Genesis 49 Devotional
By Pastor Lawrence
The Holy Scriptures are full of God’s blessings. The Bible literally begins and ends with a blessing, for as soon as Moses describes what God had created on the first six days in Genesis, he tells us that the Lord blessed His creation. And the very last words we have in the book of Revelation are also words of blessing: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with God’s people.” Of course, the Lord doesn’t always give the same blessing to every aspect of his creation or to every person, but He always blesses appropriately according to his purposes for the good of the Church and the glory of His name.
As we might expect, Jacob’s favorite son receives a double blessing from the Lord, but what stands out in this text is Jacob’s blessing upon his son Judah. Judah was not the firstborn son, but he receives a greater blessing than all the sons of Israel. In v.8, Jacob says to Judah, “your brothers will praise you,” which is in accord with his name, for Judah means “praise.” And Judah would receive much greater praise than that of even a brother, for the Hebrew word for praise that is used here is normally reserved for the Lord himself, so Judah will receive the highest of praise. He also will take on the praise that once applied to Joseph, for all of his brothers would bow down to him in the future, not merely as one in authority, but as unto a king.
Jacob also says of him in v.8, “your hand will be on the neck of your enemies.” Not only would Judah excel among his brothers, he would excel among his enemies, conquering them, even humiliating them, forcing their necks to the ground in submission. Like a lion’s cub in his youth, he would grow in power, returning from the fight unharmed. Then like a lion he would crouch and lie down in the grass without fear, for who would dare attack him. Surely, he would overpower all his enemies. Then in v.10, Jacob tells him explicitly that his sons will also be kings, that the scepter will never depart from his house nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet.
But did Judah deserve this blessing in comparison with his brothers? Not at all, for if you remember, Judah was the one who had slept with his own daughter-in-law thinking that she was a prostitute. Yet the Lord was merciful to Judah nonetheless and poured out his grace upon him, but for what reason? The Lord had a greater purpose in mind in blessing Judah. Not only was he blessing this one man and this one tribe. Surely this blessing would spill over into all Israel for they would all be blessed with wisdom, law, strength and security through their honorable kings. And this honorable lineage of kings would last for a long time until the scepter would come ultimately to whom it belongs, to Christ, the true lion of Judah. Surely all of Israel would bow down to him and praise him.
And notice his kingdom is much bigger than the nation of Israel for at the end of v.10 Jacob says, “the obedience of the nations is his,” or as the KJV reads, “the gathering of the peoples.” This refers to the peoples of the earth, not just to the tribes of Israel. This last king would gather the citizens of the world and demand the obedience of every tribe and tongue. Every knee would bow to him both in heaven and on earth.
And notice the blessings of his kingdom. In v.11, Jacob foresees that this king will usher in a golden age of prosperity and blessing for the peoples. He will “tether his donkey to a vine and his colt to the choicest branch.” In the days of the Messiah, the vines will flourish so much that he will be able to tie his horse’s reins to the large branches, and his donkey will be able to eat as much of the fruit as he wants for there is no fear of scarcity. The wine will be so plentiful that he will wash his clothes in it. Then in v.12 the Lord says “his eyes will be darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.” The earth will be so abundantly rich that his eyes will be red with prosperity and his teeth white from the abundance of milk and honey in the land. This blessing upon Judah would cause a multitude of blessings to overflow upon Israel and upon all the earth.
Of course, when Jesus came the first time to this earth the world did not bow to him, his enemies were not afraid of him and the earth did not overflow with milk and honey. Yet throughout his ministry, we can see many signs pointing forward to his reign. We get a foretaste of the abundance through the multiplying of the fish and the loaves. We see a glimpse of the submission of his enemies when Jesus is casting out the demons. And we sense the delight of the people in the blessings of the kingdom when Jesus heals them of their diseases and forgives them of their sins. He brings life to the dead, sight to the blind, and makes the lame to walk. But if you remember, the very first miracle Jesus performed strikes right at the heart of this prophecy. He turned the common water into an abundance of wine and the people rejoiced. Surely this was meant to strengthen our hope in the promises of God and the future blessings in store for God’s people.
It may not seem fair that God would bless one man over the rest of his brothers in this way, but he does so for the good of all his people. Ultimately Jesus receives all the blessings of God for he deserves the father’s favor and praise. As sons and daughters of Adam we all deserve the Lord’s wrath and curse, but as children of God, and saints in Christ, we all are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ because of his perfection, his righteousness and his obedience. But that blessing the Lord bestows upon us is not meant just for us. No matter how many talents he has given us, no matter how much money he has given us, no matter what spiritual blessings we have received, the Lord has called us to be a blessing to others in the name of Christ.
The blessings of God are not about us and our kingdom, but about Christ and his kingdom. And the Lord has given us suitable blessings to be a blessing in his kingdom. So may the Lord give us wisdom, power and grace as we spread his kingdom near and far.