If we did not know the rest of the story, we would be surprised by Jacob's blessing to Judah. One, he is an extra dirty rotten sinner (the affair of Tamar, his daughter-in-law; selling Joseph into slavery). Two, he has the wrong mother. Judah is a son of Leah, not Rachel. He is not one of Jacob's favorite sons.
So, how do we account for this magnificent blessing? 1) The two older brothers, Reuben and Simeon, defaulted because of their sin. 2) Judah has repented of his sins. 3) Jacob has repented of his favoritism. However, there is only one real answer: God's sovereign choice.
In verse 8, Jacob says Judah is praiseworthy for what he will become: the future line of Kings. Judah is also praiseworthy because he will conquer: "Thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies." King David is in the line of Judah and fulfills this prophecy. This phrase is also used in Psalms 18, a messianic psalm.
The image of a king who conquers his enemy through violent conflict (hand on the neck) parallels the warfare in Genesis 3:15 (heel crushing the head). At the beginning and end of Genesis, there is a prophecy of a Messiah who is a conquering King.
Verse 9 presents Judah as a fierce lion that has seized its prey, returned to its den, and there lies, daring anyone to challenge him. Once again, David's reign foreshadows the greatest king: Jesus Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah.
Finally, in verse 10, Jacob says that the "scepter shall not depart from Judah." The image of a scepter touches upon one of these themes of the story of Joseph: king. And how long shall the scepter last in the tribe of Judah? Until Shiloh comes, which we will look at next.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
