Let us now consider Jacob's word to Reuben. Because Reuben was corrupted, defiled, and full of germs, in Jacob's blessing with prophecy he is isolated from all the other brothers. Verse 3 says, "Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, the preeminence of dignity, and the preeminence of power" (Heb.). As the firstborn, Reuben had the preeminence in dignity and in power. Look at the words Jacob used to describe him: "my firstborn," "my might," "the firstfruits of my strength," "the preeminence of dignity," and "the preeminence of power."
Although Reuben had the preeminence of the birthright, he lost it because of his defilement. Verse 4 says, "Ebullient as water, thou shalt not have preeminence; because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch" (Heb.). The Hebrew word rendered "unstable" in the King James Version is very difficult to translate. I believe that the best rendering is "ebullient," which means boiling, to move violently. Reuben, who was boiling over with lust, moved violently to defile his father's bed. In doing that, Reuben went too far. That indulgence in lust caused him to lose his birthright. Because in his ebullience Reuben had defiled his father's bed, Jacob said that he would not have preeminence. Thus, the preeminence of the birthright was taken away from him.
As Jacob was prophesying regarding Reuben in chapter forty-nine, he undoubtedly remembered that he had already given the birthright to Joseph (48:5-6). Jacob did not give it to Joseph by accident; rather, he must have considered the matter for a long time. According to 48:5, Jacob said, "And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine." Furthermore, in 48:22, Jacob said, "Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow." Therefore, Joseph received two portions of the land, one portion for Ephraim and another for Manasseh. Eventually, this prophecy was fulfilled in Joshua 16 and 17. When the land was divided by lot, Joseph received two portions. This was not accomplished through human maneuvering; it was accomplished through lot, which was controlled by God for the fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy.
At this point I need to say a strong word, especially to the young people. Do not think that defilement is an insignificant matter. We were made by God in His image. Because we have the image of God, we are honorable, even according to our natural make-up. Although other sins may not damage our body, fornication causes direct damage to our physical body, a vessel of honor (1 Cor. 6:18; 1 Thes. 4:4). Because we have been regenerated, our body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). Therefore, not only do we bear the image of God in our physical body, but after regeneration our body is the temple of God. Therefore, you must keep your body in an honorable way. Nothing damages your body as much as fornication. The practice of the world today is utterly hellish, devilish, and satanic. How devilish it is for young people to have contact with one another without any restriction! I wish to warn all the young people, even the young brothers and sisters in the church life, to exercise certain restrictions upon their contact with one another.
As a young brother coming into the ministry, I went to Shanghai to receive help from Brother Nee. During those days, Brother Nee had many long talks with me. The first instruction he gave me, as a brother in the Lord's ministry, was never to contact a member of the opposite sex alone, but, for my protection, to always have the presence of a third party. I have never forgotten this word; it has been a great help and protection to me. By the Lord's mercy, I have followed his word throughout the years.
We are fallen human beings, and we all have lusts. None of us can say that he does not have lust. In 1930 there was in my home province a particular so-called Pentecostal movement. A certain group declared that because they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they no longer had any lusts. Thus, males and females began to live together. However, this practice resulted in fornication, and great shame was brought upon the Lord's name. Because of the fornication among this group, the door to the gospel was closed in that district for quite a period of time. Approximately fifteen years ago, the same kind of thing occurred in Korea. Many Korean Christians who had had so-called Pentecostal experiences began to contact one another without restriction, and the result was fornication.
Remember, you are still in the flesh. For a male and a female of the same age to be alone gives opportunity for the enemy to tempt them. Because your past experiences have already convinced you of this, there is no need for me to say too much. Never consider fornication as an unimportant matter. As we have seen, nothing damages your honorable physical body as much as fornication. What a shame it is that some of those in the government want to legalize homosexuality! To do this is to turn this country into a Sodom.
Reuben lost the preeminence of the birthright because of one sin. Today this preeminence is the top portion of the enjoyment of Christ. The double portion of the land signifies the top portion of the enjoyment of the riches of the all-inclusive Christ. Once anyone commits such an awful and terrible sin, he is through with the top enjoyment of Christ. Not only the young people but even those who are middle-aged must be aware of the danger of being alone with a member of the opposite sex. To do this is to take a great risk, for it opens the door for the subtle one to come in. You do not know how subtle and how evil your flesh is. The lusts in our flesh are terrible! Thus, we should have no trust in ourselves. Do not think that it is impossible for you to commit such a thing. The best protection is following the word I received from Brother Nee.
Do not say that my word is the word of a conservative Chinese man from the Far East, and that you live in modern America. As one who is over seventy years of age, I have passed through all the human experiences. Please take heed to my word regarding fornication. Again and again in the New Testament the Apostle Paul issued the warning that no fornicator would have any inheritance in the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5). When we come to Matthew 5 in our life-study, we shall see how strict the Lord Jesus was regarding this matter. Never be loose in contacting members of the opposite sex. For the Lord's name, for the church's testimony, for your protection, and for the honor of your physical body, you must follow this principle of not being alone with a member of the opposite sex. If you follow this principle, you will be preserved. Remember, due to his defilement, Reuben's natural status, the status derived from birth, was altogether changed.