This sermon explores the deep biblical significance of the firstborn and God’s rightful claim over the future of His people. In the ancient world, the firstborn represented strength, inheritance, leadership, and continuity. Nations invested their hopes and power in their firstborn children, which explains the severity of God’s warning to Pharaoh and the devastating judgment of Egypt’s firstborn. When God declared, “Israel is my son, even my firstborn,” He revealed both His covenantal love for Israel and His determination to free them from oppression.
God’s judgment against Egypt was not arbitrary; it was a declaration that Egypt’s future would no longer dominate God’s people. The battle was not merely political but generational. God sought to claim the youth for Himself before corruption could shape them. Scripture consistently shows that the future of a nation depends on its young people. This is why Babylon targeted Judah’s best youth—Daniel and his companions—seeking to reshape their identity, faith, and loyalty. Their captivity stands as a tragic consequence of adult disobedience, where children bore the cost of their parents’ sin.
The doctrine of the firstborn ultimately points to Jesus Christ. At Passover, a lamb died so that the firstborn might live. That lamb foreshadowed Christ, whose blood delivers humanity from death. Because the firstborn were spared by blood, God declared them His. Later, God substituted the tribe of Levi for the firstborn, reinforcing the principle of redemption rather than ownership by force.
Jesus Himself is called the Firstborn, and believers belong to the “church of the firstborn.” The firstborn symbolizes the future, promise, and continuity of God’s plan. Having given His best—His Son—God now calls the youth to give their best to Him. Youth is a sacred offering, a clean slate upon which God desires to write His purposes. To give one’s youth to Christ is the greatest sacrifice and the strongest foundation for a godly future.
