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Podcast Episode

Power Grabs and Patriarchs

Early in the story of the Bible, God chooses the family of Abraham, his son Isaac, and Isaac’s son Jacob as his chosen representatives to bless other peoples. But these families are full of the same rivalry, envy, and division present in any other family. What is God doing with these less-than-ideal candidates? Join Tim and Jon as they trace the theme of the firstborn in the narratives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Episode 4
1hr 10m
Jan 23, 2023
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Show Notes
Episodes

QUOTE

Following the God revealed in this story more than likely is going to set a person up for many rounds of waiting for exaltation that doesn’t seem to materialize. It’s a part of what it means to have one’s heart and will shaped by this God.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The dynamic between Abram and Lot fits into the firstborn motif with one key difference—Abram lets Lot choose whatever land he wants to settle on (Gen. 13). Instead of being greedy and attempting to dominate the land and their family, Abram is open-handed because of his trust in God.
  • The irony of Jacob’s life story is he spends his entire life manipulating and swindling his way into the blessing God already intended to give him.
  • God wants to bless all of humanity, and when a human chooses to trust God’s methods and timing over cultural norms, God will bless that person.

Power Grabs and Divine Purpose

In part one (00:00-11:35), Tim and Jon review the theme of the firstborn. In the world the biblical authors were familiar with (and in many cultures today), firstborn sons received inheritance and blessing from their fathers. But throughout the story of the Bible, God takes this cultural norm and turns it upside-down, selecting people who appeared as unlikely candidates to receive his blessing and become “snake-crushers.” These are the people who would fulfill God’s promise in Genesis 3 that a descendant of Eve would be born one day to defeat the descendants of the serpent.

Genesis is made up of many repetitions of this theme—humans grasping at power and God subverting their attempts to accomplish his own purposes.

Abraham’s Generosity

In part two (11:35-26:44), Tim and Jon pick up the theme of the firstborn where we left off in our last episode. Noah’s three sons become the forefathers of 70 nations, listed in Genesis 10. In Genesis 11, God scatters the nations and chooses the line of Shem, Noah’s middle son. Ten generations into Shem’s family tree, the author of Genesis introduces us to Terah, who also has three sons, one of whom is Abram.

The narrator doesn’t tell us Abram’s position in the birth order, only that he’s one of three sons. There’s no evidence of conflict between Abram and his brothers, but interestingly, parts of the narrative center around conflict involving Abram and his brother’s son Lot. The dynamic between Abram and Lot fits into the firstborn motif with one key difference—Abram lets Lot choose whatever land he wants to settle on (Gen. 13). Instead of being close-fisted and greedy and attempting to dominate the land and their family, Abram is open-handed because of his trust in God. His choices preserve harmony between him and Lot and their households.

The Miraculous Birth of Isaac

In part three (26:44-40:08), the guys discuss God’s promise of children to Abraham and Sarah.

Abraham and Sarah’s aging bodies are an obstacle to this promise. It’s technically impossible for them to have children at this point, so they take matters into their own hands. Abraham gets Hagar, an enslaved woman, pregnant at Sarah’s request. But the plan backfires when Sarah becomes jealous of Hagar and begins to abuse her. God gives the latecomer wife a child before the first wife, and in a way, Sarah and Hagar become an example of the firstborn theme themselves.

Abraham sends Hagar and her son Ishmael into the wilderness, where God provides a spring and a tree—an Eden blessing for the latecomer wife. Despite this blessing, God’s chosen line will come through Sarah’s future son Isaac, fulfilling his promise to Abraham.

Notice that God promises to bless both Ishmael and Isaac. In the story of Cain and Abel, Cain makes the mistake of assuming that because God chose Abel, he would only bless Abel. The story of Ishmael and Isaac reveals that God is generous to more than just his chosen representatives.

Even within repeating themes and consistent ways God works in the world, we can’t predict the exact method he will use. Here, he chooses the first wife and the second-born son—the son that could have been born by no other means than the sheer gift and miraculous work of Yahweh. The way God works will sometimes look confusing at first, but we must choose whether we will trust the goodness of God’s character.

Rivalry Between Twins

In part four (40:08-53:40), Tim and Jon trace the theme of the firstborn in the story of Jacob and Esau.

Isaac marries Rebecca, who gets pregnant with twins that wrestle each other in her womb. Before she even gives birth to the boys, God tells Rebecca that he had chosen her second-born son and would elevate him above the firstborn (Gen. 25:23). Ironically, the first story we read about Jacob and Esau (just a few verses after God’s promise to Rebecca), is Jacob manipulating Esau into giving him his birthright.

Later, in Genesis 27, Isaac tries to resist God’s intended order for his sons and sets a private meeting with Esau to bless him instead of Jacob. Jacob outmaneuvers his father, with the help of his mother, and receives the blessing of the firstborn in addition to the birthright. Jacob is not the only one at fault in these stories—Esau and Isaac both treat the birthright and blessing flippantly. They act as if they are in control of delegating blessing and can give it away in exchange for a hot meal.

Jacob’s entire life story is about him manipulating and swindling his way into the blessing God already intended to give him. The first generous act of his life comes near the end of it after Jacob wrestles God and God injures him in his groin.

The 12 Sons of Jacob

In part five (53:40-1:09:20), Tim and Jon explore the story of Joseph and Jacob’s other sons. (For a deeper dive into the Joseph narrative, check out the fourth movement of our podcast series on the Genesis scroll.)

Jacob’s first four sons are born to his first wife, Leah, who he never loved. Jacob exalts his eleventh son, Joseph, above his other sons by giving him a special, multi-colored coat. Joseph becomes the Abel figure in this story, whose blood is spilled by his brothers. However, God preserves the life of the chosen son of the father, and Joseph’s suffering becomes the way he meets people who elevate him to the position of second-in-command over Egypt.

When Joseph’s brothers show up in need of help, Joseph tests them by imprisoning them (as they did to him). Leah’s fourth-born son, Judah, offers his life on behalf of the rest of his family, convincing Joseph that his brothers have changed. For the rest of the Torah and the Prophets, the two prominent tribes of Israel are the lines of Joseph and Judah. At the end of Genesis, God promises that he’s going to bless the line of Joseph with abundance, and he’s going to bring the royal future king from the line of Judah.

The bottom line is that God wants to bless all of humanity, and when a human chooses to trust God’s methods and timing over cultural norms, God will bless that person.

Referenced Resources

  • Interested in more? Check out Tim’s library here.
  • You can experience the literary themes and movements we’re tracing on the podcast in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.

Show Music

  • “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS
  • "Chilling at Last" by Emapea
  • "Beautifully So" by less.people
  • "Bloc" by KV
  • Sound design by contributor

Show produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder. Lead Editor Dan Gummel. Edited by Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by Hannah Woo.

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Scripture References
Genesis 3
Genesis 6
Genesis 11:1-9
Genesis 16
Genesis 21
Genesis 27
Genesis 1
Genesis 12
Genesis 5
Genesis 10
Genesis 37
Genesis 24
Genesis 4
Genesis 17
Genesis 9:18-27
Genesis 32
Genesis 13
Romans 9
Genesis 11:10-26
Genesis 11:27-32
Genesis 25
Genesis 25:23
Genesis 25:29-34
Genesis 33
Genesis 33:4-11
Genesis 40-41
Genesis 42-44
Genesis 45
Ezekiel 37:15-28

11 Episodes

Episode 11
Firstborn Question and Response
Do the biblical authors consider women the second-born siblings of men? Were Joshua and Caleb rivals? Why is Korah, the disgraced rebel, honored in the Psalms? In this episode, Tim and Jon dive into your questions from the firstborn series. Thank you to our audience for your insightful questions!
57m • Apr 12, 2023
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Episode 10
The Firstborn of Creation
In our final episode of the Firstborn series, we look at the New Testament’s description of Jesus as the firstborn of creation. Join Tim and Jon as they explore some of Paul’s letters, the book of Hebrews, and the Revelation, and discover how Jesus reveals who God is––and what it means to be truly human, too.
1hr 9m • Mar 6, 2023
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Episode 9
How Will Jesus Use His Power?
Under levitical law, touching anyone unclean would make you unclean too. But when Jesus touches people who are unclean, they get healed and become clean instead––it’s like his holiness is contagious. In this episode, Tim and Jon talk about the way Jesus uses his power and authority as the cosmic firstborn.
1hr 14m • Feb 27, 2023
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Episode 8
God's Firstborn Son
The authors of the gospel accounts in the Bible—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—regularly refer to Jesus as the Son of God, a title that’s connected to the theme of the firstborn. In this episode, Tim and Jon explore what it means that Jesus is God’s Son through the stories of his baptism and testing in the wilderness. Listen in to find out how Jesus uses his power in a way we’ve never seen another human do before.
55m • Feb 20, 2023
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Episode 7
David, the Latecomer King
In the scroll of Samuel, Israel demands a king in place of the judges that have been ruling over them. It sounds like a simple enough request, but Yahweh calls it idolatrous. Why? In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the motives behind Israel’s request and the role of Israel’s first kings, Saul and David, in the unfolding theme of the firstborn.
1hr 3m • Feb 13, 2023
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Episode 6
Hannah’s Poem and Power Reversals
Hannah was an oppressed woman, scorned by her husband’s rival wife because of her barrenness. But the way she prayed and trusted Yahweh through this hardship became a remarkable example of how God works through the lowly to subvert human notions of power and status. In this episode, join Tim and Jon as they trace the theme of the firstborn in the scroll of Samuel.
1hr 4m • Feb 6, 2023
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Episode 5
The Plague of the Firstborn
How does the plague of the firstborn from Exodus fit into the biblical theme of the firstborn? And what does it mean when Yahweh calls Israel his firstborn son? In this episode, Tim and Jon explore the theme of the firstborn in the Exodus scroll.
1hr 12m • Jan 30, 2023
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Episode 4
Power Grabs and Patriarchs
Early in the story of the Bible, God chooses the family of Abraham, his son Isaac, and Isaac’s son Jacob as his chosen representatives to bless other peoples. But these families are full of the same rivalry, envy, and division present in any other family. What is God doing with these less-than-ideal candidates? Join Tim and Jon as they trace the theme of the firstborn in the narratives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
1hr 10m • Jan 23, 2023
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Episode 3
Rivalry Among Brothers
Only a few pages into the story of the Bible, the story starts to get really bleak. Cain kills his brother Abel, Cain’s descendants become famous murderers, and Noah’s youngest son violates his father and mother. And all of it happens because humans decide that power is worth the cost of harming others. In this episode, Tim and Jon discuss the dark side of human nature and the God who favors the powerless—the people who choose to trust him for blessing and exaltation.
1hr 9m • Jan 16, 2023
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Episode 2
Seizing vs. Receiving Power
It’s not explicitly stated, but the theme of the firstborn first appears in the opening narratives of the Hebrew Bible. In Genesis 1 and 2, Yahweh elevates humans, the latecomers of creation, to rule the land. In Genesis 3, a snake, who is some kind of spiritual being, tricks the humans despite their authority as God’s image bearers. This story is echoed in other accounts of sibling rivalry that continue throughout the Hebrew Bible. Join Tim and Jon as they discuss the land rulers and sky rulers and the theme of the firstborn in Genesis 1-3.
1hr 8m • Jan 9, 2023
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Episode 1
God's Response to Human Power Structures
In ancient Near Eastern societies, firstborn sons were prized above all other children and inherited special privileges and authority simply because of their birth order. In this episode, Tim and Jon start a new theme study covering the theme of the firstborn. Spoiler alert: The God of the Bible opposes lots of human ideas about power, and the privilege of the firstborn is no exception. Again and again, we’ll see Yahweh picking younger siblings and people we wouldn’t expect to be his chosen representatives.
1hr 10m • Jan 2, 2023
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