Deuteronomy 21:15-17
Inheritance Rights of the Firstborn
“If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn, but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.
Subject: Acts of Love
In this section of Deuteronomy we have various laws and explanations of moral conduct. This is a "if this happens, do this" section of God's Word. There is no way every situation can be laid out, but God, in His Wisdom knows the laws man needs to conduct himself in the image of God. Remember, the Law, when kept to its fullest, is a reflection of the character of God and the way He wants us to live. In the above passage we see the Law correcting the sin of preferential treatment. We see this when we prefer one child over the other. In our modern day setting this might be a picture of a blended family. God is telling the people to make sure they honor those who are to be honored and to not show partiality in the expression of their giving. Remember, Jesus summed up the Law as loving God with all your might and your neighbor as yourself. So, in the above passage we can see that definition worked out. God wants us to treat others with amazing love. That means we have to rid ourselves of partiality and petty preferences.
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