[e. The Firstborn Reuben was the firstborn son among the twelve sons of Israel (Jacob) and had the right of pre-eminence (to be first in rank) over the others. However, it was removed from him by his father because of the son’s sin against him (Gen 49:3-4). But, under the Law, the firstborn son had a right to a double portion regardless of favour (Deut 21:15-17) - that is, a subsequent son couldn’t be treated as if he was the firstborn simply because the father regarded him with greater affection. And also in the Law, it was always the firstborn son in a Levirate marriage that perpetuated the deceased man’s name (Deut 25:5-6). The firstborn, therefore, had a special place in the purpose of Israelite Law as given to them by God and we’d naturally expect the line of the Messiah to reflect this commandment. But, out of the six patriarchs that were promised that the Messiah would be their offspring, Jacob (Gen 25:25-26), Judah (Gen 29:31-35) and David (I Sam 16:11-13) were definitely not the firstborn of their brothers. God’s choice didn’t lie in the acceptance of the firstborn as the true lineage of the Messiah.] So, what principle does God use in choosing the line of Christ? There’s only one universal ‘method’ that God uses, and that’s His own will. God chooses the one He’s chosen. We know the one that God has chosen because that person is the one that God chooses. And God will only ever the choose the one He’s already chosen. In other words, it depends upon the sovereignty of God, not upon any requirement being fulfilled in man. God doesn’t call an individual because He necessarily sees something He can use in that person, but He calls them solely according to His will. God will put inside us what He’ll use us for - the talent isn’t ours (I Cor 4:7), but His choice is independent of natural ability (Rom 9:10-13 - ‘though [Esau and Jacob] were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of His call, [the mother] was told “The elder shall serve the younger”’ and Rom 9:18 - ‘...He has mercy upon whomever He wills and He hardens the heart of whomever He wills’ - see also Rom 11:32). Since (Rom 3:23) ‘...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ God’s calling upon an individual’s life can only ever be according to His Divine purpose, not upon (Rom 9:16) ‘...man’s will or exertion, but upon God’s mercy’ This is a principle both in the area of man’s salvation (but I’m not defending a heavy Calvinist standpoint! and of God’s earthly purpose for an individual or nation’s life. Notice the perplexing and enigmatic passage (to our minds) in Deut 7:7-8 where, if you read the text carefully, you can see that God declares He loves Israel because He loves them! The reason for God’s choice becomes choice itself. Abraham was called (Gen 12:1-4), promised an heir, a son, who was to be the Son (Gen 15:4) and afterwards was considered righteous by faith (Gen 15:6) and justified by works even later (Gen 17:9-14, 22-27, chapter 22). But God’s choice came first and, indeed, in the life of the Church today must always come first in the area of ministry to the body (I Cor 12:27-30 esp v.28). We look to men and women who’ve gone through the greatest Bible colleges and Theological seminaries (perhaps) the world has ever known to lead the congregations wherever they find themselves and bring revival to the land - but God’s choice is not to the wise or well-educated by necessity but to the ones that He chooses as the outcome of His own Sovereign will. While education is by no means to be scoffed at, God’s choice is the singularly most important factor in determining ‘who does what’ within His Body, the Church. God’s calling is different to the salvation that comes from faith in Christ. Although it’s difficult to find any ground in Scripture to show that one may find that he’s saved in Christ for a significant length of time yet miss totally the fulfilling of God’s calling upon his life, it seems quite apparent that an individual or nation may fulfil the calling yet miss God’s salvation in Christ (Mtw 7:21-23), just as Balaam found his calling as a prophet fulfilled but lost his opportunity to be one of the family of God through covetousness (Numbers 22-24, 31:8,16). Or Cyrus (II Chr 36:22-23, Isaiah 45:1) who fulfilled God’s purpose for himself on the earth while it’s said of him that he didn’t know God (Isaiah 45:4-5), the necessary requirement of salvation (John 17:3). God’s purpose for our life on earth is different to God’s eternal destiny for our life, therefore. The choice made concerning Christ’s line is no different. The patriarchs weren’t guaranteed salvation because of their calling but that they would be the father of the One who would fulfil the purpose of God for mankind. In Jesus’ day (and even today), the Jews prided themselves on having Abraham as their father (John 8:39-40) but John the Baptist was quick to point out (Mtw 3:8-9) that genealogical descent was of no avail to the Pharisees and Sadducees if they didn’t bear the fruit that came with repentance. And, as Paul says in Philippians 3:4-8, natural descent is as dross when looked upon as a qualification by which to be saved. We’re sons by faith, not by descent (Gal 3:7). In summary then, God’s choice of descent for the Christ was in harmony with the choice He made (peculiar as that may sound), according to the Sovereign will of God and not according to any natural qualification that was resident in man. Rom 8:28 reads ‘To the ones loving God, He works together all things for good...’ Our mistakes (for example, our weaknesses and failings as opposed to our deliberate disobedience to His revealed will) God has foreseen and has already sown them into His plan for our life so that, far from being unnecessary hiccups on the road to fulfilment, they become the means whereby His purpose is realised. Yet, God often goes one step further in His dealings with man and uses what’s total rebellion and sin to be woven into the outworking of His purpose. Though the person who commits sin is culpable before God, He nevertheless will use the outcome and consequence of that sin to bring about His own purpose and will for others. This is what Eph 1:11 means when it states ‘In Him, according to the purpose of Him who works in/energises/gives power to all things according to the counsel of His will...’ where ‘all things’ in the Greek means ‘the totality’ and is used frequently with this meaning in the passage Col 1:15-20. God works even in the ‘evil’ situations to bring about His will for the sake of mankind. Judah and Tamar’s union to produce Perez, and David and Bathsheba’s union to produce Solomon/Nathan are both good examples. Both began life in sin - Judah refusing to give Tamar what was culturally and morally acceptable and choosing to have sexual intercourse with what appeared to him to be a cult prostitute - David taking for himself Bathsheba and then murdering her husband when she became pregnant (and David was certainly judged for his adultery in this life). But God took hold of the situations and used them to bring the Messiah to earth to fulfil His ultimate purpose for mankind. Therefore, out of man (spiritually dead), God brought life (Christ - spiritual life). When the Pharisees and Sadducees plotted to murder Jesus (John 11:45-53 esp v.53), and Pilate delivered Him up to be crucified (John 19:16, Mtw 27:24-26), God was allowing man’s rebellion to manifest itself in their rejection of His Son, yet all the while using it to put Christ on the cross and fulfil His ultimate purpose for mankind (Acts 4:27-28). It wasn’t that God overruled their sin, but that He used their sin to be a part of the means whereby His will was accomplished. However, it must be repeated that, while God may use the thoughts and actions of men and women that are set against the purposes of God, the individuals concerned are still responsible for the choice of their own freewill in rebelling against Him. If God only blessed and used the sinless in the world, He would have long since given up and wiped out the human race to start again. But God uses the imperfect, even the totally rebellious, to bring about the purpose of His will while still upholding individual responsibility. Such is the greatness of our God. Therefore Paul writes (Rom 9:15-24) ‘What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For He says to Moses ‘“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” ‘So it depends not upon man’s will or exertion, but upon God’s mercy. ‘For the scripture says to Pharaoh ‘“I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing My power in you, so that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth” ‘So then He has mercy upon whomever He wills, and he hardens the heart of whomever He wills. ‘You will say to me then ‘“Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?” ‘But who are you, a man, to answer back to God? Will what is moulded say to its moulder ‘“Why have you made me thus?” ‘Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use? What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience the vessels of wrath made for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for the vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?’ God chooses who He will use and who He won’t. He chooses what He’ll give power to to bring about His will and which other things He’ll remove power from so that they become impotent. There’s nothing that God can’t use for the outworking of His will - man’s responsibility is to make sure that he’s used in his obedience and not as a consequence of his rebellion!

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