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Advent Productions

Benjamin Ng

Reuben and the Birthright

Father in heaven, thank you for this time that we have to come and study and read about your word once more.

I pray that you please speak to us with your Holy Spirit.

I pray that you please draw close to us and may you inspire us that as we read these words it would prick our heart and help us to see another aspect of your great love and how you work in the hearts of men and women today.

So lead us we pray in Jesus name we pray and ask.

Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob, whose name would later be changed to Israel.

He being the oldest son, the firstborn, had the right to the father's inheritance.

He was the 1 that was supposed to lead the family in its spiritual inheritance and also its physical blessings as well, simply because he was the firstborn.

He received all the advantages that a firstborn son usually gets from being in that position.

It wasn't any secret that Jacob loved this son the most out of his 12 sons.

After all, he was the son of his favorite wife, Rachel.

He despised Leah because he was tricked into marrying her.

And so she was barren for many years, Rachel was, and Leah had many sons before Joseph came along but it was not any secret that he gave all the affection that a father could give to this son, Joseph.

He was the 1 that received the coat of many colors.

He was 1 that received the most prominent position probably at the seat of the father's table.

He was the 1 that was most loved above all the children that Jacob had.

And yet, Reuben was from Leah, the wife that he was tricked into marrying.

And look what the Bible says in 1 Chronicles 5.

If you're watching along, please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Chronicles 5 and verse 1.

This is what the Bible says first about Reuben and then about Joseph.

1 Chronicles 5 and verse 1, the Bible says, Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, he was indeed the firstborn.

But because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright.

So look, even though Reuben was the firstborn and by right the firstborn received the birthright, the physical and spiritual inheritance of the father.

But yet the Bible says here that because Reuben defiled his father's bed, the birthright went from him to who?

So it was ultimately Joseph who inherited the birthright because of the evil actions of his oldest brother.

So this blessing that is usually bestowed on the oldest fell to Joseph, who was then the firstborn of Rachel.

However, the narrative does not stop there.

I hope you're following with me in your Bible.

For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler, but the birthright was Joseph's.

Yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, from him came the ruler, even though The birthright belonged to Joseph.

Even though Joseph inherited the birthright, he was meant to inherit the spiritual blessings But yet it would be through Judah that Jesus Christ, the Savior, would come, the 1 who would be a blessing to the whole earth.

Even though Reuben was the firstborn of all the sons of Jacob, and Joseph was the firstborn of Jacob's favorite wife and hence becoming his favorite son and receiving the birthright, yet the Bible says it would be Judah that prevailed over all his brothers.

It would be through Judah and his descendants that Jesus would come.

It would be through Judah that God's covenants to Abraham would be fulfilled.

It would be through Judah that all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

We look at spiritual blessings in the wrong way.

It didn't seem like he was outstanding in anything.

There were still 3 brothers ahead of him.

So Reuben, Simeon, Levi and then came Judah.

So he was the fourth of all the brothers.

There didn't seem to be anything outstanding about him.

What was it that entitled him to receive the spiritual blessing, seemingly birthright above his 3 brothers?

And you know, even from there already, we can notice and we can learn that things aren't always what they seem.

Even when it came to Jacob's wives, look at this, Rachel wasn't even buried.

Jacob's favorite wife, Rachel, she was not even buried in the cave that housed Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Rebecca.

You go to Genesis 49 and 31, the Bible says, there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

Rachel was not buried in the cave that Abraham and Isaac were buried in.

And their wives, even Rachel was not, Leah was.

But I want you to notice this and remember this.

Why did Reuben, Simeon, and Levi not inherit the spiritual blessing and the birthright?

If you go to Genesis 35 and verse 22, look at this.

The Bible says, and it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine, and Israel heard it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve." So he went and slept with his father's concubine, Bilhah.

He did something that no son should have ever done, and as a result, for Reuben, the birthright was taken away from him.

Why did not the birthright fall upon Simeon and Levi?

We don't separate these 2 because, do you remember that the 12 brothers, they had a sister.

Her name was Dina, Dina, whatever you wanna call her.

And in Genesis 34, we read about Dina, and we also read about Simeon and Levi.

A man, his name was Shechem, and he liked Dina and eventually he slept with her.

The Bible is not clear whether he forced her or not, but he ended up sleeping with her and he was madly in love with her.

So he goes to his father and says, Please, I love this woman, get her to be my wife.

And the father went and talked to the father of Dina, which is Jacob, and they both said yes.

And then after that, the conversation really didn't involve the fathers anymore.

This is where Simeon and Levi stepped in.

They were actually quite angry at what Shechem had done, that they had defiled the sister.

And hiding their hatred, they didn't show it openly, but they went up to Shekham and said, look, if you want to marry our sister, your whole city, where you live, your whole town, your tribe, whatever you call it, they have to get circumcised.

And because Shechem was so in love with Dina, he quickly ran back, him and his father, and managed to convince the whole city to get circumcised.

And while they were all in pain, Simeon and Levi came in and killed the whole town.

And so they came in and did this huge slaughter that at the end in Genesis 49 verse 5, while Jacob is about to pass away, this is what he says about his sons, Simeon and Levi.

Genesis 49 and verse 5, the Bible says, Simeon and Levi are brethren.

Instruments of Cruelty are in their habitations.

And so they would be scattered amongst the other 12 tribes.

But of course, Levi, it turned around for good and a blessing, they became the priests of Israel eventually.

But Judah, why was Judah chosen above his other brothers?

Even above Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, the 1 that would deliver his brothers from starvation and allow the children of Israel to grow into a great nation.

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Reuben and the Birthright

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