Jacob
Blesses Judah
"Judah, your brothers (1) shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the (2) neck of your enemies; Your father's sons shall (3) bow down to you. (4) "Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up? (5) "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, (6) Nor
the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, and (7)
to
him shall be the
obedience of the peoples. (8) "He ties his foal
to the vine, and
his donkey's colt to the choice vine; He washes his garments in wine, And his robes in the blood of grapes. “His
eyes are dull from wine, And
his teeth white from milk (Genesis 49:8-12).
Verse 8— (1)
"Judah, your brothers
shall praise you—We have a miniature preview of
the kingship of Judah that would span the years until Messiah should come. It
is appropriate that Judah would be praised by his brothers since his name means
‘praise’. Leah stated at his birth "This time I will praise the Lord." Therefore, she named him Judah (Genesis
29:35). The previous births she hoped to be loved. Thus, Judah, whose name
means praise, will be praised by his brothers who will do so in recognition of
his leadership. Jacob intended this effect.
PT—Because
Reuben, Simeon, and Levi had disqualified themselves, Judah would receive the
leadership of the tribes which normally went to the first-born. Two outcomes:
1. This is how the leadership of the tribes and
the Messianic line fell to Judah.
2. Jacob evidently forgave Judah’s earlier sins
because he repented and later sacrificed himself for Jacob’s wellbeing (Genesis
44:30-34). Remember, Judah had wished himself to be put in Benjamin’s place, and to
undergo perpetual exile and servitude, rather than convey to his father tidings
which would be the cause of Jacob’s destruction.
An Application—Two lessons
emerge from Judah’s sensitivity—he was willing to lose everything and achieved
greatness but many who are first will
be last; and the last, first (Matthew 19:30). In giving up
his life, Judah also actually found it for whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever
loses his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 16:25). Such
is the way of our heavenly Father. The
principle is to leave everything behind as you prioritize eternal rewards in
your life. The path of discipleship is the pursuit of heavenly profit by
denying yourself as your following Christ.
·
(2)
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies—This is a graphic reference to the humiliation of one’s enemies
in battle. He would show himself powerful over the enemies and be praised for
it. To expose the neck of one’s enemy was a symbolic gesture signifying that
the enemy had been conquered Joshua
called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who
had gone with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings."
So they came near and put their feet on their necks (Joshua
10:24).
·
(3)
Your father's sons shall bow down to you—The praise that Judah would receive will also be incorporated
into submission and homage by the family. This initial description prefigures
the kingly role of the tribe expanded in the remainder of the blessing.
Verse 9— (4)
"Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. —Jacob used the metaphor of the lion’s cub to portray Judah as
powerful. The figure of a lion is used for the monarchy in many cultures. The
image recalls the ferociousness of Judah’s powerful leadership. He is seizing
his prey and bringing it back to the den.
· He couches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up? —In addition to the seizing and bringing back the prey, Judah is
pictured as reclining over the prey back in the den. Satiated with the battle
and kill, he will be mighty in battle and kingly in repose and as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
PT—It is
interesting to note that five different animals are associated with various
tribes in Jacob’s blessing. Judah is compared to a lion, Issachar is associated
with a donkey (v. 14), Dan with a serpent (v. 17), Naphtali with a deer (v.
21), and Benjamin with a wolf (v. 27).
Verse 10— (5) "The
scepter shall not depart from Judah—This
verse moves into promise for the eschatological future, looking beyond the
normal period of Israel’s history to the dawn of the messianic age. The scepter was the symbol of kingship—it
would be Judah’s. The Lord anticipated that there one day would be kings in
Israel "When you enter the land
which the Lord your
God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, 'I will set a
king over me like all the nations who are around me,' (Deuteronomy 17:14).
· (6) Nor
the ruler's staff from between his feet—The
symbols of royalty, the scepter and now the lawgiver’ staff, revealed that
rulership will never depart from Judah. The right to reign as king will always
be with the tribe of Judah. No legitimate king could rise from another tribe.
The figure from between his feet
could refer to the descendants who would come from his loins. Only these would
rule.
·
Until
Shiloh comes—Shiloh means ‘to whose it is’. So the scepter and staff, that is, the theocratic
administration—would remain in the tribe of Judah until the one comes to whom
it belongs. The point is that in ‘Shiloh’, the one to come to whom rulership
belongs, is when the scepter will reach its greatest glory and extent. Without
much detail, this prophecy provides a hint at the coming of the Messiah. Later
in Israel’s history, God chose a descendant of Judah, David, to be the family
through whom the Messiah would come your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever;
your throne shall be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16).
PT—The genealogy narrowed once more when a
specific town within Judah, Bethlehem, was chosen as the site of Messiah’s
birth from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity" (Micah 5:2). Finally, in his genealogy of Jesus, Matthew
confirmed that Jesus possessed all of the credentials to be the Messiah Jacob
was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is
called the Messiah (Matthew
1:1-16). In the throne room of heaven its Jesus described as the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the
Root of David (Revelation 5:5) who’s descent is from the
tribe of Judah.
· (7) and
to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. —The character of Shiloh’s rule will be such that obedience
of the peoples or nations will dominate that rule. The
apostle Paul declared that the Father’s ultimate purpose is for all peoples
everywhere and from all time to at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11).
Verse 11— (8) "He ties his foal to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine—The language here revealed an abundance in the land of promise. This
prophecy is catching the mood of the time when the curse will have little
effect and the land will have great blessing. Binding a foal to a vine and a choice vine speaks of a time of great plenty and splendor—in this
case most likely the millennium.
· He washes his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes—These expressions speak of abundance—it will be a golden age for
sure. So much so, that commodities such as wine and the grapes they are made
from will be bountiful. Wine, the symbol of
prosperity and blessing, will be so plentiful that even the choicest vines will
be put to such everyday use as tethering the animals of burden and vintage wine
will be as commonplace as wash water. By Jesus turning water into wine was signifying that the kingdom
was at hand—the creation of the abundance of wine signaled the Messiah was
present (John 2:1-11).
Verse 12—His eyes are dull from wine, and his teeth white from milk—These images reveal that Israel’s experience of thorns and sweat
will give way to shouting and feasting. Understood as a symbols of abundance, the dark or red eyes would be from
drinking wine, and the white teeth from drinking milk. This one is a picture of
vigor and strength. This prophecy is the first of many that follow in the Old
Testament that associates bumper crops with the golden age of future blessing.
An
Application—Everything in the Bible is leading to the
emergence of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Everything God is doing in the world
is moving to that conclusion. The curse on the earth will be removed. Believers
should focus on the supremacy of Jesus Christ and His ushering in of that
kingdom rule. Believers should be living in such a way that they are
preparing for that eternal rule by how they conduct their lives here in earth. Remember,
the only thing you are taking with you into eternity is your own discipleship.
A Review of the History of the Tribe of Judah
The
blessing of Jacob upon Judah was a series of prophecies pronounced upon him
about his life and future. Judah’s subsequent history is a marvelous record of
God’s plan to inaugurate the Messiah who would be the fulfillment of the promises
made to the patriarchs and their posterity.
Genesis 38 in Review
·
Judah
and his brothers had tried to prevent Joseph from gaining prominence over them
by selling him into Egypt. Now Judah attempted to prevent Tamar from fulfilling
her levirate rights in his family. Tamar intervened with her disparate actions
which God used as a corrective for Judah. God’s plans cannot so easily be
thwarted—whether the ones he had for Joseph, or the ones He had for Judah’s
line.
Verses 1-4—Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name
was Shua; and he took her and went in to her (v. 2)—Genesis 24:2-4 Abraham determined
to find a wife for Isaac. Genesis 28:1 prohibited marrying Canaanite women.
Moses said the same in Deuteronomy 7:1-4. Judah had separated himself from his
brothers and married a Canaanite woman anyway. This act was out of harmony with
the will of the patriarchs to not marry a Canaanite woman. From this marriage
Judah had three sons.
Verses
6-11—Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn,
and her name was Tamar....
Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife… then Judah said to
his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my
son Shelah grows up"; for he thought, "I am afraid that
he too may die like his brothers." So Tamar went
and lived in her father's house. —Er and Onan both did evil in the sight of the Lord.
Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the
sight of the Lord,
so the Lord took his life
(v. 7). No details are given but that he was wicked was warrant enough for his
untimely death. This word evil describes
something deserving of divine judgment as in Genesis 6:5 where God said every intent of the thoughts of his
[mankind] heart was only evil
(deserving of judgment) continually. Whatever
Er was doing brought divine justice. Judah then asked Onan to take Tamar. He was willing to use the custom of
marrying the elder brothers widow, Tamar, only to have
her to sexually gratify himself, but not raise up a child through it and
spilled his seed on the ground. God took
his life also. This attitude of gratification without responsibility has
been repeated from generation to generation in immoral people.
PT—Both fought
against Gods plan in some way. Now Judah withheld his youngest son from
marrying Tamar, fearing that he might lose this son as well.
An Application—Evil
is a wickedness that God will judge. He did so at the flood then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on
the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually. The Lord was
sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart (Genesis 6:5-6). Two of the six things God hates is a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil (Proverbs
6:18). Paul warned believers to abstain
from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Enough said. But if you
ignore this warning, expect God to hold you accountable.
Verses 12-23—So
she (Tamar) removed her widow's garments and covered herself with
a veil, and wrapped herself…
for she saw that Shelah had grown
up, and she had not been given to him as a wife… So he
gave them to her and (Judah)
went
in to her, and she conceived by him. —The scene continues to show Judah
as profane while portraying Tamar as taking a great risk to obtain what was her
right. After the death of Judah’s wife, Tamar lured Judah into what was for him
an immoral union with an unknown prostitute. Judah had negotiated payment with
Tamar for a kid from the flock for the tryst. Until he could send the payment,
though, he had to give his pledge—his tokens of identification—his seal, cord,
and staff. Tamar conceived as a result. Even though she did what justice and
the death of her husband demanded of her—it was a very dangerous scheme.
PT—Scripture
does not cast any moral judgment upon Tamar. She is presented in the Bible in a
favorable light. Boaz said of her moreover,
may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the
offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman"
(Ruth 4:12). What we can say is that she had the right to have a child by the
nearest kin to her deceased husband. She played on the vice of Judah to bear
this child, and her deception worked.
Verses
24-26—Now it was about three months later that
Judah was informed, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and
behold, she is also with child by harlotry." Then Judah said, "Bring
her out and let her be burned!" And
she said, "Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff
are these?" Judah
recognized them, and said, "She is more
righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah."—This scene adds hypocrisy to Judah’s lack of integrity. Judah
condemned her to be burned until he found out he was the guilty party. Then,
rather than be included in any punishment, he simply exonerated her by saying she is more righteous than I for he did
not fulfill his responsibilities. Although Tamar’s method was desperate, she
did nothing the law did not entitle her too.
PT—Tamar’s risky ploy came to light, but she was exonerated by being
in the right. Judah’s reputation suffered another blow—he was both immoral and
hypocritical. As is often the case. A desperate act to set things right will
reveal the reason for the act, namely, that someone else has been responsible
or faithless.
Verses 27-30—It came about at the time she was giving birth,
that behold, there were twins in her womb. He put out a hand, and the
midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This
one came out first." But it came about as he drew
back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, "What a
breach you have made for yourself!" So he was
named Perez.
Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named
Zerah. —God granted twins to Tamar—the line of Judah continued because of
her. The births, however, were unusual. The second child broke out first
and was name Perez, ‘he who breaks through’ signifying the completion of
Tamar’s struggle and depicted the destiny of the predominance of Perez’ tribe.
The second child, whose hand had been the first to emerge from the womb was
named Zerah. In Judah’s family, in spite of Judah’s irresponsible ways, twins
were born and the younger surpassed the elder.
PT—Through this exceptional birth God worked out the principle that
his plan for the younger to be subservient to the elder could not be
frustrated. Whether that had to do with Judah and his brothers
submission to Joseph, or Judah’s jeopardizing of his line by marrying Canaanite
women. God was providentially protecting the tribal family from the corruption
in the family line, thereby ensuring the line’s integrity. Gods plan could not
so easily be set aside.
· The way the entire event works out is ironic; the thing that Judah
tries to prevent happened, and it was his means of correction. If it had been
left up to Judah, the family would have assimilated with Canaanites. But Tamar
retrieved the line and served as a corrective. In the midst of corruption and
faithlessness, the faithful may have to take risks to do what is right.
An Application—We should not engage in any attempt to subvert the revealed will of God. We may attempt to modify Gods will, engaging in schemes to concoct an alternative outcome. But this will be a violation of God’s will, and then force God to act to preserve His revealed will. James said therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4-5). The world urges us to love ourselves, to put our pleasures before God’s pleasures. God does not want you to have the pleasures from the association with the world but from choosing righteousness.
2 Samuel 7 in
Review
· David, of the tribe of Judah, is given what has
been called the Davidic Covenant. This covenant defines David’s descendants,
prescribes the line of Christ, the Messiah of Israel, and guarantees a future
for the people of Israel.
Verses 8-9—"Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you –Nathan, after reminding David that God said He had never dwelt in a house, and He never asked David to build one for Him (apparently, God is not house-oriented [Isaiah 66:1-2]), reminds David of God’s provision in his life. That included taking him from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. God had been with him all along the way, and God had cut off David’s enemies.
Verses 10-11— …
and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on
the earth. I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant
them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor
will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, even
from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will
give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the
Lord will
make a house for you. —Then God talked
about what He was going to do.
·
I will make you a
great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth.
·
I will also
appoint a place for My people Israel so they will not be disturbed again
·
I will give you
rest from all your enemies.
·
The LORD also
declares to you that the LORD will make a house for you—a dynasty.
Some of God’s promises to David
would find fulfillment during his lifetime (vv. 8-11a) and others after
his death (vv. 11b-16). The promise of a great name
is reminiscent of God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:2), and suggests
(though the word ‘covenant’ nowhere appears in these verses) that the Davidic
kingship is being incorporated into the Abrahamic covenant. This is reinforced
by the reference to God’s people Israel dwelling in their own place,
undisturbed by enemies (v. 10), a reference to Genesis
15:18-21 and Deuteronomy 11:24. The point—there will be an
everlasting royal dynasty and kingdom for David and his heirs.
Verses
12-17— (1) I will raise up your descendant
after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. (2) He shall build a house for My
name, and (3) I will establish the throne of
his kingdom forever…. (4) Your
house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; (5) your
throne shall be established forever."'"
The rest of Nathan’s revelation was an elaboration on this fourth
promise, the Davidic Covenant. The covenant included five basic
promises:
1. David’s
descendants would establish a kingdom after his death. The future kings of
Israel would always be of the blood line of David, as Jesus was through David
and Bathsheba’s son Nathan (Luke 3).
2.
David’s son
(Solomon) shall build a
house for My name.
3. I will establish the throne of his (Solomon’s) kingdom forever. So,
all of the future kings of Israel would be connected to the throne of Solomon (as Jesus was through Joseph’s marriage to
Mary). The angel intervened to ensure the marriage happened.
4.
Whenever any of
this line of kings commits iniquity,
I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men but
My lovingkindness [loyalty
to the blood line of David] shall not
depart from him, as I took it away from Saul (v. 15).
5.
Unlike
every other kingdom of the earth, David’s kingdom
shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever
(v. 16). This last promise is finally
fulfilled by Jesus Christ (Luke 1:31-33) who will take the throne at His second
coming (Matthew 1:11; 19:28; Acts 15:16-18) and reign on earth for a thousand
years (Revelation 20). Forever here
is in the sense of as long as the earth lasts, since it is destroyed after
Christ’s 1000-year reign (Revelation 21:1-3).
PT—The Davidic Covenant guarantees, not just
a king but a kingdom, not just a future for David’s line, but a future for the
genealogical nation of Israel in their ancient homeland.
An Application—The church does
not fulfill the Davidic covenant, progressively or any other way. The throne of
David will be established on earth during the 1000-year kingdom described in
Revelation 20, after the church has been removed (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18;
Romans 11: 17-24).
Observations from the Tribe of Judah
·
While
the tribes were marching through the wilderness, it was the tribe of Judah that
went first the standard of the camp of the sons of Judah,
according to their armies, set out first (Numbers 10:14).
·
After the Israelites conquered the land of
Canaan and began to possess it the lot
for the tribe of the sons of Judah according to their families was
allocated and received first (Joshua 15:1). The tribe of Judah also received
and possessed one of the largest and most important sections in the southern
part of the land of Canaan (Joshua 15:2-63).
·
The census of Numbers 1 at the beginning of the
wanderings, and the list in Numbers 26 at the end have the largest numbers of
tribal population for Judah their numbered
men of the tribe of Judah were 74,600 (Numbers 1:27) and these are the families of Judah according to
those who were numbered of them, 76,500 (Numbers 26:22).
·
The greatest conqueror in the history of Israel
was King David of the tribe of Judah. He extended the boundaries of Israel when
he subdued the Philistines, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Edomites so David made a name for himself… and the Lord helped David wherever he went… So David reigned over
all Israel; and David administered justice and righteousness for all his people (2 Samuel 13-15). David’s son, Solomon, extended the boundaries
of the kingdom to their greatest limits as he consolidated his father’s
conquests now
Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border
of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days
of his life (1 Kings 4:20-25).
·
All
legitimate kings of Israel throughout their history were descendants of David.
The succession of 20 kings in the northern kingdom, beginning with Jeroboam in
930 BC and ending with Hoshea in 721 BC, were illegitimate and rejected by God.
Even though some of Judah’s kings were evil, they were still in the royal line
of succession. The prophecy of Jacob stating the symbols of royalty, the
scepter and the lawgiver’s staff, would never depart from Judah did not mean
that a king will always reign in Judah. However, the right of kingship will
always be in this tribe and in no other.
Application—We
are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him
who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.