The Purpose of God Shall Stand

 

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

     – Hebrews 11:20

 

God’s promise is, “It shall be well with the righteous.” His Word declares, “There shall no evil happen to the just.” The Lord God promises his own, “I will not depart from them to do them good.” “And we know that all thing work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

Vexing Providence

 

Yet, our lives are frequently vexed with trials and circumstances that make it appear that God’s promises have fallen to the ground, and his purpose has been nullified. It sometimes seems as though evil and not good is our lot.

 

We are often like the weeping prophet in Lamentations 3, crying, -- “He hath brought me into darkness, but not into light…Against me is he turned. He turneth his hand against me all the day…He hath compassed me with gall and travail. He hath set me in dark places… When I cry and shout, He shutteth out my prayer. He hath enclosed my ways with hewn stone. He hath made my paths crooked. He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces. He hath made me desolate…He hath filled me with bitterness.

 

Remembering our affliction and misery, the wormwood and the gall, how often, like Jeremiah, our circumstances cause us to think, even if we do not express it in words, “Thou hast removed my soul far off from peace…My strength and my hope is perished from the Lord.” How foolishly and ignorantly we behave when we judge the goodness of God by the things we see, and feel, and experience!

 

“Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust Him for His grace.

Behind the frowning providence,

He hides a smiling face!

 

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flower!”

 

May God give us grace, in the teeth of adversity, to trust him! What he has promised, he will perform. What he has purposed, he will do. God’s providence is sure. His decree is firm and unalterable. His will must and shall prevail. If everything around us crumbles to the ground, though heaven and earth pass away, the purpose of God must stand! Nothing hinders his purpose, alters his will, or stands in his way!

 

Isaac’s Faith

 

This great truth is nowhere more clearly demonstrated than in the life of God’s servant, Isaac. Though Isaac lived longer than any of the other patriarchs, less is recorded about him than any of the others. In fact, the entire history of this man, Isaac, is recorded in two short chapters of Inspiration (Gen. 26 and 27).

 

In Hebrews 11:20 the Holy Spirit uses that which, at least to me, appears to be very incidental to display the greatness of Isaac’s faith. However, when the event here described is closely examined, it proves to be a truly remarkable example of faith. Here the Spirit of God calls our attention to Isaac’s act of faith in blessing his sons, Jacob and Esau, in his old age.—“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.”

 

Faith Bows

 

Faith bows to the will of God. It may not do so initially. I do not suggest that faith never struggles. It does. But, ultimately, faith bows to God’s will.

 

Isaac wanted the blessing of the birthright to go to Esau. He wanted God’s bounty and goodness for Esau; but when the Lord God made it clear to him that Jacob would be blessed and Esau cursed, Isaac bowed to the will of God. By faith, that is to say, trusting God, Isaac blessed both his son, Jacob and Esau.

 

God’s Purpose Unalterable

 

The event referred to in this twentieth verse is recorded in Genesis 27. It shows us the wisdom, faithfulness, goodness, and sovereignty of God, overruling and using the frailties, infirmities, and even the sins of men to accomplish his purpose (Ps. 76:10). The fact is God’s purpose is unalterable. It cannot be thwarted, hindered, or changed in any way. No matter how our circumstances may appear to oppose it, no matter how disobedient men and women are, no matter how cunningly Satan works, the purpose of God must and shall stand. “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Tim. 2:19).