Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be(Gen. 49:8-10).
God always keeps His promises. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed (Gen.12:1-3). Here, at the close of the Book of Genesis, we are privileged to witness the birth of the great nation promised to Abraham. As Israel, the dying patriarch, addressed this disparate band of brothers, he spoke with God-imparted wisdom, offering blessings, warnings, and prophecies to his sons and all of their descendants to come.
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence (I Cor. 1:27-29). What do we know of Judah, the fourth-born son of Jacob and Leah? We know that, as a young man, he was crafty and greedy (Gen. 37:26). We know he had a questionable taste in wives, willingly marrying a native Canaanite (38:2), and that of the three sons he sired with her, two were so wicked in the sight of the Lord that He (God) slew them (38:7-10). We know that he was not always a man of his word (38:11,14,26) and that he saw nothing wrong with patronizing prostitution (38:15-18). We know also that he grew into a man willing to publicly admit his wrongdoings (38:26) and that he was prepared to trade his own life for the life of his brother (44:33-34). Even more than all of this, we know that Judah, imperfections notwithstanding, was God’s chosen vessel through which the future of His people was assured. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.
Here, in the first book of the Old Testament, God’s plan for the salvation of the entire world is boldly outlined. Only 70 people strong, God entrusted this small family unit with the truth of the ages, knowing that from them would spring the living Word. The men to whom this truth was given were deeply flawed, but that did not change their usefulness to God. Every action that they and their descendants would take for the next 2000 years would be used by God to prepare the world to receive His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof(Rev. 5:5).
Thought For TodayGod’s message is greater than any man who would spread it; our failings cannot blemish it, and our accomplishments pale in comparison.
Word Studies49:8 in the neck of = in control over; 49:10 sceptre = ruler's staff of authority; 49:26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors = The blessings I have received are greater than those received by my ancestors; 50:15 will certainly requite = will fully repay.
Christ Revealed:The sceptre shall not depart from Judah . . . until Shiloh (the Peacemaker) come (Gen. 49:10). As the Messiah who would come. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed (Rev. 5:5).
Pray For Government Officials:Rep. Maxwell Frost(FL), Rep. Carlos Gimenez(FL) • Country: Norfolk Island (2,210) South Pacific Ocean • Major Language: English • Religious Freedom • 49.6% Protestant; 11.7% Roman Catholic; 8.6% Other; 23.5% None; 6.6% Unspecified • Prayer Suggestion: The promises of God should be an encouragement to you to seek God in prayer (Amos 5:4,6).
Optional Reading:Matthew 17