18.5 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Kingship

Series 18

Episode 5

Prologue

Message

Genesis 49 clearly states the blessings of the firstborn. Jacob was holding Esau’s heel with his hand before he was even born. His spirit was not strong at first, but God’s work in him was so precious, and God appeared to him. Jacob had an experience in Peniel where he physically laid hold of God. The book of Hebrews says when Jacob was dying, he “bowed in worship over the head of his staff” (Heb. 11:21). It’s incredible how much his heart understood and realized towards the end. Genesis 48 shows that Jacob understood more than Joseph did in some respects. It’s because God revealed the future to Jacob when Jacob blessed Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob blessed his own sons according to the will of God. He divided some of the blessings of the firstborn to his other sons.

Genesis 49:1-4 reads, “Then Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come. Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob, listen to Israel your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!'”

We see from this passage that if the father was not around or had passed away, the firstborn would be like the head of the household. He would have preeminence (in other words, the position that comes first). But like Esau, Reuben had lost his birthright.

When you read through Genesis, you’ll see the history of each of the brothers. From them, I hope we can learn how to live gloriously until we see the Lord. Since Reuben had lost his birthright, the blessing of the firstborn was divided among his brothers. The firstborn usually received a double portion of the inheritance, as well as the great blessing from his father. However, Esau despised his birthright and sold it for mere food.

It’s so pitiful. Actually, Esau had already arrived home, so he wouldn’t have starved to death even if he didn’t take the red stew from Jacob. He should have had abundant food that he could eat. That’s why the Bible says he “despised” his birthright. As a result, his loss was tremendous!

It’s also a pity that due to his lustful indulgence, Reuben lost his birthright as well! When Jacob blessed his sons, they should’ve been quite attentive. Some of them might have felt very hopeful, but maybe some of them became afraid when they saw what happened to Reuben.

According to the order of their birth, after Reuben was Simeon, then Levi, so the blessings of the firstborn should have fallen on them instead. But what did Jacob say?

Let’s read Genesis 49:5-7: “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.”

This really happened. You can look up the history of the tribes. Simeon and Levi were really divided in Jacob. Each tribe was supposed to have its own allotted land. The Levites did not inherit a designated land, but instead they lived in the cities of refuge. Simeon could be said to have been dispersed throughout the region of Judah. A portion of the birthright related to the priesthood was given to the Levites, though it was not mentioned here. God caused Jacob to see what was to come.

Then it was Judah’s turn. I don’t know what he was thinking, as he had also done something bad before. What Simeon and Levi did to Shechem was too cruel, though Shechem was at fault. I wonder what Judah was thinking, as he might have felt he had some flaws in his life. But you’ll notice Judah’s characteristics when you read about him. Would Judah become the firstborn? How would Jacob bless him?

Genesis 49:8-10 reads, “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

One of the phrases we just read was, “until tribute comes to him”. From the Hebrew version, this can be translated as “until Shiloh comes”. Shiloh refers to a person: the peace-giver.

Judah should have been very happy. I believe he had repented from his sins. You can see Judah had certain virtues especially in how he treated his brothers. You can read earlier passages in Genesis. They’re very important, and I believe you can also remember them. Judah was willing to remain in Egypt on behalf of Benjamin. He cared about his father, Jacob, and his brothers. Also, before Joseph was sold, some of the brothers wanted to kill him, but Judah tried to save him. That’s why a portion of the birthright related to kingship was given to Judah.

The firstborn receives many blessings, such as priesthood, kingship, and a double portion of the blessings. You can see that a portion of the blessings, especially those relating to kingship, was given to Judah. Genesis 49:8-10 clearly states that “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.” This refers to authority. Revelation 2:27 reads that “he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces.” (Revelation 2:27) Psalm 110:2 reads that “The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (Psalm 110:2) These verses are all related to kingship.

I believe you are all familiar with Revelation 5:5, which says, “And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’” In this passage, the Lion is a symbol of kingship. Lions are the kings of the animal kingdom. Revelation 19 says that the Lord is “King of kings and Lord of lords.” David, the king chosen by God, was a descendant of Judah. After Solomon, the kingdom was divided into two: the northern kingdom, Israel, and the southern kingdom, Judah. Many of the kings were from Judah. So, you can see that the blessing of the firstborn related to kingship went to Judah. 

Series 18

The Blessings to be the First Born

Message Date: 2020-05-03

It is the church’s most tremendous blessing that we have become the “assembly of the firstborn”. God calls Israel His son and firstborn son. He raised them up to be the blessing of all nations. In the New Millennium and eternity, Israel will be chief among all nations. As for us, by the Lord’s salvation, we have become the children of God; being joint heir with Christ, we are to inherit all. The Lord is the firstborn, and we are the assembly of the firstborn. The glory that the Father gave to the Lord is also given to us. From the blessings that Jacob gave to his sons, we can see that besides the double portion of blessings, the firstborn also received blessings of kingship and priesthood. It’s so precious that the blessings that we receive are beyond “a double portion”. We have become the priests of the new covenant; we will reign with the Lord, and inherit all with Him in eternity. Today, we should live out our life as priests: to draw near to God, to enjoy the Lord as our source of life, and to bring people to believe in God and experience Him. We are to offer sacrifices of praise, and to guard our mouth with knowledge. Therefore, we should pursue the Lord diligently.
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18.1 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 1)

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18.2 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 2)

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18.3 To be united with the Lord and become the Firstborn

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18.4 The Lord is the Firstborn

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18.5 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Kingship

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18.6 The Blessing of the Firstborn: a Double Portion of the Blessings

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18.7 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Priesthood

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18.8 Live Out the Priesthood

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Introduction

01 Introduction of Treasures for the Soul

Series 1: Being Heart to Heart with the Lord

1.1 The Most Blessed Generation
1.2 Message from John the Baptist
1.3 Abide in the Lord Always
1.4 Abide in the Lord’s Love at All Times
1.5 The Lord Speaks to Us and Helps Us in Our Hearts

Series 2: Being Heart to Heart with the Lord Throughout this Year

2.1 God’s Greatest Work Starts in Our Hearts
2.2 To Be Heart to Heart with the Lord Throughout the Year
2.3 Our Spirits can Feel God and Have Fellowship with Him
2.4 The Importance of Peace
2.5 Our Spirits Need the Words of God
2.6 Give the Lord Time and Space to Speak in Our Hearts

Series 3: Let Our Hearts be Influenced

3.1 The World Needs People Who Deeply Experience God
3.2 Just as His Anointing 
Has Taught You, 
Abide in the Lord
3.3 Be Influenced 
by the Lord Throughout 
this Year

Series 4: The Importance of Peace

4.1 Enjoying God’s Peace in Your heart
4.2 Let Not Your Hearts be Troubled, Neither Let Them be Afraid.
4.3 How Should Our Spirit Respond to the Lord?

Series 5: Our Spirit Being Able to Enjoy the Lord

5.1 Our Spirit is Satisfied Only When We Worship God and Deeply Experience Him
5.2 How to Worship God with Our Spirit
5.3 Looking at the Lord with our Inner Eyes
5.4 Our Spirit Needs to Enjoy the Lord Himself
5.5 The Song of Solomon Often Mentions About “Eyes”
5.6 Realize Being Heart to Heart with the Lord in Singing and Worship

Series 6: Live out the Life of being Heart to Heart with the Lord

6.1 Living a life of union with the Lord in a stable pattern every day
6.2 Enjoying the Lord and not being disturbed
6.3 The Importance of Seeing Him with Our Spiritual Eyes

Series 7

7.1 Learn to Protect Our Spirits From Virus Prevention
7.2 Our Spirit Can Hear, Think, and See
7.3 How to Live a Life of Faith
7.4 The Importance of the Mind
7.5 David’s Eyes Beheld the Lord Always

Series 8: During the last supper, the Lord spoke about the essence of the blessings of the new covenant.

8.1 The Lord established with us the eternal love covenant by His blood
8.2 The Lord Treasures the New Covenant and Break-Bread Meeting the Most
8.3 Love Encounters
8.4 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the fourth blessing
8.5 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the first blessing (1)
8.6 Before His Crucifixion, the Lord clearly explained the essence of the blessings of the new covenant: the first blessing (2)

Series 16: We Have Come to Mount Zion and the Heavenly Jerusalem

16.1 See that the Lord is at the right hand of the Father
16.2 Coming to Mount Zion (1): the meaning of Mount Sinai
16.3 Coming to Mount Zion (2): the difficulty in forgiveness of sins
16.4 Coming to Mount Zion (3): to Live in Grace
16.5 Having Come to the Heavenly Jerusalem
16.6 What is in the heavenly Jerusalem (1)?

Series 9: Being Heart to Heart with the Father

9.1 Being Heart to Heart with Abba (Part 1)
9.2 Being Heart to Heart with Abba (Part 2)

Series 10

10.1 The Love Desire in the Depths of Abba and the Lord’s hearts
10.2 Fruit of the Lord’s Crucifixion: Eternal Life
10.3 The Lord Came to Manifest the Father’s Name
10.4 The Father Sent His Only Begotten Son
10.5 Reminders on enjoying heart to heart with the Father
10.6 The Father’s Desire for Me is Forever Steadfast

Series 11

11.1 The preciousness of the Letter to Philemon
11.2 The most profitable; the most accepted.
11.3 Charge That to My Account
11.4 The Father made the Lord our eternal High Priest by an oath (1)
11.5 The Father made the Lord our eternal High Priest by an oath (2)
11.6 We are the Lord’s darling love

Series 12

12.1 The Lord’s Words at the Last Supper
12.2 Apart from the Lord, we can do nothing.
12.3 What is true faith?
12.4 Look upon the Lord in glory
11.5 Trust and Peace (1)
12.6 Trust and Peace (2)

Series 13: The Lord’s Gentleness and Humility

13.3 The Lord’s Gentleness and Humility (Part 2)

Series 14: Manifold evidence

14.1 How does the infinite Lord see us?
14.2 We are the ultimate and final love of the Lord
14.3 The Lord is forever a Man; He once died for us
14.4 The Lord’s manifold love evidence (Part 1)
14.5 The Lord’s manifold love evidence Part 2

Series 15: Understand How Our Spirit Works And Be Heart To Heart With The Lord Continuously

15.1 We Can Only Enjoy God By Faith
15.2 His Words Abide In Us
15.3 Live With The Lord
15.4 Seek The Things That Are Above
15.5 Understand How Our Spirit Works: Will, Mind And Feelings
15.6 Guard And Uplift Our Mind

Series 17: Know that the Church is the Firstborn

17.1 Know that the church is the firstborn
17.2 The Blessing of the Firstborn (Part 1)
17.3 The Blessing of the Firstborn (Part 2)
17.4 The Lord redeemed us to be the firstborn (Part 1)
17.5 The Lord redeemed us to be the firstborn (Part 2)

Series 18: The Blessings to be the First Born

18.1 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 1)
18.2 Israel is God’s Firstborn Son (Part 2)
18.3 To be united with the Lord and become the Firstborn
18.4 The Lord is the Firstborn
18.5 The Blessing of the Firstborn: Kingship
18.6 The Blessing of the Firstborn: a Double Portion of the Blessings

Series 19: Coming to Mount Zion to Appear Before God

19.1 The Lord is the way, and the truth, and the life
19.2 Live in Grace. Enjoy the Father and the Lord
19.3 Mind the things that are above (1)
19.4 Mind the things that are above (2)
19.5 Appear before God in Mount Zion

Series 20: The final destination of our spirit and eternity is the heavenly Jerusalem

20.1 The Lord Desires Most for Us to Draw Near to Him (1)
20.2 The Lord Desires Most for Us to Draw Near to Him (2)
20.3 The Lord Becomes the Way so that We can Come Before God with Confidence
20.4 The Heavenly Jerusalem, Destination of Our Spirits and Eternity (1)
20.5 The Heavenly Jerusalem, Destination of Our Spirits and Eternity (2)

Series 21: Live Out the Life of the Firstborn: Be A Priest

21.1 The Father made the Lord the High Priest
21.2 Priesthood: One of the Blessings of the Firstborn
21.4 The Precedents of Priests in the Bible (2)

Series 22: When Believers Die, They Will Go to the Heavenly Jerusalem

22.1 The Heavenly Jerusalem is paradise (1)
The Heavenly Jerusalem is paradise (2)
The Spirits of the Righteous Made Perfect

Series 23: New Jerusalem is a real city

God has prepared a heavenly home for us
Is the heavenly new Jerusalem a real city?
Satan causes man not to be clear and assured about the things in heaven
Are physical substances not spiritual?
New Jerusalem is a real city (1)
New Jerusalem is a real city (2)

Series 24: God prepares for us

Genesis 22: Father and Son went together
Genesis 22: For us, the Father gave His only Son
Genesis 22: The Lord will provide
24.4 God’s preparation for us

Series 25: The Father and Son Affection

25.1 The Lord Came to Make Known the Father
25.2 The Father and Son Affection (Part 1)
25.3 The Father and Son Affection (Part 2)

Series 26: We are a royal priesthood

26.1 God who alone does wondrous things
26.2 The Lord is the High Priest
26.3 We are a royal priesthood (1)
26.4 We are a royal priesthood (2)
26.5 The life of a priest

Series 27: Who are you in the infinite one’s loving heart?

27.1 Meditate on who you are in the infinite Lord’s loving heart
27.2 Meditate on who you are in the infinite Lord’s loving heart (2)
27.3 Meditate on the infinite Lord’s words at the last supper

Series 28: The conclusion and climax of the book of Hebrews

28.1 Sing praises at Easter (1): The defeat of death
28.2 Sing praises at Easter (2): The risen Lord has swallowed up death
28.3 The important purpose of Hebrews and the help we get from it
28.4 Confirming the importance of drawing near to God

Series 29: How to behold

29.1 Behold the Father
29.2 See that God meets me in His steadfast love 
and exults over me with loud singing (1)
29.3 See that God meets me in His steadfast love and exults over me with loud singing (2)
29.4 See how the Lord loves us (1)
29.5 See how the Lord loves us (2)