First Born Sons, Crown Princes, and God's Favor

In a culture where the first born son was the crown prince of every family, it is amazing that God recognizes this relationship in the detailed code of conduct and religious observance He lays out for His people, while at the same time continually flouting that expectation in His choice of leaders throughout the history of His people as chronicled in scripture.

Jacob was not technically the first born, but he was chosen. Joseph was the firstborn of his mother, but not of his father. He is chosen for glorious leadership and the salvation of his tribe, but he is not chosen as the ancestor of Christ. Neither is Reuben, the actual first born of his father.

It is Judah, the fourth born, as I've discussed in some detail in the posts on Genesis, who becomes the ancestor of Christ. Judah offered his life in exchange for his brother. Reuben doesn't even get to be the fount of the priesthood. Nor does Simon. It is the third son who gets to be the priestly patriarch. Even Moses was not the first born son--Aaron was! And Aaron ended up serving under Moses' command. He did get to be one of the priestly patriarchs however, descended from 3rd born Levi. And if we skip ahead to David, the Golden boy of the Old Testament, the Golden King of Israel's Golden Age, he was the youngest son of a whole passel of quivers in Jesse's cache.

So it's fascinating to read Exodus and see the Passover experience where the first born son of every home is taken; all the crown princes are lost, all those at least whose families did not put their faith in God by putting the blood of the lamb on their doorposts to appeal to God's mercy. This is a poignant recognition in this pivotal act in the Exodus where God acknowledges the significance of the crown princes. He builds them into the justice system and the religious system for His people, into His judgments, which are meant to bring salvation.

But God doesn't limit Himself to those favored by man. It seems like He might be saying, guess what? You don't get to just be born into favor with God. You don't get to approach God with the silver spoon of being the first born son as if that entitled you to His favor. God is not impressed by claims of entitlement. Check out the self righteous older brother of the Prodigal Son in Luke. And unlike some Ivy League schools, nobody gets into Heaven as a 'legacy student.'

Two things are true. One is that God gets to put His favor wherever He wishes-there is no entitlement for any of us in that regard. The other is that faith is what makes you a 'man after God's own heart.' Abraham believed God and was called the friend of God. Jacob never stopped believing that God was going to bless him and his faith in God's goodness pleased God. And David, David was the apple of His eye. Not because of his birth order and not because of his personal righteousness. He humbles himself and puts his faith in God's goodness. And God pours out His favor upon him. This pattern of birth order is one I want to study in more detail throughout scripture, but for now, I just wanted to draw your attention to this little pattern that might be easily missed without reading the Bible in its entirety again and again. Beautiful patterns jump out and reward you. (: I love to pray with Psalmist from 119:18, "Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Thy law!"