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The Elder Son's Birthright
By Alan Feldsott
The Divine Principle discusses the birthright in terms of the restorative relationship between Jacob and Esau several times. But where is the principle of the original concept of birthright in the Principle? I believe this quote is the only place in the Exposition where it is discussed.
For his part, Satan had seized control of the creation, which God had created by the Principle, and established an unprincipled world having only the outward form of God’s intended universe. In the original, principled world, God intended to raise up the eldest son and have him inherit the birthright. Therefore, Satan felt a stronger attachment to the elder son than he did to the younger. Since Satan had already claimed the universe, he vied with God for the elder son, Cain, who was more valuable to him. Because Satan had a strong attachment to Cain, God chose to deal with Abel.
Even in the sinless world that God originally planned, there would be one son who would inherit the birthright from the parents. The one inheriting the birthright is the one who upholds the tradition and culture established by the father, and is the central representative of God in his generation. Originally, the eldest son should have stood in that position. During the course of restoration, it was not the eldest son who was in the position to receive the birthright. In Abraham’s family, Jacob, the younger son, received the birthright.
Then what about the family of the messiah, the True Parent? Is the True Parent’s family a perfect, sinless family, which stands in the exact position of Adam’s family had they not fallen? Is the messiah’s family one in which the children have no trace of sin or fallen nature?
In 1983, True Father explained that a single representative of True Father would be chosen:
“There will always be a physical representative of the True Father here on earth, from one generation to another; there will be that axis on which the earth will turn. Therefore, all of you here on earth and all the people in the generations to come will be centered upon the same axis.” God’s Will and the World
Even in the messiah’s family, the children are not all equal in terms of their level of purity, their life standards, and their relationship with their parents and God. We have seen this in real life. Among those children, the messiah must choose the son closest to God who can inherit the birthright. True Father made his wishes perfectly clear in the years before his passing.
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