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peculiar calling (Eph. 3:6), a promise which likewise looks forward to the day of resurrection, the day of
redemption, for its fulfilment, and which they may anticipate as they walk in the power that is to usward who
believe, a power which is nothing short of the power of His resurrection.
`For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us' (2 Cor. 1:20).
Crossed Hands or Restoration (Heb. 11:20-22).
The insistence of Hebrews 11 upon the peculiar characteristics of faith, brings into prominence some incidents in
the lives of the patriarchs that might otherwise have remained in the background. This is specially the case with
Joseph, for who, unguided by God, would have picked out of that wonderful life the commandment concerning his
bones? In the verse before us we have a pair of witnesses that have to do with `blessing', but blessing given with
some rather unusual accompaniment or in some rather unusual circumstance:
`By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both
the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff' (Heb. 11:20,21).
It is very evident to the most casual reader that these two acts form a pair. In both cases the old man, the father,
is partially blind. `His eyes were dim, so that he could not see' (Gen. 27:1). `Now the eyes of Israel were dim for
age, so that he could not see' (Gen. 48:10). In both cases, two sons are connected with the blessing; in the first
Jacob and Esau, in the second Ephraim and Manasseh. In both, the younger is blessed above the elder, and in both
there is an attempt to interfere with the Divine purpose by the fondness of the parent for the firstborn. We have
already demonstrated that Hebrews 11 is occupied with a series of seven pairs, and this close parallel is but added
confirmation.
Grace not law
We take it that the reader is sufficiently acquainted with the narrative of the two passages of Genesis, to enable
us to proceed at once to the lesson intended by the apostle when writing to the Hebrews.  One of the
stumbling-blocks in the path of the early church was the necessity to set aside generations of racial pride and the
privileges of circumcision. The Hebrew section could not readily relinquish their connection with the law and their
position as the firstborn, and around this difficulty a great deal of the argument of Galatians and Romans is written:
`And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and
thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the
law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise' (Gal. 3:17,18).
`Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only
which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all' (Rom. 4:16).
These two passages make it very clear that the promises of God do not move along the line of works, law or
race, but that the promises originally made to Abraham and his seed included both the Jew and Gentile in their
embrace. Romans 9:7-12 throws further light upon the question, revealing that deeper motives and purposes are
involved:
`In Isaac shall thy seed be called ... And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father
Isaac; (for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth;) it was said unto her, The elder shall
serve the younger'.
Ishmael the firstborn is set aside, and Isaac is seen as the child of promise. Esau the firstborn is set aside, and the
younger, Jacob, is the true seed, a `supplanter', by Divine intention. Manasseh the firstborn is passed over, that
Ephraim the younger may receive the blessing, and so on down the ages.
We believe that we are not alone in experiencing considerable difficulty when asked to believe that when Isaac
was deceived into blessing Jacob in the place of Esau, that Isaac acted `by faith'. If that is faith what is credulity, or
unbelief or disobedience? For observe, in Genesis 27 we have the following statements, and are not left to our own
deductions: