Abraham had to learn patience as he learned to walk by faith. Finally, when he was 99 years old, he became the father of the promised son. He had doubted God’s ability to keep His promise. He listened to bad advice from his wife, Sarah, and committed adultery with Hagar. God gave them a child through that sinful act. That child, Ishmael, would be a problem for the nation of Israel then and still is today.
God blessed Abraham and Sarah with the promised son, Isaac. Now, Isaac was a young man and his father was told to take him and offer him up as a burnt offering before the Lord. This certainly was a test of faith for Abraham. Who was he trusting? Could he give up his only legitimate son and still go on? Was his faith truly in God alone? We know from the Old Testament that Abraham told his young men that he expected to come back to him with his son, Isaac. He did not know how that would happen but he expected it to happen. A key verse in that context is found in Genesis 22:8:

Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Abraham spoke prophetically in that verse. Obviously God gave him those words. Abraham was looking far into the future to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. With that in mind, Abraham also trusted that God had a way to provide a substitute for Isaac at that time.
We know the account. Just prior to Abraham driving that knife into his son’s body, God stopped him and showed him a ram caught in the thicket. Abraham was quite willing to remove his son from that altar and replace him with that ram. Isaac was given a very important object lesson there as well. Abraham did indeed return to his servants with his son Isaac. Isaac would have that picture in his mind until his dying day. He knew his father loved him. He also knew that God provided a substitute for him at a crucial point in his life.
That substitute was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came into this world as a babe, and grew to become a man. He was obedient unto death on the cross. He provided the only way for all to be forgiven and saved. Only those who trust in Him are forgiven and saved. Abraham needed to stop his effort to kill his son, and he needed to take that ram and put him in the place of his son. A person needs to turn to God, trusting in His provision for the forgiveness of sins — the Lord Jesus Christ, and believe that His shed blood is the necessary part to be forgiven and saved.
God had promised Abraham that His promise would be continued through Isaac. Isaac had to be alive long enough to produce a seed. Abraham acted by faith in God. This was not a foolish act on his part. This was a specific act that God demanded only of Abraham.
God does expect all parents to know Him and walk in the fear of God. He does expect parents to raise their children for God’s glory. He does expect parents to encourage their children to seek the Lord and follow Him first of all. All people need to understand that there is only one Saviour and that all people need a Saviour. It is essential to know and trust in God’s provision for salvation.
In verse 20 we read that Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. God told Rebekah, Isaac’s wife that two nations were in her womb. She knew that the elder would serve the younger. We are not told, but likely she told Isaac that as well. Isaac loved his elder son, Esau because he was a hunter. He could prepare venison that tickled Isaac’s tastebuds just right. Jacob was Rebekah’s favoured son. He followed her lead more.
God told Rebekah that the elder would serve the younger and He saw to it that Esau gave up his birthright and that he also did not receive the blessing of the firstborn. Esau demonstrated his lack of faith in God. He had a bad day at hunting and stated that he was at the point of death and his birthright was of no value to him if he were to die. He willingly gave up that birthright for some pottage. He was not worthy of that birthright.
The scheming that Rebekah and Jacob did to make sure that Isaac would bless Jacob, was not necessary. God would have made that happen anyway. He worked with the situation that was there. We should not take that to assume we can use deception to get what we want. God gives very clear instructions on that. Isaac blessed Jacob as he would have blessed Esau. God’s will was done even though those involved in it were not always obedient. Every true child of God knows that we do not always obey God. Yet God still works with broken vessels.
In verse 21 we read that Jacob blessed both the sons of Joseph, but not in accordance with common practice. The younger son received the greater blessing there as well. Joseph was not the firstborn of Jacob either, but he was the firstborn of Jacob and Rachel. God worked things for His glory.
Joseph, also, when he was dying, made mention of the fact that God would bring the nation out of Egypt and back to the land of Canaan. He did not know when, but he made the elders promise to take his bones with them when they left Egypt.
Moses was another man who trusted in God and was mentioned in this chapter of Old Testament saints who lived by faith. Moses’ parents exercised unusual faith in God when he was born. They were not afraid of the king’s command. They knew it was wrong to murder their young son. His mother kept him hidden as long as she could. When that was no longer possible she made an ark of bullrushes and placed him in it and set him into the river. She did not kill him. She made a waterproof vessel for him to float in. She did not know what would happen next, but she trusted God. Pharaoh’s daughter came by to bathe and heard the baby crying in the basket. She got her servant to fetch the basket and inside was this young, crying boy. Pharaoh’s daughter could not kill him. Moses’ sister was at the ready at this moment. She suggested that she find a Hebrew woman to look after this young child for Pharaoh’s daughter. Of course she went to get Moses’ mother and she and her husband could continue to look after their young son until he was old enough to be taken into Pharaoh’s court. Nothing happened by chance. God had a plan and He worked out His plan in a way that those involved never imagined. However, Moses’ mother and father gladly took their place in God’s plan.
This example should have been a good lesson for us, those who are saved, to follow during the Wuhan virus debacle. We, especially pastors, knew that it was God’s will to keep our churches open. We know it was God’s command to minister to the needs of the people through the local church. At least we should have known this. Many pastors demonstrated their bondage to the state. They had already accepted registration with the state and most pastors received a license from the state to perform certain duties. Now, they would submit to their earthly masters, rather than their Heavenly Master. The government saw a major weakness here. They have not forgotten that. God in His mercy gave us some reprieve. It would be good if more pastors would realize the need to get out from under the bondage to the state, but I have not heard of any doing so. We made that choice some years back and I am thankful that God showed me the importance of that before this latest challenge.
We need to learn to walk by faith, just as Moses’ parents did. We read that Moses learned some important truths as a young boy. When it was time for him to choose his future course, he chose to follow his godly parents, not Pharaoh’s daughter. He saw the short term benefits of living in Pharaoh’s court. He saw the trials his fellow Jews were facing. He saw something greater than those trials. He saw them as the people of God. He had more things to learn in that regard, but he had the right foundation.
We read in verse 26 that he chose the reproaches of Christ as greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. He had respect to the “recompence” — the ‘payment of the reward.’ He saw beyond this life and into eternity. He could see that what Pharaoh’s daughter had was temporal. He had already witnessed some things in his parents that was more precious than all that was in Pharaoh’s court. He would identify with his own people rather than foolishly bury that for temporal convenience. He made a wise choice.
We have the same God as these people had. We have promises that are just as sure as those they trusted in. We can know that if we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, we are safe in the hand of God. We can know that the afflictions of this life are nothing compared to the blessings of eternity. We can see real value if we trust in God. We will be in the minority and we will not be able to see many others following God. That will not matter if we truly know the Lord. We will know:

I John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.