The Firstborn Blessing

            Abraham knows enough to make sure Isaac marries from his own people to maintain the godly lineage. By faith, Rebekah agrees to follow Abraham’s servant back to Canaan to marry Isaac. Not long after, she gives birth to twin boys. Esau is born first, followed by Jacob, who is holding onto Esau’s heel. Jacob is Rebekah’s favorite while Esau is Isaac’s favorite. As you can imagine, that doesn’t bode well for family life.
            Isaac is coming to the end of his life and realizes it is time to pass along the first-born blessing to his son. This is to be done in order to establish Esau as the future heir of the household. By then, Isaac is quite old and his eyesight is failing. Rebekah overhears Isaac giving instructions to Esau to prepare the meal. When Esau goes out hunting, Rebekah talks Jacob into tricking his father into giving him the blessing instead. Isaac thought he was speaking the blessing over Esau, when it was actually Jacob instead.
            Once Esau and Isaac discovered that they had been deceived, Isaac could not undue the blessing, for it had already been spoken before the Lord. Despite endeavoring to live a godly lifestyle, the fallen nature rises up and deception takes hold. Esau is furious with his brother. It gets so bad that Jacob has to leave the family estate.
            The Chronos Lesson: The blessing that Isaac bestows (Gen. 27:27-29) helps us understand the rights that belonged to the firstborn of every family, and more importantly, the mystery of Christ as it relates to the Firstborn of God’s House.
            “And he [Isaac] came near and kissed him [Jacob posing as Esau]; 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. Therefore may God give you of the dew of Heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. 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!’ ”
             The blessing of the firstborn reveals the distinction that exists in a household, and by extension, in God’s kingdom. There can only be one master. Even though the other members of the household are also legitimate children, they are recognized as being servants, in that they must respect the established authority of the master of the house. Yet as servants in the household, they still share in the abundance and blessings that come upon the entire household.
            Nevertheless, they are distinguished from the rightful heir who is the head of the household. In a loving and godly family, the heir always seeks to protect and promote the well-being of each member of the family. As we will see, these same distinctions will be carefully maintained in God’s mountain or kingdom. The kingdom will consist of all of His children or extended family, and they will be lovingly ruled over and served by the Heir.
            The truth that this Heir is a Head and a Body, composed of many members, forms the essence of the mystery of Christ. In the mystery, those who have believed on Christ in between His first and second coming are called the Church of the Firstborn (Heb. 12:23). We are one with Him, such that there is no distinction between the Church and the Heir, other than the fact that He is preeminent (1 John 4:17 and Col. 1:18).
            We are also referred to by many other titles, including the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the Lamb’s Wife, firstfruits unto God and the Lamb, a spiritual house, a living temple, the holy brethren, the elect, and those who overcome—to name a few!
            While believers may be familiar with some of these titles, they are less familiar with the chronos aspect of this mystery. These times and seasons are marked by a defined beginning and end. They do not run on indefinitely, anymore than the summer season lasts the entire year. Instead, the year contains other seasons.
            The people of the Old Covenant will always be distinguished from those of the New Covenant. New Covenant believers born again between His first and second coming, will be forever identified with the Heir, for we are part of His Body. As His Bride, the two become one flesh in the mystery of marriage. It is our chronos appointment to be united with Him with the resurrection—the firstfruits. It is a unique, limited-time offer during these last Days, as we partake of His calling as the Heir of God’s Mountain.
            By the way, any people who are born again after witnessing the rapture or who are born again during Christ’s millennial reign shall be part of the household and family of God as well. But they will not be part of the Church of the Firstborn because that designation comes by faith alone. They did not accept Christ until they saw Him.