Well Done My Son

A Series on Living by Faith
(Use the link below to read the verses.)
Genesis 26:1-25; Hebrews 11:20

 [Hebrews 11 is a recounting of the Heroes of the Faith. Even though they never saw what they had been promised, each person is commended for living “by faith”. At the end of these commendations, Hebrews 12 tells us, “Therefore, because you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… throw off sin; run with perseverance; fix your eyes on Jesus”. In other words, live “by faith”.]

  

Sibling rivalry. If you grew up in a family with more than one child, you may be intimately familiar with what this phrase means. In fact, you may have experienced it for much of your childhood, and maybe even as an adult.

 

My oldest sister and brother had a fierce sibling rivalry. Although I wasn’t born yet, they tell stories of how they competed with each other. The one that sticks in my mind the most took place while riding in the car when Susan would say, “Dwight’s looking at me”! They knew exactly how to push each other’s buttons.

 

Isaac may be best known for the sibling rivalry of his twin sons, Jacob and Esau. Their rivalry started while they were still in the womb of their mother Rebekah, and continued throughout their adult years. It culminated in Jacob stealing, not only Esau’s birthright, but his blessing too. Out of this family mess, Isaac is mentioned in Hebrews 11 as a Hero of the Faith. But why?

 

When a famine came, the Lord told Isaac to not flee to Egypt, but to stay. Isaac obeyed, and it was during this difficult time that the Lord confirmed Abraham’s covenant with him.

 

³ Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. ⁴ 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…       NIV

 

Because of Isaac’s faithfulness, his crops grew a hundredfold; and he had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. In fact, he became so wealthy and powerful, that the king of the Philistines asked him to leave.

 

It was another setback that Isaac had to face. Even more difficult was finding water. His Father Abraham had previously dug wells in the area, but the herdsmen had filled them with dirt. Then when Isaac’s servants would dig and find a new well, the herdsmen would claim the water was theirs. Finally though, he found a well that he could call his own, and made his home there.

 

Clearly Isaac wasn’t a perfect person. He had faced adversity throughout his life. From the time his father was about to sacrifice him; to living in the land of the Philistines homeless; to dealing with a son who lied to his face to steal his blessing. And yet, he is recognized as living “by faith”.

 

I find great hope in Isaac. Hope that someone like me who is far from perfect; who has dealt with adversity; who has struggled to live faithfully… will someday find the love and affirmation of his Heavenly Father when he says, “Well done my son. Well done”.

 

 

 

Sibling Rivalry

 A Series on Living by Faith
Genesis 4:1-8; Hebrews 11:1-4
(Use the link below to read the verses.)

 [Hebrews 11 is a recounting of the Heroes of the Faith. Even though they never saw what they had been promised, each person is commended for living “by faith”. At the end of these commendations, Hebrews 12 tells us, “Therefore, because you are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… to throw off sin; to run with perseverance; to fix your eyes on Jesus”. In other words, to live “by faith”.]

  

Did you have a sibling rivalry growing up? I did. It was with my sister who is six years older than me. At the time, I had a very short, explosive temper, and apparently she knew how to trigger it. 

On one occasion, I remember throwing a table knife at her as she ran down the hall. Just as she slammed the bathroom door behind her, the knife stuck in the door. Not one of my better moments.

 

Sibling rivalries can lead you to do terrible things. Take Cain and Abel for instance. They were one generation removed from the Garden of Eden; from living in harmony with God; but also, from original sin. The result was the first recorded murder in the Bible. Here’s what led up to it.

 

³ After some time Cain brought some of his harvest and gave it as an offering to the Lord. ⁴ Then Abel brought the first lamb born to one of his sheep, killed it, and gave the best parts of it as an offering. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, ⁵ but he rejected Cain and his offering. Cain became furious, and he scowled in anger.          GNT

 

 That anger led to Cain’s murder of Abel!

 

What else do we know about the two brothers? Cain was older, and was a farmer. Abel was a shepherd. They both brought offerings to the Lord, so they both believed in Him. Then why did the Lord accept Abel’s offering but not Cain’s?

 

It appears that Cain’s offering was more of an afterthought; something that he did out of religious obligation, or possibly out of competition with his brother. But for Abel, his offering came from the heart. He gave the Lord the best that he had. Hebrews describes the difference like this.

 

⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.  NIV

 

Abel’s faith was in what he had never seen. You can imagine that his parents, Adam and Eve, may have talked about life in the Garden of Eden, and what it was like to live in union with the Lord. They may have instilled faith in the promises of a redemptive God so that Abel gave his offering by faith.

 

Therefore, whatever we do, let us do it for the Lord; let us do it from a pure heart; let us do it by faith that the Lord has provided redemption through Jesus. And in living by faith, the Lord will be pleased with us.