Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, everlasting joy will be theirs. Isaiah 61:7.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלוהים) says:
I have talked about a double portion since the beginning. It has to do with My plans of fruitful prosperity and wholeness that I ordained for mankind from day I created you. It all started with the blessing of the firstborn that came by inheritance as a birthright and then went on to the double portion needed for the appointed times of sanctification. These appointed times were based on measurements of sevens in cyclical patterns of days, weeks, and years. The seventh day of rest, i.e., Shabbat (Sabbath day), the seventh sabbatical year, and the Jubilee year after the completion of the seven sevens of the sabbatical years. Those were all based on the seven of completeness and perfection entering into the rest of the release from the curse that is in the world. The double portion reversed the curse of painful toil to the blessing of the flow of increase with no painful toil. It had to do with Kingdom seeking and Kingdom keeping. It is the abundant life that is My Will for you that Jesus came to bring back to you. In Adam you lost it but in Jesus you find it restored, but better than before!
Jesus is your Shabbat fulfilled.
But let us go back to look at the double portion. Let us start with two questions: (i) What is the double portion? And (ii) why is it so important you understand it? And it will take more than one Life Lesson to answer these, it will take a whole series.
So let us begin to consider what it is. There are four contexts of the double portion:
- The double portion of the firstborn (inherited by birthright) (once at birth physically and once at birth when born again spiritually from above).
- The double portion of the Shabbat (initially received by Covenant, every week the seventh day).
- The double portion of the Sabbatical Year (also received by Covenant).
- The double double of the Jubilee year (the glorious freedom of the children of God, also received by Covenant).
Today let us begin with the firstborn blessing of the double portion.
When a father was preparing the inheritance for his children, he would divide his estate into as many equal portions as the number of children plus one. So if you had five children, you would divide your property into six equal portions and the firstborn child would get two portions and the rest one portion. A man was to acknowledge the firstborn of his sons “by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn.” Deuteronomy 21:17.
The firstborn blessing was one of birthright, it automatically attached at birth into a family. But, it could be lost and another gain it. This started with Adam. He despised his birthright as the firstborn and let the devil steal it and take over the earth, for Adam was heir of the world. But, My Son took it back and all things in heaven and on earth came under His birthright as the firstborn from death to life.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.
Remember Jacob and Esau? Esau despised his birthright and he sold it, that is, transferred it, to his brother Jacob for a bowl of beans.
When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a complete (perfect, whole, in Hebrew, “tam (תָּם)”) man, dwelling in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and bean stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25:27-34.
Be careful about this, do not love the things of the world and follow the lust that is in the flesh so that you lose so great a blessing. This was the way of Herod and also of Judas.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. Hebrews 12:15-17.
But pause here a think about this. Jacob was not Esau, and his father recognized the voice as Jacob, but because he had the scent of Essau from his clothes like fresh fields and the outdoors and because he covered himself in the fleece of the goat, Jacob accepted him and blessed him as his firstborn with a double portion of all he had and the Blessing of Abraham, which is a blessing of righteousness by faith, and the blessing of increase without measure in material and spiritual prosperity, including victory over your enemies.
You who are baptized into Christ, clothe yourselves with Christ. And in Jesus, you are descendants of Abraham and heirs of the promise. Jesus redeemed you from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for you by hanging on the Cross and through Him you have the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit by faith.
Being clothed in Christ you are clothed in the garments of Yeshuah (Jesus’ name in Hebrew and it means “Salvation”) and the robe of righteousness, adorned with the precious jewels and garlands of the bride. And you receive the double portion of the firstborn.
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10.
Jesus is the firstborn Son, He is My only begotten Son, but when He became flesh in the womb of the virgin Mary, the imperishable seed of My Word born of a virgin with no perishable seed from Adam involved, He fulfilled My Words in the Garden of Eden and crushed the head of the devil and took the heirship of the world back to the children of men in Himself. He took back the throne of the Son of Man that Adam abdicated to the devil and kicked the devil off it down to earth to be locked out of Heaven forever, destined for the lake of fire when the leasehold of Adam expires.
When I raised Him from the dead as the firstborn of many brethren, I raised you with Him.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29.
To those who receive Jesus as Lord, My Son gives authority to be born again as My children by the imperishable seed of My Word, regenerated by the Holy Spirit. And then, as My children in Him, you are My heirs, joint heirs with Christ, for before Me you are in Him and all He has is yours, and you receive the double portion of the firstborn. And since I have given Christ everything you are joint heirs with Him of a double portion of everything. It has pleased Me to give you the Kingdom and to supply for you according to My riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Hidden in Jesus, covered by the fleece of the scapegoat, you receive the blessing of the firstborn, the double portion of all.
For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Romans 8:15-17.
You are protected from the wrath of My divine justice that is to come upon all who have not taken refuge in Jesus, who is My gift to you so that you shall never perish. Because of His blood and the communion meal of eating His body and drinking His blood, I pass over you and do not permit the destroyer to enter the home of your body or of your possessions.
And if you recall out of the Passover came the redemption of the firstborn, first by the offering of an unblemished lamb, later by silver shekels, then by My accepting the Levites committed to Me and the service of holy sacrifices and things as their portion and them as My portion in place of the firstborn of the children of Israel.
Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD. Numbers 3:11-13.
“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine;” I am the Lord. Numbers 3:45.
Jesus is your great High Priest and He has made you who believe in Him, His brethren and joint heirs with Him.
Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood, and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:4-6.
And I am His portion and I am so for you in Him as well for He has made you kings and priests with the same anointing with which He is anointed. You are priests forever according to the Order of Melchizedek, who is the Holy Spirit, the King of Righteousness and of peace (shalom), being the anointing with the oil of joy.
But let us return to the Passover and the firstborn, which were taught by Me to Moses in one teaching expressed in Exodus chapters 12 and 13. What happened the night of the Passover was that I rendered judgment on Egypt for all the sins that had been committed and I did it by executing judgment on the firstborn.
For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments, I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you dwell; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:12-13.
The night of the Passover, the unblemished lambs were sacrificed, one for each household, the blood applied to the door posts and lintels of their homes and then, safe under the blood eating the roasted flesh of the lamb with unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and cups of wine, I passed over their dwellings and did not let the wrath of divine justice fall on their firstborn.
And after that I told Moses: Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.” Exodus 13:1-2.
My judgment fell on the firstborn, but Israel was saved by the blood of the lamb, so their firstborn became consecrated to Me and had to be redeemed by an unblemished lamb in their place and, as I stated earlier in the Life Lesson, I later accepted the Levites as priests and ministers unto Me as My portion in place of the firstborn of all the tribes of Israel, who were the only ones in Covenant with Me at that time.
Do you see the shadow the substance of which is Jesus? My judgment against all sin fell upon My firstborn Son in your place and you are all now My firstborn in Him and you belong to Me. I have redeemed you at a great price with My own firstborn so that you in Him are redeemed, blessed, saved and beloved. You have received the double portion, and not only the double portion of all I own but also of the anointing upon Jesus. Just as Elisha as the firstborn follower of Elijah received a double portion of his spirit so you too have of Jesus, poured out upon you on Pentecost Sunday and breathed into you upon His resurrection from the dead. And you, like Elisha with Elijah, are to do the works He did a greater! The double portion.
Before closing this Life Lesson, I would also like to touch upon another firstborn that disqualified himself and lost the firstborn blessing to his brother and that was Reuben. And it happened at Migdal-Eder, the tower of the flock at Bethlehem where Rachel died and later Jesus was born.
Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor. When she was in severe labor the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.” It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow); but his father called him Benjamin (son at my right hand). So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal-Eder (the tower of the flock). It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it. Genesis 35:16-22.
And the result for his sin of immorality? Be careful about sinning in this manner. He lost his birthright.
Reuben the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph. 1 Chronicles 5:1-2.
And in all that I foretold that from Judah would come the leader. Jesus. The true firstborn upon whom all judgment fell and from whom the blessing came upon all mankind. The double portion of the firstborn. And Jesus is your Jubilee, which is the double double, but more about that in another life lesson in this series.
I love you. You do not ever need to worry. You have the double portion, redemption, and the double double.