"8 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 11 Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk." ~ Genesis 49:8-12
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 49 where Jacob is blessing his sons. Having considered Jacob's blessing upon the first three sons, today, we will contemplate Jacob’s blessing upon Judah, his fourth son. The Bible speaks more about the tribe of Judah than any other single tribe of Israel. Through Judah came the Lord Jesus Christ. Despite his sexual failure with his daughter-in-law, Judah developed into a leader. If we desire to be leaders, we, like Judah, must be willing to confront the truth, even hard truths about ourselves, repent of our sin and turn to God. In the development of Judah as a leader, a drama developed which would only be consummated through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In v.8 of today's passage, we read, "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you."
Judah was the fourth son born to Jacob and Leah. The name Judah means "Thank you, God." The term "Jew" comes directly from the name Judah. The Apostle Paul used this term in Romans 2:28-29 which reads, "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God."
Jacob’s note in today's passage is that God was praised for him at his birth. Judah first began to attain ascendancy when he spoke on behalf of all the brothers before Joseph revealed himself to them. After that, he was sent by Jacob ahead of the others as they traveled to Egypt to point the way to Goshen. Judah was the first tribe to march ahead of the other tribes as they carried the Ark of the Covenant into Canaan. Once in Canaan, Judah was repeatedly selected as the first of the tribes to go into battle. After Joshua’s death, Judah was the first to be assigned land as it was divided among the tribes. The first judge of Israel, Othniel, was of the tribe of Judah. From Judah came King, David. Judah, meaning "thank you, God" sets the example for all of us. In all things, let gratitude lead.
In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people."
Judah was a young lion, one of little power. At this point in the history of Judah, he was one among his brothers, with no seeming advantage above them. However, the tribe of Judah eventually matured into a grown lion in its own right. It became the largest of the tribes and was known for its many conquests, defeating prey in all directions as they prospered. Jacob employed symbolism of a lion that crouched over his prey, with no worries about it being taken from him as he devoured it.
The scepter has always been the symbol of rule and authority. This was prophesied by Jacob of Judah as the predominate and ruling tribe. To Judah was given the rule and the acknowledgment of that rule was in the scepter. As the ruler, Judah would rest his staff between his feet while sitting on his throne. Judah, like many others in the Old Testament points us to none other than the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus is called the Lion of Judah who has triumphed over temptation, sin, and death. The Lord Jesus is the Lion who retreats before nothing! The word "Shiloh" means peace, the peace of the coming Messiah. It is the law or truth of God that brings order to things. The name and person of Judah points us to the Prince of Peace. Judah was the lawgiver until the true Lawgiver came.
In v.11-12 of today's passage we read, "11 Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk."
In the land of Judah, vines have always been in great abundance. So much so that a donkey could be tied to them almost anywhere. The "choice vine" has a purple berry without any seeds and it is highly valued. And yet, it would be so common that that the donkey’s colt would be tied to it. The same terms for donkey and donkey’s colt were used in Zechariah 9:9 which foretold of the coming Messiah. And, even the vine has a fulfillment in the Lord Jesus. In John 15 he said, "I am the true Vine." Under the law, donkeys are considered unclean animals and thus they represent the gentiles, impure and ignorant of spiritual matters and yet once tied to the true Vine, the Lord Jesus, the gentile believer is given the very wisdom of God that confounds the unsaved world.
In the land of Judah, wine was so common, it could be used like water for the most ordinary purpose, even washing clothes. This is why Jacob prophesied that the Messiah would wash His clothes in the blood of grapes. The Lord Jesus is our goel, He is both our Kinsman Redeemer and Avenger of blood. Both of these roles come from the same Hebrew word, goel, as we have previously pointed out. As our Kinsman Redeemer, Christ has put on garments of flesh and has become like us in His human nature. He, in fact did wash his clothes in His own blood, becoming entirely red in His apparel, from head to foot in order to redeem you and me. His bloody garment became our righteousness because He has avenged us of our sin. In Revelation 19:13 we read, "He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God."
