Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 49 before reading the devotional below.
We are nearing the end of the book of Genesis, and if you’ve been reading along with us the whole time, great job! You’ve almost finished a pretty long book of the Bible! (If you missed any days in this series, you can always search by category on the right margin of the Daily Devotionals page to catch up.)
As Jacob is dying, he gives his final 12 blessings as he prophetically speaks about the future of each of his sons and their descendants. It’s not great news for Reuben, Simeon, and Levi whose lives were colored by bad choices and evil hearts. Rough to have your father’s last words speak a curse of judgment because of your sin. Joseph’s blessings is what you’d expect Jacob to say, and the other boys each get a small but positive blessing that reflects something about them. But Judah stands out even above Joseph as he gets the most eternally significant blessing of all.
Here’s your freedom for today:
God plans way in advance.
Judah lived about 1,500-2,000 years before Jesus came to live on earth, but his blessing is the first direct prophecy about a coming ruler or Messiah. Verse 8 is fascinating because Jacob predicts that the whole family and in fact all nations will bow to one of Judah’s descendants. Wasn’t that Joseph’s dream? As it turns out, Joseph’s dream was an earthly fulfillment, but this blessing for Judah will be fulfilled for all eternity. The book of Matthew traces the direct path from Judah to Jesus, opening the New Testament with a clear understanding that Jesus was the promised ruler to whom all nations would bow. God carefully sculpted his plans long before anyone could fully understand them. He’s still doing that today and your life is part of a much bigger story than you can imagine.