jesus (Joshua) who is the Christ.
[APPLICATION: Friends, Jacob was freed from Laban and Israel was freed from Egypt, but you have been delivered from the domain of darkness. Both Jacob and Israel were defended by the Lord from the power nations that surrounded them, but you are defended from the principalities of darkness. Jacob and Israel entered into Canaan, but you, being the Israel of God, will be brought safely into the new heavens and earth through faith in Jesus who is the Christ. Trust in him. Cling to him. Be found in him. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, ESV)]
You might be thinking to yourself that Pastor has lost it interpreting scripture like this as if these stories all point forward to Christ like this. I would respond by asking, have you read the New Testament scriptures? Do you remember how Jesus spoke to the men at Emmaus “and beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27, ESV)? Or have you forgotten the words of Paul who spoke to Christians saying that, “[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV), or of Peter who spoke to the Christian, saying, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:9–12, ESV)?
As we read of Jacob escaping Laban and entering Canaan, and as we consider the nation of Israel being freed from Egypt and entering Canaan, we are to remember that these were but little miniature versions of a much greater redemption and blessing to that would be accomplished by Christ in the fulness of time. By his obedient life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection he has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to [his] kingdom… in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV).
[APPLICATION: One, you, like Jacob, were redeemed so that you might worship.
“God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”” (Genesis 35:1, ESV)
Two, you, like Jacob, must put away your foreign gods.
“So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you…” (Genesis 35:2, ESV)
Why did they have foreign gods?
You might also!
Three, you, like Jacob, must be made pure.
Furthermore he said, “…and purify yourselves and change your garments” (Genesis 35:2, ESV).
Why did they need to be made pure?
It was a ceremonial purity that was required of them to enter Canaan.
Ceremonial purity will not do to enter the new heavens and earth. We must be made pure to the heart.
Four, you, like Jacob, must trust always in the Lord.
“Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone” (Genesis 35:3, ESV).
May this be our resolve each morning. May this be our resolve each Lord’s Day!
Five, you, like Jacob, must be faithful to worship.
“So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem.” (Genesis 35:4, ESV)
I think this was like a tithe to Lord. Do you remember what Jacob said when God had appeared to him at Bethel those many years ago? He said, “and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you” (Genesis 28:22, ESV). The worship of God has always involved the giving of offerings. Are you?
Verse 5: “And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. And Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him, and there he built an altar and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed himself to him when he fled from his brother” (Genesis 35:5–7, ESV).
What did Jacob do having entered back into the land of Canaan? He worshipped! And what are we to do now that we have been delivered out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of the son? We are to worship — we are to worship privately, but especially corporately and publicly. And what will we do when enter into the new heavens and earth? We will worship.
If when you reflect upon that fact — that in the new heavens and earth we will worship continually — you think that will be boring, you have greatly underestimated God’s unbounded glory and the pleasure that we will find in knowing him. ]
*****
II. Jacob’s Journey Into Canaan Was Clearly Not An Entry Into The Final State
The second observation that I would like to make about Genesis 35 is that Jacob’s journey into Canaan was clearly not an entry into the final state. In other words, though his entry into Canaan was a significant step forward in the accomplishment of God’s plan of redemption, it was not the final step. In yet other words, though in the story we are beginning to see the formation of a kingdom — the kingdom of Israel — the arrival of God’s consummated kingdom was clearly not yet (not even close).
Notice that are nations in the world who would do Israel harm were not for God causing a terror to fall upon them (verse 5). When God’s kingdom is consummated — then the new heavens and earth are ushered in — no such kingdoms will exist in the world. All will be God’s kingdom. All will be God’s temple (see Revealtion 21 and 22).
Notice that the pain of death still plagued Israel.
Verse 8: “And Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried under an oak below Bethel. So he called its name Allon-bacuth” (Genesis 35:8, ESV).
How Deborah, who was the nurse of Rebekah, Jacob’s mother, came to be with clan of Jacob, we do not know. Perhaps she joined Jacob when she heard that she was reentering the land. And why Genesis tells us of Deborah’s death, but not Rebekah’s, is also a mytery. Perhaps it has to do with Rebekah’s sin in suggesting the deceit of her husband Isaac when the blessing was stolen from Esau and given to Jacob. It’s as if Deborah was highly esteemed, but Rebekah not.
Not only are we told of Deborah’s death, but also Rachel’s, the beloved wife of Jacob. Verse 16: “Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, ‘Do not fear, for you have another son.’ And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder” (Genesis 35:16–21, ESV).
Ironically, Rachael had years earlier spoken to Jacob, saying, “Give me children, or I shall die!” (Genesis 30:1, ESV). Rachael gave birth to one child and named him Joseph. And after bearing Joseph she said, “May the LORD add to me another son!” (Genesis 30:24, ESV). Both of her sayings came true. She died in the process of giving birth to her second son. She, in her anguish and grief, named him Ben-one, meaning son of my sorrow, but Jacob called him Benjamin, meaning son of the right hand, a much more positive name, given that the right hand signifies strength.
It is also in the passage that the death of Isaac is reported. “And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him” (Genesis 35:27–29, ESV).
This reference to Isaac’s death brings this section concerning the generation of Isaac to a conclusion.
Notice that both Jacob, the elect son, and Esau, the non-elect son, came together to bury Isaac. The same was true of the burial of Abraham — both Isaac and Ismael were there. I can’t help but think that this is meant to communicate in some way that fact that in and through these men and their elect descendents blessing would come tall the nations of the earth. In due time and through the chosen offspring of Abraham the middle wall of hostility would be broken down and the two peoples would become one through faith in the Christ (Ephesians 2:14).
But the point I am making here is that as significant as Jacoob’s entry into Canaan was in the history of redemption, it is not the final step, for it did not usher in the final state — not even close. Death still plagues the people of Israel.
In the new heavens and earth when the kingdom of God is here in full, for then “the dwelling place of God [will be] with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3–4, ESV).
[APPLIACTION: Brothers and sisters, it right for us to long for that day. But it is also important for us to square with the reality that we are not there yet. In Christ, death no longer has its sting! But that does not mean that we not subject to its power. Joshua did not enter into the final state when he entered into to Canaan. And neither have we entered into the final state through faith in Christ. We have tasted of it, but we still long for the new heavens and earth in which righteousness dwells. We still long for that day when God will “wipe away every tear from [our] eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” We will still suffer in this world, friends, but God is with us. We will still mourn, but our God will comfort us.]
Not only were there still enemies of God in the world in the days of Jacob, and not only were the people of Israel still plagued by death, they were also plagued by sin.
It is here that we learn that Ruben, the firstborn of Jacob’s sons, did a most terrible thing. Verse 22: “While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it” (Genesis 35:22, ESV). Reuben was hypocritical, for he did something similar to what Shechem had done to the sister Dinah, which the sons of Jacob condemned. It seems that Reuben was interested in usurping his fathers authority. It may also be that he was concerned that Bilhah not take the place as his fathers favorite wife now that Rachel had died. Reuben wanted his mother, and his little clan within a clan, to have the privileged position. Whatever the rationale, Reuben did a very wicked thing. And the text simply says, “and Israel [Jacob] heard of it.” It doesn’t say that he did anything about it, which has become typical of Jacob.
Far from being free from sin as will be in the new heavens and earth, Israel is still plagued by sin. There is sin in Israel’s camp, and the family is divided.
Notice that when the sons of Jacob are listed in verses 23 through 26 they are not listed from oldest to youngest, but according to their factions: first the sons of Leah and then Rachel, Bilhah and Zilpah. This will become important as the narrative continues, for it will be the jealousy and division amongst the sons of Jacob that lead to Joseph’s bondage in Egypt and the eventual salvation of Israel through him.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, as the people of God living this side of glory, we will encounter opposition, we will suffer and experience times of mourning, and we have to do battle with sin and it’s consequences. Prepare for it. Do not grow weary in the fight.
In the days of Jacob the kingdom of God was beginning to be prefigured and they people of God straggled with these things. Now that the Christ has come we are living in God’s inaugurated kingdom — we have the victory in Christ Jesus and we have tasted of the glory to come — but we still live in a fallen wold with pressures and heartaches of many kinds. We must persevere until the kingdom of God is consummated when Christ returns to make all things new.]
*****
III. Jacob Was Again Encouraged With The Promises Of God, His Eyes Directed To The Future Fulfillment Of The Promises Made To Abraham and Isaac Before Him
The third and final observation of Genesis 35 will be brief. It is this — In Genesis 35 Jacob is again encouraged with the promises of God, his eyes directed to the future fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and Isaac before him.
In verse 9 we read, “God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.’ So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, ‘I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you” (Genesis 35:9–12, ESV).
Much of this was a reminder of things that God had previously said to Jacob. But this was new: “A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.” Abraham had been told that kings and nations would come from him, but this was the first time it was said to Jacob.
*****
Conclusion
My desire is that you would see and understand the big picture plan of God for the redemption of his elect and the renewal of this world that has been given over to corruption through mans fall into sin.
God determined to provide a savior. This savior would be the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He would be born from amongst the people who would descend from them. And before his arrival this people — the Hebrew people — would be formed into a nation which would prefigure the kingdom of God and prepare for the arrival of the Christ, through whom salvation would come, and by whom the heavens and earth will be renewed.
This is the big picture, friends. This is the story of scripture. It is the gospel of the kingdom. The purpose of the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not to encourage us to be like them (for they were clearly flawed), but to have the faith that they had. For they were “ looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10, ESV). In other words, they new that the promises that were made to them were ultimately about the Christ and the promise of a new heavens and earth.
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11:13–16, ESV).
Let us be sure to have their faith, therefore. Let us be sure that we believe upon the Christ who descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for the forgiveness of our sins and the hope of life eternal. “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’ So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” (Galatians 3:7–9, ESV)
