QT 1/20/2026 Gen 49:8-13, Promises made, promises fulfilled

Genesis 49:8–13 (ESV) —

8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;

your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;

your father’s sons shall bow down before you.

9 Judah is a lion’s cub;

from the prey, my son, you have gone up.

He stooped down; he crouched as a lion

and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until tribute comes to him;

and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

11 Binding his foal to the vine

and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,

he has washed his garments in wine

and his vesture in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes are darker than wine,

and his teeth whiter than milk.

13 “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea;

he shall become a haven for ships,

and his border shall be at Sidon.

 

NOTE: This is the first place in scripture that we see Judah prophesied as the line of the Messiah (verse 10). The three older brothers have disqualified themselves. We have already seen Judah take on the leadership of the family over that of Reuben, and even Jacob. Joseph appears as a type of Christ in his life, but Judah carries the seed of Christ, the Messiah.

 

Judah was not perfect either. There are no perfect humans. David, the epitome of Judah's line is far from perfect, but he does one thing no one else does, he truly loves God with all of his heart.

 

We see God's plan beginning to take shape. It certainly was not orchestrated by human hands since the first king of Israel was from Benjamin before ultimately ending up in the tribe of Judah. God knows the future and he revealed it to Jacob. I'm sure Israel's tribes doubted God many times in the 400 years that followed their journey from the land into Egypt. God's timing is not our timing. All of God's promises get fulfilled in their time. There is a snatching up, a tribulation, and a second coming promised. There is a millennial rule of Christ on the earth coming. These are not idle promises even though almost 2000 years have passed since they were made. God's timeline is different, but God's fulfillment of those prophecies are 100 percent (in their time).

 

PONDER:

1. Am I doing all I can to be a witness to a spiritually dying generation?
2. Do I look for opportunities to leave a person with a verse or some truth?

 

PRAYER: Father, I want to be faithful to your calling. Help me to see where you are using me in the world. Help me to see the opportunities. Give me boldness to share the good news as I should.