A Short and Difficult Life⤒🔗

The conclusion of the book of Genesis finds the patriarch Jacob on his deathbed in Egypt. Jacob had reached what we would consider to be the "ripe old age" of 147 years old. He, however, saw the situation a little differently; he had described the years of his life as being "few and difficult" (Genesis 47:9). They hadn't lived up to the example of his fathers, either in number or in quality. As an old man nearing death, Jacob was well aware of the nature of his life. He described it as a "pilgrimage," a journey to a final destination, a sojourning. But for Jacob, "the few and difficult" years of his life were not his ultimate concern; he was concerned with what was yet to come.

Blessings←⤒🔗

So as he lay dying, Jacob followed in the footsteps of his fathers, passing on the blessings of the covenant to his children. Having blessed the sons of Joseph, he moved on to his own sons, the men who would be the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Some of these "blessings" hardly seem to us to be blessings at all — they may even appear to be more like curses. But Genesis 49:28 tells us the nature of Jacob's final words to his sons; they were "what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him."

Three Disappointments←⤒🔗

By virtue of his status as the first-born, Reuben should have received the greatest blessing. But Reuben had committed adultery with Jacob's concubine, Bilhah. So the first-born of Israel would father neither judges nor prophets, and no kings would rise up from among his descendants. Reuben, "turbulent as the waters," would fade away over time.

Next, Jacob addressed Simeon and Levi together, and like Reuben, they were left disappointed. When their sister Dinah had been raped by Shechem many years before, they had used trickery and violence to take their revenge. And so neither Simeon nor Levi would receive their own portion of the Promised Land; they would be scattered among their brothers.

The Climax: Judah←⤒🔗

Perhaps by now even Judah was worried. Fourth in line, Judah had not lived an exemplary life either; like his older brothers, he was a sinner, and all too often he had allowed his sinful nature to control him. But Judah had been changed, and that had been proven by his offering himself as a substitute for his youngest brother, Benjamin (Genesis 44:33ff), a selfless act that foreshadowed Jesus' offering of himself as a substitute for his brothers.

Judah would not come away from Jacob's deathbed disappointed. He would dominate his brothers, and their enemies. He would be a lion, the king of beasts, striking fear into the hearts of those who he would encounter. He would be the ruler; the ruler's staff, the king's sceptre, would not depart from Judah, "until he comes to whom it belongs, and the obedience of the nations is his."

Echoes of Abraham←⤒🔗

The promises that the LORD had made to Abraham were being directed through the line of Judah. When the rightful holder of the ruler's staff, the greatest of Judah's descendants, would come, blessings would overflow to all nations. In Revelation 5:5, he would be called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." And his first miracle, the transformation of water to wine at the wedding in Cana, would make the nature of his kingdom clear, reminding us of the final words that Jacob spoke about this great Son of Judah. His reign would be a time of such abundance that precious grape vines would be used as tethering places for donkeys; wine would be as plentiful as water. His coming would bring great joy. He would be the greatest king, and his kingdom would have a magnificence beyond human imagine.

An Injection of Hope←⤒🔗

As for Judah's younger brothers, nothing so great awaited them. Jacob's blessings for Zebulun, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin could never reach the majesty of the prophecy he had made about their older brother. But in the midst of those final words to the younger brothers, mixed blessings at best, blessings that revealed the constant stain of sin that would remain, Jacob makes a sudden, surprising interjection: "I look for your deliverance, O LORD!" In the midst speaking of the turbulence that awaited the remainder of his descendants, Jacob is led to make one final, passionate interjection: "I wait, with great eagerness, for your salvation!"

Jacob's sojourning had come to an end. But still he looked forward, with expectant hope, longing for the coming of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The future of his sons would be impacted by sin, marked by conflict, stained with suffering. With that knowledge, Jacob cries out in confidence, in a confession of faith, that something greater than merely earthly blessings would surely be brought forth by the LORD.

Waiting: 2000 Years Later←⤒🔗

Two millennia later, the faithful remnant that remained among the descendants of Jacob was still looking expectantly forward to the Lord's deliverance. In Luke 2:25, we're told of a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, a righteous and devout man who "was waiting for the consolation of Israel." The words of hopeful expectation that had been spoken by Jacob two thousand years earlier were still on the lips of his descendants. They trusted that the LORD would fulfil his promises. And filled with the Holy Spirit, Simeon would be led to understand that the time had finally come. He could depart in peace. Because when he saw the child Jesus and took him in his arms, he knew: with his own eyes, he had seen the salvation of the Lord.

Jacob had looked forward with eager expectation to the Lord's salvation. And now, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, that salvation had finally arrived. His coming marked the fulfilment of the hope of Israel, a hope that was kept alive from generation to generation by the Holy Spirit. And as we reflect on the first coming of the hope of Israel, we look forward to his second coming. With Simeon we can say that we have seen his salvation; and with Jacob we can exclaim, with expectant longing, "I look for your deliverance, O LORD!"