The Birthright and the Blessing
The Birthright
The Old Testament tells of two aspects of inheritance, the birthright and the blessing. It was the custom in Old Testament days for the oldest son to inherit a double portion: Dt. 21.17: “But he shall recognize the firstborn … by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength. His is the right of the firstborn.” If there were two sons, the older got two-thirds and the younger got one-third. If there were three, the oldest got one-half and the two younger got one-fourth each, and so on. The birthright belonged to the oldest son and included this right to a double portion.
In addition, the birthright included the right to headship of the clan, or a higher level of rulership in certain cases, such as the throne: Gen. 27.29: “Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers and let your mother’s sons bow down to you….” 2 Chron. 21.3: “And their father gave them great gifts, of silver and of gold and of precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but the kingdom gave he to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.” It is of vital importance to remember that the birthright can be lost, as in the case of Esau, who sold his birthright to Jacob for a single meal (Gen. 25.29-34), and of Reuben: 1 Chron. 5.1-2: “And the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, and the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brothers and of him came the ruler, but the birthright was Joseph’s)….”
The Blessing
The blessing was given to each of his sons by the father as he thought he was approaching death. Again quoting Gen. 27.28-29, we see two aspects of the blessing that Isaac gave to Jacob: “May God give you of the dew of Heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. Be lord of your brothers, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you and blessed be those who bless you.” One aspect was prosperity, and the other was rulership, which is also part of the birthright.
Spiritual Inheritance
Remember that we read 1 Chron. 5.1-2 a moment ago. We saw that Reuben’s birthright was given to Joseph because of Reuben’s sin. That means that Joseph, not Reuben, would inherit a double portion. We read in Gen. 48.8-16 that Jacob blessed the two sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, giving them Joseph’s inheritance, that is, two portions, the double portion. And in vs. 21-22 we read, “And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers. And I have given you one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.’” Jacob stated plainly that he was giving Joseph a double portion.
Then we come to Josh. 17.14-18, “And the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua saying, ‘Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, since I am a great people, for I AM has blessed me till now?’ And Joshua said to them, ‘If you are a great people, go up to the forest and cut down for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too confined for you.’ And the sons of Joseph said, ‘The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.’ And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, ‘You are a great people and have great power. You shall not have one lot, but the hill country will be yours. For though it is wooded, you will cut it down, and to its farthest extent it will be yours, for you will drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong.'” You shall not have one lot only: you will have a double portion. So we see that even though the law calls for the oldest son to inherit the double portion, it can be lost, and it can be given to another. That is, there is a spiritual dimension to the birthright and the blessing. Reuben was the firstborn, but Judah became the ruling tribe. But Joseph carried on the spiritual line of God. We are in that spiritual line. We are not physical sons of Jacob, but we are sons of Abraham by faith.
Chloe, you are in that spiritual line. Even though you are not a firstborn physically, and are not even a son, you are in what the writer to the Hebrews calls the “church of the firstborn ones” (Heb. 12.23). All who are born of God can be firstborn sons.
Chloe Woody, as spokesman for The Gathering, I bless you with spiritual prosperity, that is, much fruit for the Lord (Jn. 15.5); I bless you with spiritual rulership, that is, reigning in life over your circumstances, the world, your flesh, and the devil (Rom. 5.17); And I bless you with a double portion of the Lord all the days of your life.
“I AM bless you, and keep you; I AM make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; I AM lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.”
Amen!
Copyright © 2016 by Tom Adcox. All rights reserved. You may share this work with others, provided you do not alter it and do not sell it or use it for any commercial purpose. “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10.8). Also you must include this notice if you share it or any part of it.
Scripture quotations from the Old Testament are the author’s updates of the American Standard Version. Quotations from the New Testament are the author’s translations.
