The Faith of the Elders: An Undeserved Hope

The father blesses the son.

Reflecting on the life of St. Peter naturally led us to the next section of Hebrews, where the author briefly notes the deaths of three elders of Israel: Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. All three of these men made blessings or promises to their offspring and people as they were dying. These blessings and promises were entirely dependent on the promises God had made to Abraham.

What is equally important to note is that the promises in human terms seemed incredibly far-fetched. Yet, a part of God's promise was to act as a point of hope. The hope did not depend on Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph, nor their offspring, but it depended upon the one who gave the promise. In this, we are reminded that we are given a hope based on the reality of who God has made us to be.

Reflection Questions:

1. How does undeserved grace change how you look at life?

2. How does being grafted into the family of Christ based on the merits of Christ give you hope today?

3. Reflecting back on the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, list all the reasons you have for hope.