Your True Birthright

Recently, and quite unexpectedly, a dear member of our church passed away.  It started out to be a normal day. He was to celebrate his 73^rd birthday with his wife of 50 years that evening. After a workout at the local gym, he died. His death, though sudden to us, was no surprise to the Lord. The Lord had His kingdom calendar marked. He couldn’t wait for this day: it was the day He would call this child home. The Lord was ready to give this precious man his final inheritance.

God never wastes an opportunity to teach us something, if we will listen. I had just finished reading the account of the Moses’ final charge to the Israelites before crossing the Jordan into the long awaited Promised Land. The descendents of those enslaved by the Egyptians were ready to claim their land after living in the desert for 40 years; all those except the descendents of Reuben, that is.

The Reubenites approached Moses, and asked if their tribe could claim the land on the east side of the Jordan. They explained to Moses that the tribe people could build a fortified city there. The land was fertile and right for harvesting. The tribe leaders agreed to fight the battles with the others, to ensure the conquering of Canaan – but when the battles were over, he wanted to return to the land east of the Jordan.

This puzzled me. Why would the Reubenites, after surviving all these years, turn down the promise the LORD was ready to fulfill?  I could not understand it. Then I traced Reuben’s history and discovered the reason. Many years before this time, Reuben himself, who was the first born son to Jacob, defiled his father’s marriage bed by sleeping with his father’s concubine. This sin was not revealed until Jacob was on his death bed. At this time, Jacob took away the “double-portion” birthright that was due to Reuben as the firstborn. The sin was revealed and the blessing was removed. Now, it all made sense to me.

Reuben’s descendents knew that because of Reuben’s sin they would not receive the finest property when they crossed over the Jordan even though Reuben had been the first born. They would have to watch someone else get this blessing. Therefore, they made their own arrangement, their own plan to get what they believed would be the best. Little did they know, years later the land chosen as the best would be the first taken into captivity by the Assyrians.

What we think is hidden from God is not. We gladly exchange the potential pain and consequence that comes from confessing our sin for the “greener pastures” the enemy offers. We don’t realize when we do make this exchange; we also forfeit immediate forgiveness and redemption into a right relationship with Jesus. We needlessly spend life separated from God. We aren’t fooling God, we are only fooling ourselves.  He knows all things that are hidden in the darkness.

Don’t wait until you are on your death bed to find out you’ve missed your birthright. Your birthright is described clearly in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” As a child of the Most High King, you stand to inherit an abundant and full life now, today. Allow God to bring into the light that which is dark and restore your brokenness.