(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Deuteronomy 21:15–17, “If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.”
Even though the Lord designed marriage to be between a man and a woman (see Mat 19:4–6, “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” It was customary, at that time for men to marry more than one wife. The classic example was Jacob who married two sisters and also has two concubines. Sometimes a Israeli man would follow that practice as well. However, there were special honours given to the firstborn child in terms of inheritance and respect. If a man did marry two wives and preferred his second wife over his first wife, he was not allowed to treat the children of the preferred wife better than the children of the first wife. The regulations concerning the firstborn applied to the child who was born first and had to be observed. Israel is the Lord’s firstborn (see Ex 4:22–23, “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.”) and the world is expected, under the Lord’s sovereign will, to treat Israel with the respect due to the firstborn. This is a fearful regulation to defy for the Lord told Abraham, Israel’s grandfather , “... Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen 12:1–3) This means that the Lord has promised to place a personal curse on any who curse Abraham’s legitimate heirs. Who would ever want to be under the Lord’s curse” (Heb 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”)
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