How Geeks Should Think About The Future (In Search Of Truth, Hebrews 11:17-22)

Hebrews 11:17-22(ESV) By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.


Beginning with the example of Abraham, the author of Hebrews has begun specifically highlighting that aspect of faith that trusts in the future blessings God promises his people. You can look back and see this subtle shift begin in verse 8. Once again, this fits into the context of the rest of the book of Hebrews, much of which we've summarized as "holding on to hope and confidence in Yahweh so that we can be engaged in his plans and experience his blessing and rest".

Although we can begin to experience the blessings and rest of Yahweh in this life, the fullness of blessing and rest is a promised reward for the future, given in response to our trust of Yahweh during this life. (Hebrews 6:7,11-12, 10:35,1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

The author presents Abraham and many more after him as those who trusted that God will do in the future what he has said he will do.

v.17-19

After making some general statements about faith that applied to several of the people mentioned in this chapter, the author of Hebrews brings the focus back to Abraham.

The story of Abraham offering up his son Isaac as a sacrifice can be found in Genesis 22. God asked Abraham to kill his only son and give him up as a burnt offering.

I can't even imagine what was going through Abraham's mind. In addition to the horrifying thought of killing his own son, he must have been very confused by this request. In the Old Testament time period, it was the religions surrounding God's people that sacrificed their children to their gods. A practice Israel eventually imitated but that Yahweh hated. (Ezekiel 16:20-21, 20:31)

God had also promised that, through Isaac, Abraham would have more descendants (Genesis 21:12). How could this happen if Isaac died before having any children?

The answer is that Abraham assumed that God could raise Isaac from the dead to make good on his promise. Although that's not literally how it played out, Abraham trusted that God was powerful enough and wise enough to make it all work out the way he had promised. Abraham didn't know how it would all happen, but he trusted that God could do it.

v.20-22

The messy story of Isaac blessing his sons Jacob and Esau is found in Genesis 27. Isaac was nearing death and his senses were failing him. He intended to bless his firstborn, Esau. So Jacob disguised himself as Esau and intercepted the blessing.

It's a story that raises a lot of questions for me. What exactly was this kind of "blessing"? Did it actually cause the futures described for both Jacob and Esau, or did Isaac have a gift of prophecy in the mix here?

I tend to think the latter. Despite Jacob's deception, the Holy Spirit knew who Isaac was really talking to, and seems to have ensured that the blessings/prophecies given reflected the person actually in front of Isaac. (Like so many after him, Jacob was blessed and used by God despite his sin.)

What the author of Hebrews is highlighting, however, is the fact that Isaac trusted Yahweh so much that he had a certainty about the future of his sons. Jacob seems to have developed a similar faith and gifting, as he blessed his own grandsons in a similar way.(Genesis 47:31, 48:1-22)

Joseph likewise trusted in God's promises, including his promise that the land of Canaan belonged to Israel as an inheritance. With this in mind he told his sons that they would return there someday after he had died, which Israel did many years later during the Exodus. (Genesis 50:24-25, Exodus 13:19, Joshua 24:32)


WHAT'S IN THIS FOR GEEKS?

Since we don't know what these men experienced that made it clear and obvious that they were hearing from God, we should be very hesitant to assume that we are hearing from God when we feel a particular conviction about something. The author of Hebrews is not saying that predicting the future or pronouncing blessings is evidence that your faith is strong. And yet these men are presented as models of faith, so what aspect of their character should we imitate?

The common thread running through these models is one of trusting the future to Yahweh. Despite the messes they lived in and the tragedies they experienced, they trusted that God would set things right.

If you're a geek, there's a good chance you've got a wild and creative imagination. Mine goes to work in overdrive when I think about the future, resulting in a mix of dreams and fears that I either set my heart on or worry about. I dream about accomplishing certain things or getting that elusive, undefined amount of recognition and appreciation I vainly pursue. Or I fear something terrible will happen to my boys or my wife or to me. I catch myself now and then and say, "Frandsen, why is your mind going there? That doesn't do you a bit of good."

I think many of us geeks like to be in control. Maybe we've been hurt or mistreated in a way that makes us want to retreat to solitude or other environments we have more control over. We can also convince ourselves that dreaming or worrying about the future will help us control it in some way.

I've met geeks that dream so extensively and passionately about their future that their ability to see things as they are is damaged. They are unable to recognize themselves anymore, having lost all sense of their true strengths and weaknesses in favor of their idealized or feared vision of themselves and their future.

Not long ago I even spoke to a geek who had convinced himself he needed to commit a small sin repeatedly because it would enable him to do something else repeatedly that was good and part of God's purpose for his life.

But faith, as modeled in these verses, is about trusting God with the future. Faith means giving up control (or what we tell ourselves is control) and trusting that God's plans are good and cannot be delayed or thwarted.