Blessing the Second Born in Genesis
From Blessing the Second Born in Genesis to Blessing the Second Born in You.
At Second Born in Genesis we will be introduced to a pattern that is often repeated, when the blessing is given to the second born or younger instead of the first born in Genesis. So if you are among those who believe that: “In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. . .” or if you are just curious about our history as revealed in the Book of Beginnings, you should find this quick read very interesting. Our journey today is to discover what the Spiritual significance is of Blessing the Second Born in Genesis, and why this pattern is repeated so often.
Here are five well known examples of the blessing going to the second or younger son:
1. When God blessed Abel’s offering and not Cains;
2. Isaac over Ishmael, with the resulting struggles;
3. Jacob over Esau, the first mention of twin brothers;
4. Joseph’s experience with his older brothers;
5. When Jacob Blessed Ephraim over Manasseh.
MANY HAVE ASKED: “Does my birth date (before or after my siblings) have any relationship to the ‘pattern’ of the Blessing?” . . . The answer is: No ! . . . Instead, the pattern introduced here is an invitation to discover why the Blessing of the Second Born in Genesis is so important in illustrating the “Pattern” of the Blessing of eternal life to every person who believes. 1Cor.2:9-10
" Let There Be Light: "
" And There Was Light. "
Psalm 119:105
By understanding our history as revealed in the Bible, we can discover our path into the future. Proverbs (4:28) instructs us to “Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
In the Book of Genesis, a pattern often appears when the blessing is given to the second born or younger sons and not to the first or older: as we read in the accounts of: Abel/Seth, Isaac, Jacob, Pharez, David, Solomon, Judah, Joseph and Ephraim to list just a few. The repetition of this “Second or Younger over the First” pattern is often overlooked, even though it is illustrated by many examples throughout the Bible. Studying these accounts reveal some very interesting insights into our “human nature”, and the conflicts resulting from the command: “the older shall serve the younger”. We read in Genesis Chapter 25 : 21 ‘And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the Lord said to her, . . . “the older shall serve the younger.”
As mentioned in the fifth example above, the most dramatic account of the pattern being challenged is seen when Joseph, after carefully positioning his two sons in front of his father, experienced the unexpected: As we read in Genesis (48:14, 17-20) “And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). . . . . When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. . . . . . saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
Could the clear “instruction” in the words “God make you as”, also be an invitation for us today? . . . . . And what exactly does it mean when Jacob said “make you as” ? . . . . . How is it possible to be two different individuals? . . . . . Or, is this perhaps the first introduction that these “two natures” (the first old / the second new) are to be found in the life experience of every person ? . . . . . Another condition for us to recognize, is this: just as Cain resented Able; Ishmael resented Isaac; Esau resented Jacob and Joseph’s brothers resented and hated him; it is interesting to realize how often our “old” first born flesh nature, hates and resents the Divine indwelling of our “new” second born Spirit nature! . . . . . . . (As stated above, your “date of birth” before or after your brothers or sisters is not a factor in the “older/younger pattern” presented here. Rather, it is for us to consider the idea that we all have an “old” firstborn flesh nature that must submit to our “new” second born Spirit nature. And then to ultimately realize that “the pattern” is a condition of Divine Grace resulting from the personal decision that is to be made in the heart and soul of each individual.)
As we begin to recognize the pattern of the second born in Genesis, we begin to see the expression of God’s Love and desire for His children to seek and accept the blessing of the “new” second birth. Eph4:22-24 And then, most importantly, to recognize that we are being offered the only Way to put off the “Old” and put on the “New”, by accepting the free gift of salvation which is a “once in a life time” decision that will determine each persons path into Eternal Life. John 3:16-17
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This “pattern” repeated so often, makes it an important detail for everyone to understand.
2Tim.3:16-17
“In The Beginning God Created the Heavens and the Earth”
By touching on the Scripture Verses highlighted in blue, you will discover the great depth of God’s Word.
Genesis 1:1-2, 3-5, 6-31
“He Spoke, And It Came To Be;”
Psalm 33:8-9
From space, astronauts see our earth as a peaceful blue green ball with ever changing white cloud patterns. To look at it, you would never think that, since time in the beginning, it has been the home of more than 8 million different forms of life. Everything from micro organisms; small blue green algae; up to creatures of all shapes and sizes, from the large elephants on land and hump back whales swimming in the oceans. Oh! Let’s not forget to mention the very special life form – Man. . . . Of all living things on earth, man is the only one who worries much about the history of where he has been, and perhaps so much more about the future and where he is going! . . . . . . . .
So here we are on earth, confronted with the daily issues of global climate change; food shortages; world drought; earthquakes; ozone depletion; drug abuse; pandemics and a multitude of health issues. And if that is not enough to worry about, we have the ever present threat of man’s propensity for conflict in the news! . . . . . . . So, to free our mind from all those troubling thoughts, we might just sit out in the front yard and look up into the beautiful starry night sky and say, “peace at last!” . . . . Hello! . . . . . What’s this?
Could one of those small twinkles of light in the Northern sky be an Asteroid the size of Iceland, hurling through deep space since time in the beginning to impact us into the next ice age?
Oh! . . . Where can we find Peace?
- In all seriousness, an asteroid impact should be way down on our list of concerns, considering some of the headlines in our daily news. However, early in September, 1999 a fire raged in the mountains of San Bernardino County, California, filling the sky for miles around with smoke and ash. For thousands of people at a distance from the blaze, apart from the irritating smoke, the distant flames seen dancing on the horizon of the Mountainside had a strange captivating effect. For those of us living at the foot of the mountain the effect was entirely different! Weeks earlier, I knew that the tumbleweeds and underbrush that were collecting along the fences leading up to our home needed to be cleared away, but no! it was easier to just put it off, . . . . . . ” later” I said.
- As my wife and I drove from the west end of the Victor Valley to our home to gather a few of our personal belongings, although all along anticipating that we might receive an evacuation order, we really didn’t believe our home was in any real danger. Arriving home the smoke was much heavier than it had been the previous 4 days of the mountains burning. With out any hesitation we went to work as fast as we could to reduce the pile up of tumble weeds from our fences, water down the trees, collect the dog, two cats, and our lop eared bunny and, I might add, far fewer personal belongings than we had hoped. We were then forced to leave our home, not by firefighters pulling hoses from their truck, bravely standing by to protect our home, but rather like in a bad dream, by an unstoppable 6-foot wall of flame.
- The scene looked like a company of men running down the ridge less than 100 yards away coming straight for our home. By the time we fumbled for the keys, started our engines and headed down the driveway, the flames had jumped the drive behind us and was circling our house. We paused at the bottom of our driveway . . . . . still no fire trucks, I wanted to go back up to fight the fire but the flames would not let me. The Police came and forced us further and further away, till finally we sat a mile away seeing only fire and smoke where home and our neighbor’s homes stood at risk: . . . . . . . . . (Hours later after the smoke cleared, our prayers were answered. Our home was safe, minus the Cedar fence, our camper shell and some trees.)
- The moral to this personal experience is: “Don’t put off until later . . . what is best done TODAY!” Deut. 30:14
- Especially when the most important decision we can make, will determine our Eternity. Deuteronomy 30:19
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The Pattern of Blessing the Second Born in Genesis
For years, men have studied patterns:
Astronomers~ study stars and planets in the heavens;
Geologists~ digging to understand the Earth’s history;
Meteorologists~ study clouds to predict the weather.
These three examples, selected from a larger list, illustrate how patterns are commonly studied to make important decisions. So much more than the observation of stars, clouds, and rock formations, the focus here is not about the patterns that can be discover with our physical senses. Instead, the important thing to consider is the opportunity to experience the “pattern” as it relates to our personal “Spiritual” birth. A free will choice that can be experienced in the heart and soul of those individuals who choose to believe.
From Blessing The Second Born In Genesis: To Blessing The Second Born In You
Homeward . . .
. . . Bound !
Homeward . . .
. . . Bound !