Here's one for you to consider:
What if John the Baptist is the "first" born of God (a miracle birth in itself), followed by the second born of God (Jesus)?
Why not? Typical personality of a first born was John, yet differing to Jesus, yet at the end of his life, in question of Jesus' position...could be...
Yes the struggle between John the Baptist and Jesus can be added to the list.
Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Zarah and Perez etc..
In each case the younger son is blessed by God.
One of the
greatest providential victory for God in the bible is when Jacob (Abel) as the younger brother won his older brother Esau's heart (Cain) and both united. This time Esau (Cain) did not kill him (Abel) as he had wanted
Jacob's efforts to induce Esau to welcome him back and submit to him of his own will were incredible. Even when Jacob was returning from Haran to Canaan, Esau still had resentment against Jacob because Jacob had previously taken the blessing from him with his mother's help.
So Esau led an army of four hundred men and went to meet Jacob. When Jacob received news of this he prayed to God and did all he possibly could.
Gen 32:20 "...'I may appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps be will accept me'".
He sent ahead of him as a gift for Esau the more than five hundred livestock that he had earned as a reward for his hard work during 21 years in Haran. Jacob also made an alternative plan, dividing the people and livestock into two groups, so that one might flee if Esau attacked
Gen 32:7,8. When he was about to meet Esau, he deliberately put his beloved wife and child in the very rear, so that he was fully prepared to escape if it became necessary
He himself went ahead of them,
bowing to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother (Gen 33:3). He greatly humbled himself, saying to Esau, "'...
for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God, with such favor have you received me'" (Gen 33:10).
Jacob did his best to fulfill God's Will and to change Esau's heart from one full of hatred to one that would embrace him with love. Esau was moved by such efforts and sincerity on Jacob's part and welcomed him.
Genesis 33:4 says, "...Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept." Esau loved Jacob and welcomed him back, despite the fact that he had taken the birthright from Esau.
From that great victory, God named Jacob
Israel. The struggle between Cain and Abel was overcome this time.
It is important to understand why God required such a condition from Cain and Abel and later on from Jacob and Esau. I has to do with reversing what took place during the human fall and restoring the fallen nature that was inherited from it in preparing the foundaton for the Messiah
Some of us take it in stride, and others take it badly.
