The Ordinance of Firstborn (4): The Firstborns that Thrived!

The Ordinance of Firstborn (4): The Firstborns that Thrived!

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. – Genesis 26:12-14

In continuation of our meditation about the ordinance of firstborn, as we explore what the Bible says about firstborns in relation to the misfortune that usually befalls them, it is important to stress that it is not all doom and gloom for all firstborns in the Bible either, not to mention post-Bible era. There were examples of firstborns who did well and made a name for themselves in the Bible. There are also numerous examples of firstborns in post-biblical ages who fared well, are doing great, and will thrive in as the years roll by.

For the biblical era, here are some of them:

Nimrod, the grandson of Noah and possibly the firstborn of Cush, was the first person to be regarded as a great man. He had an out-of-this-world personality that even the Bible credited him with being great in the eyes of God. Nimrod was a great man, a mighty hunter and a serial builder of many cities, one of which was the historical city of Babel (Genesis 10:1-12).

Ishmael, the firstborn of Abraham, although did not attain the stature of his half-brother, was nonetheless a force to reckon with. Ishmael was immensely blessed by God and was an influential figure in world history as well (Genesis 17:20).

Isaac, although not the firstborn of Abraham, was the firstborn of Sarah, the official wife of Abraham. He was also the child of promise, which conferred on him the prestige of the firstborn. Isaac was enormously blessed and was arguably more prosperous than his father, Abraham, who was not a man of small means (Genesis 26:12-14).

Samson, the great warrior, was the firstborn of his parents. Although he did not live long enough to his 60s, Samson was a judge over Israel for 20 years and led an accomplished life, his hubris notwithstanding. He fulfilled the purpose of God for his life and was a thorn in the flesh of the Philistines and other enemies of Israel until his last breath (Judges 13-16).

Samuel, although also not the firstborn of his family, was the firstborn of his mother, Hannah. He was an unusually great man because he occupied a special role in the clergy that was traditionally reserved for the Levites. And God so honored Samuel that he was highly revered throughout Israel (1 Samuel 3:19-20).

There were a number of other illustrious firstborns mentioned in the Bible. However, we shall conclude the series about thriving firstborns tomorrow by looking at Jesus Christ.

To be continued…

You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!

Also read:

• The Ordinance of Firstborn (3): Some Cases of the Firstborn Curse (Cont’d)
• Men in the Bible: The First Polygamist and Second Murderer
• Always Look Inward
• Jesus Made Quitting Smoking Easy

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