MY FIRSTBORN

“The chiefest among ten thousand”, Song 5. 10.

As we consider David, we find it remarkable that Jesse’s youngest son became the firstborn with respect to the privileges enjoyed under Jewish customs. In the narrative it seems that everyone had forgotten about the youngest in the family, and God had to remind them that He sees not as man sees, but He looks on the heart, 1 Sam. 16. 7. But here we are looking at great David’s greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is “higher than the kings of the earth”, and who can rival heaven’s firstborn? The word “firstborn” and its parallel word “first-begotten” is found in the N.T. under four headings.

The Relationship. Colossians 1. 15 tells us that He is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature”. This verse not only shows His pre-eminence over all creation, but His unique relationship with God, His Father. He is the very essence of God, and Christ has told Him out, John 1. 18. As we look at Christ, we begin to understand what the invisible God is like.

The Resurrection. In Colossians 1. 18 we read that Christ is the firstborn from among the dead. The reason given is that He might have the pre-eminence in all things. In Revelation 1. 5, He is the firstbegotten of the dead, and His pre-eminence is expressed in that He is “prince of the kings of the earth”. His pre-eminence in resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. 20 is expressed as “the firstfruits of them that slept”. In all things, He is First.

The Redeemed. He is the firstborn among many brethren, Rom. 8. 29, and here it is in relationship to the redeemed and their conformity to His image as God’s Son. We need to ask: Are we growing more like Christ, for God looks for family likeness?

The Return. The better rendering of Hebrews 1. 6 is, “when he again bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world”. This places the word “again” in its right place, and therefore refers to His return to earth in contrast to Christ’s first advent in the preceeding verses. Thus, in Psalm 89. 27, the phrase “higher than the kings of the earth” refers to His return to earth in glory. Hence as the firstborn, He is the first, and He should also come first in our lives.