BIRTHRIGHT . . .
“So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.” Genesis 25:33
Today we seldom mention the word birthright, nor do we follow its practice, unless one happens to be a son of a king. The idea of having birthrights dates back to ancient civilizations where the oldest son received the greater inheritance, often twice the amount that the other sons received.
We remember the story of Jacob and Esau. One day Esau, the “slightly” older brother who owned the birthright, was famished, and Jacob made a deal with him. He would share his dinner if Esau would hand over the birthright to him. Esau did so as we read in Genesis 25:34, “So Esau despised his birthright.” Esau’s actions caused much strife between the brothers in later years.
We again see the importance of a birthright when Jacob was about to die. Reuben, the oldest son, was in line for the birthright; however, because of his sinful past, his birthright was passed on to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. First Chronicles 5:1 says, “[Reuben’s] rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright.”
We too have been given a birthright. At our baptism God adopted us as his rightful children, and as such, we have all the rights to God’s inheritance. His kingdom will be handed down to us. Romans 8:17 (ESV) says, “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” What a tremendous blessing it is to know that we will be given the rights of firstborn children of God. All of heaven’s blessings will be ours! What a loving God we have!
From: Precious Words of the Bible by Reynold R. Kremer