sufficient Grace (Firstborn privilege)

Last week we began meditating on God’s sufficient grace and our foundation scripture  was 2 Corinthians 12:9 which says “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

This scripture will continue to be our foundation scripture as we gain more insight into God’s sufficient grace.

This week I’d like us to meditate on God’s sufficient grace from the perspective of Jacob in relation to birthright or the privilege of the firstborn.

According to Genesis 25 from verse 21 to 25 we know that Jacob & Esau were twins but Esau was the older one so naturally he had the privilege of being the firstborn.

We will begin our scripture reading from Genesis 25:29-34 with a focus on verses 31,32 & 34

Genesis 25:29-34

29 Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary.

30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?

33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob.

34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

In verses 31, 32 & 34 we see Jacob valuing & prizing the birthright and doing everything to get it, yet his brother Esau despised the birthright and didn’t place any value on it at all in that when life became slightly uncomfortable for him in that he felt hungry and was about to die, he sacrificed his birthright for his convenience. In Chapter 27 we can then see the effects of both their decisions

I urge you to study the entire Genesis 27. Right now we will focus on Genesis 27:25-37

Genesis 27:25-37

25 He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.”

27 And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which the Lord has blessed.

28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine.

29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you!”

Esau’s Lost Hope

30 Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”

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

33 Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.”

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”

36 And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

37 Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”

What we learn from this brief observation of Jacob is that the birthright or the position of the firstborn brings about tremendous benefits and it gives a perspective of what God meant in Genesis 1:26. When Isaac blessed Jacob with the blessing of the firstborn, he affirmed the position that God put us in when He declared that “let them have dominion” (study Genesis 1:26) part of the blessing of the firstborn include being sustained as we see in verse 37 when Isaac says “with grain and wine I have sustained him”. Just like Jacob, we must desire this birthright and we know that Christ is the firstborn of God as seen in Colossians 1:15 which says 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. This passage of scripture also affirms the position of the firstborn and it becomes clearer in verse 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. The blessing that Isaac declared on Jacob’s life affirmed his position as a firstborn son and it is irrevocable.

In Christ we have also received this privilege of being firstborn because when we received Him, we died to self, and Christ began living in us. In Christ our position as Firstborn is affirmed.

Galatians 4:4-7

4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

 

As you can see, according to the scripture we just read, It confirms the position Jacob was in when He received the blessing of the firstborn in that he is not a slave but a son and with this comes grace that sustains our lives because grain and wine are pictures of the Lord’s Table and Luke 22:30 highlights the benefits found at the Lord’s Table “that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” We know that Romans 14:17 teaches us that “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” So Luke 22:30 speaks of eating and drinking in the context of 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 We eat and drink of Him

John 6:53-58

53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

So when Isaac said in Genesis 27:37 with grain and wine I have sustained him, the prophetic perspective we must adopt is that in Christ we have sustenance and we know that Christ is the fullness of Grace so when We have Christ we receive grace which is sufficient and it sustains us, only if we desire and accept our position as firstborn sons.