"WHEN OLDER GENERATIONS DON’T EMPOWER YOUNGER ONES”
Everyone of us reading this article was born into a family on some level of birth order. Some are the “FIRST BORN”, some the “MIDDLE CHILD” and some are the “BABY” or youngest of the children. As America ages, we are seeing the generational differences between the Baby Boomers, Generation, Millennials and now the Z-Generation played out in biblical terms. The older generation (Baby Boomers) in many cases do not want to pass the gavel of control to the younger-instead holding onto power and resources until they drop dead. In politics we found this to be especially true. For example, there was Senator John McCain, who passed away at the age of 81 in 2018 of a brain tumor. Despite fighting his brain tumor for quite some time, he couldn’t let go and allow a younger person to more effectively fulfill his role. Then there is Senator Diane Feinstein who died while clenching in her fist the office of U.S. Senator until she passed away at the age of 90. Towards the end of her life, she was unable to walk or communicate very well, but still wouldn’t resign. Then there is the infamous U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died at the age of 87 in 2020. Ginsburg wasn't even showing up to work in her last year of work-but still wouldn't give up her position. And the list goes on. So what the the BIBLE say about this? I believe it says a lot.
In the Bible there are numerous stories of God choosing the youngest over the oldest. First there was Cain and Abel. Later, Ishmael and Isaac. Next, Esau and Jacob. Then Jacob’s elder sons and Jospeh as the youngest brother. Finally, we end with Manasseh and his younger brother Ephraim. Genesis has many stories of lives of two brothers.
In the Bible, the younger brother is often chosen to lead the older brother by God for the simple reason that the older brother fails at dong something while the younger brother succeeds at the same thing. In other words, the the older brother fails at fulfillng their responsibility, and the younger brother accomplishes what the older brother failed to do. In the end, the younger brother reaps the rewards.
FOR EXAMPLE:
Cain messes up his sacrifice but God accepts Abels sacrifice as good. Esau impatiently gives away his birthright for a bowl of stew while Jacob succeeds in establishing God’s kingdom through patient labor. Then we find Jacob’s older sons, in unison, but in this case, with Reuben, the oldest dissenting a bit-mercilessly selling Joseph off to slaves while Joseph mercifully protects his brothers during a famine. And this leads us to today’s passage that God brought to my attention to start with in the story of David and Goliath. Let’s read this in both the NIV and ESV version to get a strong flavor for what is taking place:
1 Samual 17:28-30 (ESV) Says: “28 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before”.
THE NIV VERSION: “When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before”.
SO WHAT’S HAPPENING: What is happening in 1 Samuel is that David, as a young man goes up to bring food (per-his father’s instruction) to his older brothers. His oldest brother, Eliab (FIRST BORN) acts as one of the cowardly soldiers too afraid to fight Goliath despite his being willing and able to berate his younger brother (LAST BORN-David) for simply bringing he and his brothers some food Through all this David obeys God with a great faith and goes off to fight Goliath without even wearing any armor. The bottom line is that David’s oldest brother Eliab was rather abrupt with David. It was PRIDE, INSOLENCE and CONTROL (not mention Eliabl's insecurity) that led to his being passed up by his younger brother. This is similar language by the way used to describe the rage of Joseph’s brothers against him before selling him off into slavery (Genesis 37).
CONCLUSION-SO WHAT? What does all of this mean? First, older brothers are meant to care for and raise up their younger brothers. Sadly, this often doesn’t happen. But God sees all things and often flips things on their head. In such cases, we find younger brothers taking up the cause of the older ones; sometimes even saving them as was the case with Joseph. this culminates in the in the younger brothers a sort of model after Jesus Christ who takes on the sins of the world (often those older than him at 33 years old), and brings restoration.
In the Bible, the younger brother is often chosen to lead by God for the simple reason that the older brother fails at what God calls the to do while the younger brother succeeds at the same thing. The younger brother accomplishes what the older brother (was supposed to or) failed to do. In the end, the younger brother reaps the rewards.
For those who are older brothers or sisters, let’s first make certain to honor God first and our siblings and others second. If you do that, you most likely won’t lose the blessing of God as he can use you as first born for His great plans. In take away-let’s make certain as older and younger brothers and sisters, to live out our role and birth order in light of honoring God and our siblings. God will do the rest.
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SECULAR-SCIENTIFIC DATA ON BIRTH ORDER:
According to “What Birth Order Reveals About Your Child’s Personality”, By Happiest Baby Staff
Firstborns are more likely to be the boss. A 2020 report in the journal PLOS One found that CEOs are significantly more likely to be firstborn than any other birth order. Plus, most of them believed their birth order contributed to their success.
Does Birth Order Determine Your Child's Personality? Being the first, middle, youngest, or only child probably influences your behavior. Here's what experts say about the link between birth order and personality.
By Jocelyn Voo Updated on June 26, 2023 Medically reviewed by Dr. Ann-Louise T Lockhart, PsyD, ABPP
Firstborns tend to bask in their parents' presence, which may explain why they sometimes act like mini-adults. They're also prone to being diligent and wanting to excel at everything they do. As the leader of the pack, firstborns often tend to be:
- Reliable
- Conscientious
- Structured
- Cautious
- Controlling
- Achievers
Middle Child Personality Traits
When a second child comes along, parents might raise them with less of an iron fist due to their previous experience. They might also be less attentive since there are other children in their lives. Therefore, the middle child is often a people-pleaser due to the lack of attention they get compared to older siblings and younger siblings.
"The middle child often feels left out and a sense of, 'Well, I'm not the oldest. I'm not the youngest. Who am I?'" says Wallace. This sort of hierarchical floundering leads middle children to make their mark among their peers since parental attention is usually devoted to the beloved firstborn or baby of the family. What's more, "middle children are the toughest to pin down because they play off their older sibling," says Dr. Leman.
In general, middle children tend to possess the following birth order personality traits:
- People-pleasers
- Somewhat rebellious
- Thrives on friendships
- Has a large social circle
- Peacemaker
Youngest Child Personality Traits
Youngest children tend to be the most free-spirited due to their parents' increasingly laissez-faire attitude toward parenting the second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) time around. As a result, the baby of the family tends to have the following birth order traits:
- Fun-loving
- Uncomplicated
- Manipulative
- Outgoing
- Attention-seeking
- Self-centered
REFERENCES:
“What Birth Order Reveals About Your Child’s Personality”, By Happiest Baby Staff
“Does Birth Order Determine Your Child’s Personality?” By Jocelyn VooUpdated on June 26, 2023
Medically reviewed by Dr. Ann-Louise T Lockhart, PsyD, ABPP
https://www.parents.com/baby/development/social/birth-order-and-personality/
