Faith – Page 140 – The Brew Is A Musing

FROM THE MIND OF WEBSTER

• Blessed – to confer prosperity or happiness upon.
• Their – relating to them as objects.
• Future – time yet to come.

BACKSTORY

Genesis 17:18, 19 – And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” (NIV 1984)

Genesis 22:15-18 – The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (NIV 1984)

Genesis 26:3-5 – For to you [Isaac] and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.” (NIV 1984)

MUSINGS FROM OTHERS – Just before he died, Isaac blessed both Jacob and Esau concerning things yet to come. (Genesis 27:27–29 for Jacob and 27:39–40 for Esau). In both cases the fulfillment would not come until after Isaac’s death. The promised blessing for Jacob included the words, “Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you” (Genesis 27:29). It is a work of faith to bless about future things (hoped for and unseen) that may still be hoped for and unseen long after you are gone. When the thing itself does not yet exist and only a promise has been given, faith must rule. For the blessing concerned possession of the land which God had promised to him and his posterity, yet in his lifetime he had nothing in that land but the right to be buried.