The Ordinance of Firstborn (6): What God Requires of Firstborns

The Ordinance of Firstborn (6): Common Factors Among the Firstborns that Thrived 

And we made ordinances…to bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God. – Nehemiah 10:35-36

As we begin to wrap up our meditation on this series where we have been considering the ordinance of firstborn in relation to the notion of the firstborn curse, otherwise known as the firstborn jinx or hex, we will be focusing on certain factors common to the firstborns that thrived in the Bible whose examples we had read about before.As with other areas of our lives, God has specific requirements on how we should do things. Moreso, as far as procreation is concerned, He also has an expectation. You see, God demands that every firstborn should be offered to Him, particularly the male firstborns. Because the firstborn represents a model, the first result of efforts, the beginning of something new, an archetype, or a classic, that makes the firstborn a premium ‘product’ of sort, one that befits the status of God, because God deserves the best of everything. This firstling ordinance seemed to have been a requirement of God from the beginning of creation. However, it was officially communicated to and gazetted by Moses during the saga of liberating the people of Israel from the land of Egypt. That was when God told Moses specifically:

“Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.” – Exodus 13:2

God asked that every mammal that opened the womb, both humans and animals, shall be sacrificed to Him. That was what He required. Meanwhile, while firstborn animals had to be killed as a sacrifice, the human firstborns were to be redeemed. In other words, human firstborns are to be replaced with an animal that would be killed in lieu of them as sacrifice to God. That is the ordinance of God as far as the firstborns are concerned.Because this requirement of God dated back to the very early days before formal mode of worship or religion started, as we can see in the scenario of Cain and Abel, it means that it is still in force today and will be for as long as humanity shall exist. Although it remains a relatively unknown and less talked about ordinance today. To be continued tomorrow… You Will Succeed in Jesus Name!Also read:

• The Ordinance of Firstborn (5): A Different Kind of Firstborn
• Men in the Bible: Methuselah – A Man of Opposites
• How to Amuse Yourself
• Everything You Have Done

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