Chapter 4
Heir
Of The Promise
According to what we’ve learnt from the scripture, it is clear that Isaac inherited both spiritual and material blessing from Papa Ab. God himself told Abraham that “In Isaac shall thy seed be called”.
Genesis 21 v 12
And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
In another place, he said “Isaac shall be thy heir”.
Genesis 15 v 4
And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
Papa Abraham had other children apart from Ismael and Isaac but Isaac is his heir (Genesis 21 v 10).
While he was still alive, he gave possessions and gifts to his other children but to Isaac, he gave all he had including the covenant of blessing.
Isaac transferred the blessing to Jacob from here we begin to understand that the blessing is not by birth right. Being born of Abraham is not the criterion to possessing and enjoying the blessing but to whom it is transferred to. If this is not true then Ismael would have the same blessing just as other children Papa Ab gave birth to. But they did not have it; God strictly indicated that Isaac is the one that carried the blessing. God made it so, so that ‘the purpose of election and selection’ may stand. We see it also in the life of Jacob and Esau. Jacob got the blessing; it was not shared among them even though Isaac loved Esau more and actually wanted to deliver the blessing to him, but the blessing went to the second side. To show that this is by election and selection, Jacob divided the blessing among his children as he will. To him that made him angry he cursed and gave less, to also show that the older shall be subject to the younger, Jacob made Ephraim the head of all the children of Jacob, God confirming this said “Ephraim is my first born” -Jeremiah 31 v 9
They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
I thought Ruben is Jacob’s first born? We all know that whatever we know or call something does not matter but what God says about it is what count, and is the final; that the scripture might be fulfilled which says “Let God be true and every man a liar”.
Romans 3 v 4
God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
So you can say by nature and birth right Esau is first born, but by God’s election Jacob is first born. You can say Ruben is Jacob’s first son but the son of Joseph being the grand child of Jacob is Jacob’s first born. This is what we term ‘blessing on the second side’. Let’s us have a detail study on this second side.