This is Birthrights, Blessings, Covenant Promises-Lessons Learned from the Story of Esau and Jacob, Part 2.

 

This will be the 26th Torah Reading or Parshah of the 3-year Torah Reading Cycle. Our reading is found in Genesis or Beresheit 27:30-38:9.

 

Having added necessary background information to our present reading, let’s finally delve into this week’s discussion. We’ll begin with 27:30. And it reads:

 

27:30. And it happened as soon as Isaac finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob barely had left the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came back from the hunt.

 

 

27:31. And he, too, made a dish and brought it to his father and he said to his father, “Let my father rise and eat of the game of his son so that you may solemnly bless me.”

 

 

 

27:32. And his father Isaac said, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

 

 

 

27:33. And Isaac was seized with a very great trembling and he said, “Who is it, then, who caught game and brought it to me and I ate everything before you came and blessed him?

 

Here’s fun fact my friends: Here the text mentions that upon learning of Ya’achov’s trickery through Esav’s protestation-assuming Yitschaq was truly not aware of the impostor being Ya’achov—that he “was seized with a very great trembling.”

 

Ultra-Orthodox Rabbinic tradition traces their theme—their name if you will—that name being the “Haredi” to this incident. According to this sect, the Hebrew people are called Haredi, meaning, “those who shake before YHVH” (Isa. 66:5; Haredim; Ezr. 10:3). HaHaredim, then, are those that tremble before Yah at the commandments of our Elohim.

 

This, of course, has nothing whatsoever to do with our reading here today. But it was something I came across in my research for this discussion that I thought I would share.

 

Continuing: Here Yitschaq pretends that he was unaware who the culprit was that stole Esau’s blessing. We know from previous readings that Yitschaq was an intelligent man, as well as a peacemaker and peacekeeper. So then, this strategy to deny knowledge of the culprit, but rather, allow for Esau to name him by a process of elimination seems somewhat surprising, at least to me. Surely Yitschaq knew who the culprit was, and I would go so far as to even surmise that Yitschaq also knew that Rivkah would have also been behind the scheme. The text clearly denotes that Yitschaq had doubts as to the true identity of Ya’achov as evidenced by his voice. But again, Yitschaq let the charade go forth. I wonder if by chance, and this is just Rod speaking here: I wonder if by chance Yitschaq knew all along at the time of the blessing, that Ya’achov was perpetrating a fraud. And no doubt realizing that Ya’achov was the chosen one to perpetuate the covenant and to receive the coveted blessing, especially having already procured the birthright from Esav, he used that fraudulent situation to render the blessing to Ya’achov instead of to Esav. This would have given Yitschaq sort of an excuse for his oversight in this situation in the eyes of his beloved son, Esav.

 

We find in 27:33 that Yitschaq refuses to rescind the blessing conveyed to Ya’achov despite Esav’s seeming over-the-top protestation and outrage and despite the blessing being absconded by his younger brother through trickery and it being contrary to ANE conventional wisdom. But instead, the patriarch “affirms” that he did indeed pass on the covenantal, patriarchal blessing to the younger, Ya’achov. This is certainly an attestation to the seriousness that the patriarchs placed on issues of birthrights and blessings. These, once firmly established, were irrevocable and their establishment was not to be contested.

 

One has to wonder what, if any, importance and influence the revelation Yah conveyed to Rivkah during her pregnancy had over Yitschaq (reference 25:23). For Yitschaq seemed hard-bent on conveying the patriarchal blessing to Esav. It seems reasonable to conclude that in addition to Rivkah’s preference to the younger Ya’achov over the elder Esav, that the revelation still resonated within her to some greater or lesser extent. It’s unclear, as the text does not elaborate on this at all.

 

Torah scholar, teacher and author Tim Hegg of Torah Resources takes what I see as a bold step by suggesting that Yitschaq may have known the interlocutor—the imposter if you will—to be his younger son Ya’achov, but to avoid the full brunt of his son’s ire, he chose to play the victim in this situation, as opposed to that of “unjust father in Esau’s eyes” (Hegg’s Commentary).

 

To me, this fortuitous debacle (in that it ends up going the way Yah intended it to go) is left open for much debate by the wisdom of Yah and the pen of Moshe. I find it very interesting that in some things regarding the patriarch, Yah chooses to reveal what the patriarchs were thinking. But here, we’re left wondering what Yitschaq really was thinking here. For even in his blind state, Yitschaq should be more than capable of discerning the difference between his two sons. The text tells us that Yitschaq used the senses of smell and feel to override the contradictory sounds of his younger son’s voice, which he indicated as such to Ya’achov during their encounter.

 

But if I were forced to guess as to what was actually going on with Yitschaq, I would surmise that maybe he was operating within the spiritual. In other words, Yah was directing his actions during the encounter. That Yah may have dulled his sense of reason and led him to take the path of least resistance to open the gate to the blessing being conveyed to Ya’achov, despite the dubious manner in which this encounter was carried out. In this sense, I would somewhat agree with Hegg in his supposition that “God appears to get His own hands dirty in the whole scenario, for He allows lies and deceit to be the channel through which the blessing comes” (Hegg’s Commentary).

 

Now, I realize that some might take umbrage over the suggestions that Yah would somehow participate in human evil for purposes of bringing about His perfect will in the earth.

 

Well, I would say in slight defense of this theory that it’s not so much Yah directly intervening in the situation here, as much as we’re talking about Yah’s so-called permissive will playing out in this situation. Ya’achov was who he was—a trickster and a manipulator—that’s the way he was drawn. Rivkah was who she was—she loved Ya’achov much more than she loved Esav. So it is only natural that she would do all that she could to see to it that her favorite got what she obviously knew was due him, according to Yah’s revelation to her some 60 or so years previously.

 

It is only natural for all concerned to favor Ya’achov in this whole situation because we, along with Rivkah, no doubt Ya’achov, and no doubt Yitschaq, know that Ya’achov the younger was chosen of Yah to perpetuate the covenant, despite him being the younger. And yes, it stings a little knowing that Yah’s revelation would come to fruition via ill-gotten means. But in the end, whether hook or crook on the part of Yah’s human creation, Yah’s eternal will come to fruition. As Hegg so aptly states: “God’s purposes are not thwarted by the sinful acts of mankind” (Hegg Commentary).

 

We saw evidence of this reality in the story of Avraham, Sarah, and Hagar, whereby in order for the promise of an heir to Avraham’s wealth and the covenant promises, Sarah contrives the scheme to override her barren state and give the family the son to make all the promises of the covenant come to fruition through her handmaiden Hagar.

 

 

27:34. Now blessed he stays.” When Esau heard his father’s words, he cried out with a great and very bitter outcry and he said to his father, “Bless me too, Father!”

 

Well, it turns out that Esav realized that, at least by ANE standards, he stood to lose a significant amount of material and spiritual wealth to his slightly younger brother Ya’achov, as depicted here in 27:34 in such raw, human tones. He’d foolishly sold his birthright to Ya’achov some time before (25:34), which disqualified him from receiving the coveted double portion that was commonly rendered to the older son by the parents. And it now turns out, through trickery, that Ya’achov received that coveted double portion, leaving Esav with nary a blessing to be considered a blessing. It was more of a prophesy than anything. Ya’achov would receive the fertile ground of his Canaan homestead, while Esav and his descendants would dwell in the mountain country. In toll, Esav’s blessing was a devastating blow, which would likely have not been such if Ya’achov and Rivkah had not gotten their paws into Yah’s business in the first place.

 

Nevertheless, Yah has this uncanny way of makinig lemon-aid out of lemons, as they say. And certainly, in this situation, despite the unforgiveable trickery that went down here, Yah’s Will and Plan ultimately came to fruition. But that plan and will coming to fruition would not be manifested in Ya’achov and his seed’s lives without much hardship and challenges.

 

27:35. And he said, “Your brother has come in deceit and has taken your blessing.”

 

 

27:36. And he said, “Was his name called Jacob that he should trip me now twice by the heels? My birthright he took, and look, now he’s taking my blessing.” And he said, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?

 

In utter disgust and anger, Esav links his brother’s devious actions in tricking his father to convey the blessing that he should have received, to Ya’achov. Ya’achov’s name hearkens back to the time of the twin’s birth, whereby Ya’achov emerged from Rivkah’s womb grasping on to his brother Esav’s heel (Gen. 25:26). Thus Ya’achov, the name, is etymologized as “Heel-grabber.” But heel grabber is insufficient in Esav’s mind to describe Ya’achov dubious ways. So, he adds another layer to his brother’s name. This time, Ya’achov carries an added meaning of “crooked,” which aptly describes that which he’d just done to him, Esav.

 

 

27:37. And Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Look, I made him overlord to you, and all his brothers I gave him as slaves, and with grain and wine I endowed him. For you, then, what can I do, my son?”

 

 

 

27:38. And Esau said to his father, “Do you have but one blessing, my father? Bless me, too, Father.” And Esau raised his voice and he wept.

 

 

 

27:39. And Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Look, from the fat of the earth be your dwelling and from the dew of the heavens above.

 

 

 

27:40. By your sword shall you live and your brother shall you serve. And when you rebel you shall break off his yoke from your neck.”

 

Almost similar in construct, Yitschaq’s blessing foreshadows Esav, like his uncle before him, making his way through the rest of his life, through violent means. And certainly, history bears this out for both sets of tribes.

 

 

27:41. And Esau seethed with resentment against Jacob over the blessing his father had blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “As soon as the time for mourning my father comes around, I will kill Jacob my brother.”

 

 

 

27:42. And Rebekah was told the words of Esau her elder son, and she sent and summoned Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Look, Esau your brother is consoling himself with the idea he will kill you.

 

Although our text states that Esav determined in his mind (and no doubt heart) that he would seek to take the life of his brother after the passing of his father, it appears evident here that he also articulated his intent in the hearing of Rivkah.

 

27:43. So now, my son, listen to my voice, and rise, go  to my brother Laban in Haran,

 

 

 

27:44. And you may stay with him a while until your brother’s wrath subsides,

 

 

 

27:45. Until your brother’s rage against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him, and I shall send and fetch you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both on one day?”

 

 

 

27:46. And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women! If Jacob takes a wife from Hittite women like these, from the native girls, what good to me is life?”

 

Apart from the existential threat Esav posed to his brother Ya’achov, what else is driving the specifics of Rivkah’s insistence that Ya’achov not marry a Canaanite woman, but rather, choose a wife from her kinsmen?

 

Esav, back in Beresheit 26:34-35 is recorded to have taken unto himself two Canaanite women as wives: Judith and Bashemath. The text details how this upset both Yitschaq and Rivkah. And one has to wonder, as we’ve discussed in previous readings, that the tenets of the Avrahamic Covenant excluded the patriarchs from perpetuating the covenant through Canaanite women as wives. And here, which just adds more murkiness to this story, Esav, who Yitschaq probably would have preferred to be the perpetuator of the covenant, goes out and probably knowingly marries, not just one Canaanite woman, but two.

 

Add this to his already foolish act of despising his birthright, as they say, and one can only imagine that (1) Esav is an impulsive, rebellious man’s man who is spiritually obtuse, and (2) Yitschaq and Rivkah recognize that Esav is not suited to perpetuate the covenant. Yet they don’t know how to get around the ANE practice of the eldest son receiving the double portion and the blessing, without some help from them, maybe.

 

Esav’s and Ya’achov’s birthright and blessing story is found in the Extra-biblical text of Jubilees/Yoveliym 26:1-27:11; 24:3-7. The writer emphasized that it was Ya’achov that became the elder and Esav the less.

 

Furthermore, the text makes clear that Rivkah vociferously declares her love for Ya’achov and forcefully instructs him NOT to marry a Canaanite woman, of which she described and labeled as “unclean and unrighteous, for their deeds were evil” (25:1). But rather, he was to marry only of the house of her father and her kin. And if he were to do that, she declared that he and his children would be blessed of El Elyon; they being a righteous generation and a holy seed (25:3). This sort of served as a premature blessing over her son, which was not generally done by one’s mother. But then, we’re talking about Jubilees here.

 

The last interesting thing about Jubilees’ treatment of our reading is that it states Yitschaq’s ability to accurately tell the difference between his two sons, despite Ya’achov being made-up by his mother to feel and smell the part of his older brother, was removed from him by Yah (26:17).

 

Now, I found this point to be an interesting one in that the biblical storyline that Yitschaq recognized  Ya’achov’s voice, yet deferred to his senses of smell and feel to give in to the ruse to steal the blessing, seemed to be missing something. And certainly, there’s something to this idea that Yitschaq’s reasoning ability was somehow impaired in addition to his vision/sight. There is at least one commentator that I came across in my study of this reading that also suggested that Yah was somehow orchestrating or behind this deception. This of course seems counterintuitive and uncharacteristic of our Father. (Insert passage addressing Yah’s participation in the ruse.)

 

28:1. And Isaac summonded Jacob and blessed him and commanded him and said to him, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.

 

Here, Yitschaq renders a parting blessing to his son along with covenant-linked instructions to not take a Canaanite woman as a wife. Now, this is not the coveted blessing that Ya’achov supposedly tricked his father into passing down to him. That blessing is found in Genesis/Beresheit 27:26-29, which reads (we did not cover this reading):

 

(26) And Isaac his father said to him (him being Jacob), “Come close, pray, and kiss me, my son.” And he came close and kissed him, (27) and he smelled his garments and he blessed him and he said, “See, the smell of my son is like the smell of the field that YHVH has blessed. (28) May Elohim grant you from the dew of the heavens and the fat of the earth, and abundance of grain and drink. (29) May peoples serve you, and nations bow before you. Be overlord to your brothers, may your mother’s sons bow before you. Those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you, blessed.”

 

Indeed, Yitschaq included elements of the Avrahamic covenant in his blessing, which ended up going to Ya’achov. And this is what makes this whole thing all the more mysterious. Surely Yitschaq would know that Ya’achov was the chosen one to perpetuate the covenant, not Esav. So, there must be some unidentified forces at work here to make this blessing do what it was supposed to do. 

 

28:2. Rise, go to Paddan-Aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take you from there a wife from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

 

 

 

28:3. And may El Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful and multiply, so you become an assembly of peoples.

 

 

 

28:4. And may He grant you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your seed as well, that you may take hold of the land of your sojournings, which God granted to Abraham.”

 

 

 

28:5. And Isaac sent Jacob off and he went to Paddan-Aram to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, brother of Rebekah, mother of Jacob and Esau.

 

 

 

28:6. And Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him off to Paddan-Aram to take him a wife from there when he blessed him and charged him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

 

 

 

28:7. And Jacob listened to his father and to his mother and he went to Paddan-Aram.

 

 

 

28:8. And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father.

 

 

 

28:9. And Esau went to Ishmael and he took Mahalath daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to his wives, as a wife.

 

 

First the Natural then the Spiritual–Practical Halachah-Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections

 

What does all this talk about birthrights and blessings have to do with us as modern day engrafted Yisra’elites? What are we to take away from this unusual story?

 

 

Our Torah reading serves as a strong lesson to us to today that we must learn to trust Yah at His word and let Him do His thing at His own time, in His own way. Furthermore, it provides us insight into the ancient pathways that our Heavenly Father sanctioned and codified in our Torah.

 

As Messianic Torah Observers, we yearn to follow the ancient ways that lead to life. Abba instructed through His anointed prophet Jeremiah:

 

“Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls…” (6:16; KJV).

 

From a halachic standpoint, our Torah reading today provides us an ancient portrait of how things regarding the handling of birthrights and patriarchal blessings were handled, absent human challenges to those conventions. And certainly, we saw here an example of how Yah’s Will and Plan supersedes the will and plans of men as well as it illustrated that Yah doesn’t need our help to make his will and plans come to fruition. It all comes down to what Yah wants and choses to do, and how He chooses to accomplish that which He sets out to do.

 

Later on, Yah codified how the handling of birthrights and blessings were to be handled by His chosen people. This is found in Deuteronomy or Devarim 21:15-17 and Num. 26:33; 27:1-11.

 

As modern-day, grafted-in Yisra’elites, we are compelled to follow the instructions regarding our firstborn, if our personal and family situations apply. Most of us men do not have two wives, so that portion of the instructions obviously would not directly apply. Also, many of us may not have anything to pass down to our sons and daughters near the time of our passing. In those cases, obviously, we do what we can to honor these mitzvot as we are led by Yah’s Ruach.

 

But those of us who will have something to pass on to our sons and daughters at the end of our lives, we should do our best to honor Yah’s mitzvot regarding the firstborn and our other children. Yah’s ways are always the proper, just, sanctioned ways.

 

Clearly, Yah is not bound by time and space. We on the other hand frame virtually everything that happens to us through the elements of time and space. So then, when Yah’s promises are extended to us and they don’t happen within the time-frame and manner that we believe or imagine they should or would occur, it behooves us to step-back, let go and let Yah. In other words, we must resist the temptation to take matters in our own hands and force the occurrence of Yah’s plans and promises to fit within our perceived time-frames and manner. It is foolish to tinker with Yah’s plans and promises; to think we are best served to help the Father achieve his plans and manifest His promises. To tinker with Yah’s plans and promises will inevitably lead to varying degrees of hardships and difficulties for us, our families, and fellowships, and associates even.

 

Speaking of the quality of his life after he and his mother tinkered with Yah’s Plan and promises, Ya’achov stated to Pharaoh:

 

“…My pilgrimage has lasted 130-years. My years have been few and hard, and they have not surpassed the years of my fathers during their pilgrimages” (Gen. 47:9; HCSB).

 

Simply look at from a historical perspective the immense national problems the nation of Yisra’el has in the past and continues to face today because the patriarchs decided to “help” the Almighty fulfill His promises and plans. The nation of Yisra’el has had to endure a great deal of conflict with the descendants of Ishma’el and Esav/Esau over the course of several centuries. And their stiff-neck, rebellious nature doesn’t help their situation in the least.

 

Here in this country, Evangelical Christians for instance, feel it is their God-given responsibility to facilitate the return of Christ and the establishment of God’s Kingdom here on earth. So what they’ve been doing of late is to funnel what should be Yah’s money to Jewish organizations over in Yisra’el to fund the building of a third Temple. These believe that if they can accelerate the building of the third Temple on the Temple Mount, then their Christ will be forced to return sooner than later.

 

Still other groups or sects of Evangelical Christianity have sought to establish a strong political presence in Washington by installing evangelically chosen leaders into office and pushing through the national legislature systems Christian-based legislation that will bring about a rapid return of Christ and the establishment of Yah’s Kingdom here in this country.

 

Look, Yah’s eternal Will and Plans will come to fruition in the end, for Yah’s character demands that they must. As it relates to Yah’s faithfulness, the Apostle Shaul wrote to the Roman Messianic Assembly:

 

“…let Yah be true, but every man a liar, that thou mightest be justified in thy saying, and mightest overcome when thou art judged” (3:4; KJV modified).

 

Yes, Yah has everything under control and He doesn’t need our help in the least. Our duty as Yah’s elect is to fear Him:

 

“…fear YHVH our Elohim; to walk in all His ways; and to love Him, and to serve YHVH our Elohim with all our heart and with all our soul” (Deu. 10:12; KJV modified; and Ecc. 12:13).

 

Even our Master gave us instructions as it relates to our duty as His disciples:

 

“…seek first the Kingdom of Elohim and His righteousness, and all the concerns of life will be added unto us” (Mat. 6:33; ESV modified).

 

And this understanding extends beyond our seeking to help Yah out. It extends over into the concerns and issues of this present life. Many of us faced tremendous pressures during the recent “plandemic,” whereby our national and local leaders pressured us to receive an “untested,” hasatan-inspired concoction

 

We don’t need to worry about when Yeshua is returning, but rather do that which He commanded us to do while it is still day (Joh. 9:4). We don’t need to do anything to help Yah bring about the advent of His kingdom here on earth. He’s got not only this, but us as well under control. If we can get past the natural urge to help things along in this life to somehow make those things happen the way we believe Yah would have them be, but instead, live by our faith (Hab. 2:4), Yah will do what He intended to do all along, and we will thrive and flourish within His perfect Will.

 

I recall in my own life, just five-years ago in the Spring of 2017, after retiring from my two careers, I believed Yah had in mind for us to relocate and begin a life of service to the Kingdom in an entirely different place from which we’d raised our family over the last three-decades. But I initially believed Yah wanted us to relocate the moment I retired, which turned out, much to four-years of frustration and confusion, that Yah did have in mind for us to relocate and serve Him in another location of the country. However, that relocation was to happen within the time frame He had in mind for us; to a place we had never considered before; and through means that we never thought we would pursue.

 

Thinking I had to make this Yah-ordained relocation happen, I did everything I knew to do to make our move happen immediately after my retirement. But every single attempt to find us a place, sell our home at a fair, but reasonable price, and have in hand the finances to make the relocation happen, was meant with failure after failure. It finally occurred to us three-years later (yes, it took that long for us to come to our senses) that it wasn’t in Yah’s timing up to that point for us to relocate. And if I had forced the move as I had come close to doing on a number of occasions, we would have probably made the worse life-decision we could ever have possibly made. We would likely have been financially, logistically, physically, and emotionally devastated for years to come.

 

So, after coming to our senses, we left things in Yah’s hands—well, sort of. I kind of thought that maybe I had misunderstood Yah’s plan for us to relocate and that we were destined to live out our retirement years in our SoCal home.

 

But out of nowhere in late 2020, everything suddenly started clicking into place in favor of a relocation to the home that only Yah could provide us. And I look back and I wonder what life would have looked like if I had forced the move. Praise Yah we finally learned to trust Him and leave everything in His very capable hands.

 

We now have a blessed life of service in a home that is in a location that we never would have dreamed of initially, but that works quite well for us. Praise Yah from Whom all blessings flow.

 

Well, that’s my personal testimony. It was actually a positive outcome to Yah’s Will and Plan whereby we did not take matters into our own hands to make that will and plan come to fruition, as so many brethren throughout the ages have foolishly done.

 

Indeed, true trusting faith in Yah requires patience, and unwavering hope, and a willingness to let go and let Yah. It demands humility on our part. An acknowledgment in mind, heart and deed that Yah’s Ways and Plan of action is the best way for us at every level.

 

As it relates to the concept of the firstborn inheriting the throne of his father in 2 Chronicles 21:3, we know that the firstborn—first begotten of Abba Father was none other than Yahoshua our older brother and Messiah, as described by Rav Shaul:

 

(28) Furthermore, we know that Yah causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Elohim and are called in accordance with His purpose; (29) because those whom He knew in advance, He also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of His Son, so that He (He being Yeshua) might be the firstborn among many brothers…(Rom. 8).

 

(3) Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (4) being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by INHERITANCE obtained a more excellent Name than they. (5) For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this day Have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and he shall be to Me a Son? (6) And again, when He bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of Yah worship Him…(Heb. 1).

 

Yah chose Yahoshua as His firstborn and He effectively conveyed unto Him all of the privileges that would here in the natural, be conveyed unto the son possessing the birthright. So then, as the firstborn of all human creation, Yahoshua has inherited all that belongs to His Father. Furthermore, He has been named the High Priest of the Body:

 

“And He is the head of the body, the ekklesia—the kehilah—the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18; KJV modified).

 

“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Yahoshua HaMashiyach…” (Heb. 3:1; KJV modified).

 

(14) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Yahoshua the Son of Yehovah, let us hold fast our profession. (15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (16) let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4).

 

We have come to understand the role of the firstborn, especially the one who possesses the birthright, as being very special in the heart and mind of a Hebrew Nazarene. Not so much from a biological, natural standpoint, at least not so much today as back in the day. But today, the concept of firstborn is special in what it represents from a spiritual perspective.

 

As alluded to earlier, the Body of Yah—more specifically true Yisra’el and her engrafted ones—are in the greatest sense, Yah’s firstborn. We are favored of Yah. We are in line to receive all of the blessings and spiritual wealth that our older brother Yahoshua Messiah has and will receive. We are partakers of the birthright and Yah’s blessing:

 

(22) On the contrary, you have come to Mount Tziyon, that is, the city of the living Elohim, heavenly Yerushalayim; to myriads of angels in festive assembly; (23) to a community of the firstborn whose names have been recorded in heaven; to a Judge who is Elohim of everyone; to spirits of righteous people who have been brought to the goal…(Heb. 12; CJB modified).

 

Did you get that beloved? Even though our older brother and soon coming King Yahoshua was officially deemed by Yah to be the firstborn from the dead, having preeminence in all things, we also are a type of firstborn having birthright privileges, especially in the coming Kingdom of Yah. Oh, we may not hail from family wealth in this life, but we are certainly in line to inherit a great many things:

 

• The earth (Mat. 5:5)
• Eternal life (Mat. 19:29)
• The Kingdom of Yah (Mat. 25:34)
• All things that Yah has to give (Rev. 21:7).

 

So, let us rejoice for that which Yah has promised us through the Person and Ministry of our Master Yahoshua Messiah.

 

Being described as firstborn unto Yah, there is implication that there are others who will follow us in the Kingdom Age. This is not the time or discussion to get into the specifics of this, but one has to consider that we who are Yah’s firstborn are not necessarily the end of the story.

 

In terms of patriarchal blessings beloved, Shaul affirmed that we are in possession of the Avrahamic Covenant Blessings that extend well beyond the material, and on to the eternal:

 

(13) The Messiah redeemed us from the curse pronounced in the Torah by becoming cursed on our behalf; for the Tanakh says, “Everyone who hangs from a stake comes under a curse.” (14) Yeshua the Messiah did this so that in union with Him the Gentiles might receive the BLESSING announced to Avraham, so that through trusting and being faithful, we might receive what was promised, namely, the Spirit (Gal. 3; CJB).

 

Our blessings come directly from Yah, who Shaul identified as the Father of our Master Yahoshua Messiah. According to the apostle, Abba has blessed us with “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Messiah:

 

(4)…according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; (5) having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Yeshua Messiah to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, (6) to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved (Eph. 1; KJV).

 

Those spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Messiah include:

 

• Grace and Mercy through Yahoshua, the beloved of Yah (Eph. 1:6).
• Forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7).
• Yah’s kindness, wisdom, and understanding of the mystery of His will (Eph. 1:8-9).
• Yah’s Ruach HaKodesh (Eph. 1:13).
• An unimaginable inheritance to be conveyed to us in the Kingdom (Eph. 1:14).

 

Yah loves us with a love that a human father would have for his firstborn. And because He treasures us so, the blessings we stand to receive are unimaginable. As the apostle described:

 

“…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which Yah hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor. 2:9; KJV modified). 

 

 

Beloved, let us not be dismayed at what appears to be the unfair blessings and acquired birthright inheritance that some unredeemed souls have received. Many have received their inheritance—their birthright blessings from their father hasatan. They’ve received their rewards here on earth. Their rewards—their inheritance is fleeting and will only last a little while.

 

But our Master admonished us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (I.e., those birthright, material and spiritual blessings), where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. And He cautioned that where our treasure is, there we will find our heart also—that is, if our treasures are that which we collect here on this earth, then our hearts and souls are focused on this earthly plain. But if we are heaven and kingdom minded, our birthright-blessings will completely put to shame the wealth and prosperity of world’s elite.