SCRIPTURE READING: Genesis 25:33But Jacob said, ‘First you must swear that your birthright is mine.’ So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. (NLT)
WHAT IS A BIRTHRIGHT?
Every person is born with a birthright. There are things that each individual is entitled to simply because they were born. The word ‘BIRTHRIGHT’ is made up of two words: ‘Birth’ and ‘right’. In its simplest form it means the rights you are entitled to because you were born. In the story in Genesis, Esau was the first born and as the first born he was entitled to the inheritance from his father Isaac. So, a birthright is a right you have because you were born into a position, a family, a place, or because it is a right of all people. As a child of your parents, you are entitled to a birthright. From the moment of birth, you have the right to their family name. You have the right to be named by your parents and to carry their name. When I was born my parents named me Andrew and I was entitled to carry my father’s family name Roebert (Pronounced: Ray-bert). Perhaps a surname with an easier spelling and pronunciation would have been better, but this was my birthright. This right had nothing to do with how I behaved. I hope I wasn’t a big burden to my parents as a baby, but my mother says I was an angel – I don’t think she remembers every detail. There is a huge difference between a birthright and behaviour rights. The basis for a birthright is simply a matter of birth, but a behaviour right is based on the perceived conduct and/or situation, and these two rights are not connected. One of the most devastating challenges anyone can face in life is disinheritance. Sometimes people get confused between a birthright and behaviour rights and choose to disinherit their family or a particular member/s of their family. The results are usually destructive and crushing and people seldom, if ever, get over such a scenario. The reason for this is that within each individual there is an innate knowledge of their birthright and when they lose this birthright they experience it as the ultimate form of rejection and because the person who made the decision is now deceased, there is nothing that can be done about the situation. This leaves people feeling robbed and it can take many years to overcome this type of injustice. As children of God, we are also entitled to a birthright, and we can also enjoy the benefits of our birthright. This birthright comes into being when we are born into the family of God. Just think about it, we can carry His Name and be called Christians, after the Name of Christ. As we read the story in Genesis we can see that it is possible to give up or sell our birthright. You are the only person who can give up your birthright. We should never consider such an option. We should step forward and stand in line to receive the birthright that God has for us. Don’t let the evil one convince you otherwise. Let us look at some aspects of the birthright we are entitled to as children of God.
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