The following is a Side Note taken from an article called Men of Renown – Part x – The Parables of Balaam. CLICK HERE to access this article in full.
Side Note: Background on Jacob and Israel in Scripture. This is needful for anyone who may not be familiar with Jacob and Esau, the twin brothers born to Isaac, son of Abraham. If this is boring for you, then just go on by, BUT nothing in Scripture is without a reason for being placed in Scripture by the Holy Spirit of God. The background of brotherly love in Genesis definitely is relevant for our time. Now where should I begin . . . of course, with the first two brothers mentioned in Genesis, Cain and Abel. STAY AWAKE and LEARN.
One of the first principles in Scripture is the principle of – He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Huh? (Keep this in mind as you read and follow this thread of He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second to its fulfillment.) This reference comes from the New Testament book of Hebrews, Chapter 10, verse 9. What has this to do with anything? The first man who was actually born on this planet was Cain. This is a very important designation. Cain was the first person born. Naturally, with this distinction would come a place of preeminence and what we think of as the birthright of inheritance. For millenniums laws of inheritance were not only based on the male having a right to total inheritance, but the FIRST BORN was entitled to inheritance. This unspoken right was assumed by Cain as his and only his. When God refused Cain’s sacrifice and approved and accepted Abel (Cain’s brother) and his sacrifice, this was too much for Cain to bear. Jealousy and envy overcame brotherly affection (if there was any affection?). God’s approval of Abel and His disapproval of Cain caused the first man born his place in the pecking order of the newly created race of mankind, or so Cain believed. This can be viewed as the first supplantation or replacement based on obedience and disobedience to man’s Creator God, and we also see the principle of election.
Everything that we know today (morally, spiritually, emotionally, religiously, and psychologically) is totally based on the events recorded in the first book of the Bible, Genesis.
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. (Genesis 4:1)
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (Genesis 4:2)
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. (Genesis 4:3)
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:(Genesis 4:4)
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:5)
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? (Genesis 4:6)
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (Genesis 4:7)
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Genesis 4:8)
God’s approval was based on Abel’s obedience in His offering to God through faith in the sacrifice of blood that God had prescribed. Since the fall of Adam, the only way that anyone can approach God in God’s way must come through FAITH looking toward the One who would offer Himself for the sin of the world through His own blood, as the Lamb of God, on the cross of Calvary. Man’s salvation (both in the Old and in the New Testament) is predicated on the same principle: FAITH. For those in the Old Testament it was FAITH looking forward to the Lamb of God. For those in the New Testament it is FAITH looking backward to the past when the Lamb of God gave Himself as an offering for sin. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17) Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4) Also read Romans 3:22 – 26.
He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. The first murderer could not bear the thought of living among his brothers and sisters NOT being the recognized heir and head of this first tribal group. Thus, Cain murdered his brother Abel. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrews 11:4) Too many times we rush through reading and just quickly skim over some very important information. God gave Cain an opportunity to set things right with God. In order to be accepted by God Cain had to OBEY God’s specific way to approach Him, and Cain refused. Notice the words, And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Obeying God would then place Cain in the place of acceptance and approval, and Cain would then maintain his place as heir and have the notable position of heirship, and with this heirship would come the authority to RULE OVER his brothers and sisters. But that didn’t happen, and instead Cain murdered his competition. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (Genesis 4:1)
We are still writing under the Side Note because we are still writing about the principle: He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. The next two brothers that this principal touches on are the two children born to Abraham. The first child born was Ishmael from Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid to Sarai. The second son born was Isaac. How did God see these two sons through His righteous eyes? God saw Isaac as the ONLY son of Abraham. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Ishmael had no place in God’s program for the blessings of the Gentiles through Israel; Ishmael was not to be of the Seed of blessing. Although Ishmael was blessed, he would not receive God’s blessing that was reserved only for Isaac and his descendants. (Remember this and understand that THIS is the real reason behind the hatred of Israel TODAY). Three times Isaac is called Abraham’s ONLY SON.
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Genesis 22:2)
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me. (Genesis 22:12)
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]: (Genesis 22:16)
This principle, He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second is again seen in Isaac’s twin sons: Jacob and Esau. WOW . . . sure has taken a long time to get back to the beginning of Jacob. Esau was the first born, and Jacob was the second born, but again God removes Esau, the first, from heirship and inheritance with Jacob, the second.
We have been tracing the principle of He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Now we need to complete this principle in WHY God established this principle in the first place. Scripture informs us that there was a FIRST Adam and a LAST Adam. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (1st Corinthians 15:45) One of the hardest concepts that many Christians have difficulty shaking off is the understanding that Christ did not come to die in order to reform man. Christianity is not reformation. It is revelation. Being a Christian is neither an upgrade, nor a new model of man. Guess why the Spirit of God three times used the phrase ‘born again.’
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7)
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1st Peter 1:23)
And guess why the words ‘old man‘ is used three times in the New Testament in connection with salvation.
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (Ephesians 4:22)
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (Colossians 3:9)
Christ was/is THE LAST ADAM, although Christ was not of Adam for He was the Supernatural Man from heaven SENT to earth to be the manifestation of the invisible God among man. As Adam was the head of all those born in Adam, so Christ (as the last Adam) was the Head of a new creation of born-again ones born through the power of the Holy Spirit of God, thus, born IN Christ. Do not become confused, Christ was never of Adam for He was called that holy thing within the virgin womb of Mary. Mankind (Adam) was not holy. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. The human race (whether they know this or can even accept this) has been erased. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1st John 3:2) No more human race, but a new created race in the image of Christ. We only know what we are and what we see that our minds cannot breach this broad distance from physical to spiritual.
Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. (1st Corinthians 15:46)
The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. (1st Corinthians 15:47)
As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. (1st Corinthians 15:48)
And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1st Corinthians 15:49) ♦ End of Side Note.