Jacob blessed all 12 of his sons that they were to be a part of the nation Israel.
Some of them certainly received a greater blessing than others. Judah was one of them. He received the blessing of first born, the leadership.
What was the reason?
He blessed them based on their characteristics, capabilities and strength they had shown in the past.
He foretold what would become of each of them and their descendants as per their characters. Yes their characters affected their descendants too.
In Genesis 49:8-12 we read about Judah’s blessings, “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. 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? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 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.
Judah's name signifies praise. God was praised for him, Genesis 29:35, therefore his brethren shall praise him. Always praising the Lord should go first. Because Reuben, Simeon, and Levi seemed to be evil in Jacob’s eyes and they had disqualified themselves to receive the blessings which belong to the first born. Judah received the leadership of the tribes and the blessing that normally went to the first-born. Judah exhibited courage and took leadership in some incidents. His father and brothers agreed to him. This is how the leadership of Israel and the Messianic line fell to Judah. Judah should be a strong and courageous tribe. Judah should be the royal tribe, the tribe from which Messiah the Prince should come.
He protected his younger brothers and accepted his faults (Gen. 44:16). So he was blessed with material blessings. “He washes his garments in wine” means prosperity. If God desires to bless us according to our characters, can we receive blessings?
Are our parents pleased with us? Can we receive blessings from our parents?
God Bless You
------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment