Passing on the Promise - Treasures of Faith - Week 6 Day 6

TODAY'S TREASURE

Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers...” 

Genesis 49:29

Transcript

Passing on the Promise 

Chuck and Sharon Betters

Today’s Treasure

Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers...” 

Genesis 49:29

Hebrews 11 weaves a beautiful thread of eternal perspective into the lives of its heroes. For Jacob, worshiping at the end of his life reflected a man who had finally let go of self-sufficiency and clung wholly to the promises of God. His request to be buried with his fathers in Canaan wasn't sentimental. It was an act of faith—his declaration that God’s covenant would outlive him and his earthly comforts.

God had made sweeping promises to Jacob throughout his journey:

• His descendants would inherit the Promised Land
• His family would multiply and flourish
• All nations would be blessed through them
• God would never forsake him
  (See Genesis 28:13–15; 35:11–13; 46:2–4)

Now, as Jacob’s life draws to a close, those promises feel more certain than the ground beneath his feet. Though he dies in Egypt, a land of provision and safety, Jacob knows this is not home. His instructions to be buried in Canaan signal to his descendants, and to us, that his hope rests in the unseen. He was looking forward to the city whose architect and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10).

Jacob’s story is not one of a man who got everything right. He manipulated, deceived, and often leaned on his own understanding. But God’s grace pursued him, hemmed him in, disciplined and shaped him. In the end, Jacob wasn’t known for his scheming but for his surrender.

His final days reflect deep humility. No longer grasping for control, Jacob worships as he leans on his staff and blesses his sons. He speaks with clarity about what matters—God’s faithfulness, the promises of the covenant, and the hope of redemption for generations to come.

He had lived long enough to see God’s hand in every twist of his journey. The famine that could have destroyed his family became the means by which they were preserved. The son he thought was dead became the instrument of deliverance. The sins of his other sons became the backdrop for their eventual repentance. The God who promised to never leave him had kept His word.

One of the most beautiful signs of Jacob’s transformation is who he chooses to be buried beside, not Rachel, the wife he loved most deeply, but Leah, the wife through whom God’s covenant line continued. Jacob embraced God’s story over his own preferences. This is not resignation. It’s reverent submission.

This surrender is echoed in a letter we once received from a young woman enduring great sorrow in her marriage:

“I’ve tried to live with the consequences of my husband’s sin. I’ve heard you talk about God pruning you. For eight years, I resisted, but tonight I understood. I could picture God with pruning shears, trying to cut away dead branches. I kept pulling back. But now, I’m beginning to see He’s cleaning house in my heart. I’m still struggling, but I think I need to write out my story so I can see how patient and faithful God has been. Maybe one day, it will encourage someone else.”

Like Jacob, she’s learning that surrender is not weakness—it’s worship. When we stop fighting God's work in our hearts, we start living by faith.

The book of Hebrews doesn’t list Jacob’s sins. It doesn’t mention his deceptions or failures. Instead, it records this:

"By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff." Hebrews 11:21

This is how heaven remembers him, not for his flaws, but for his faith. Jacob finished well, not because he was perfect, but because he trusted the God who had led him through every valley.

LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT 

What will your final testimony be?

Jacob’s wealth, influence, and family drama weren’t what defined him. His legacy was his faith. By the end, he treasured God more than comfort, success, or even his deepest human desires.

Maybe your story is messy. So was Jacob’s. But if you surrender to the Good Shepherd who has led you all the way, you can finish in faith.

Your legacy doesn’t depend on your strength or your spotless record. It depends on your God. Pass on what matters most. Bless the next generation by telling them about the One who never let go of you.

Finish well. Worship. Bless. Believe.

PRAYER

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, be my Shepherd to the very end. Help me live with eternity in view. Let my final days be filled with faith, not fear. Use my life—failures and all—to reflect Your grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

MORE…

Adapted from Treasures of Faith by Chuck and Sharon Betters with permission from P&R Publishing

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