PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Genesis 49-50
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Until he to whom it belongs shall come.” (Genesis 49:10)
For centuries the Jews have hoped that one day their messiah would come.
The word ‘messiah’ means “anointed one’, God’s promised and chosen rescuer.
The Jews understood this as part of their spiritual DNA, their birthright.
Right back to when their founding father Israel blessed Judah with these words.
And this reaffirms the promise made to the serpent about the coming ‘offspring’.
“He will crush (the serpent’s) head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
This promised ruler will crush the serpent and restore God’s kingdom.
“And the obedience of the nations shall be his.” (Genesis 49:10)
Jesus is the serpent-crushing, kingdom restoring rule of the nations (Matthew 2:6).
Sadly, they have not seen in Jesus the fulfillment of that promise.
But I suspect this ancient hope is one thing that keeps the Jews going today.
We can learn from them, how we too can persevere through centuries of hardship.
Cling to Jesus, the promised Messiah, even when your world seems to fall apart.
Like Joseph and his brothers, we will see how God was at work for good through it all.
PRAYER
Lord, you have crushed the serpent, you have restored the kingdom, you are reigning, you will come again… no matter what happens.
“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c] until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his…You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Both these passages point to Jesus: Judah – the tribe from whom Jesus traces his lineage and the other a statement of Jesus mission – His death and resurrection – for the saving of all who believe! The connections are reassuring! Lord Jesus help me not to see harm when I face challenges – but help me to see the good you are trying to bring out in me!