Music recording by Aimee Riegert and Joel Woodruff. From Sing Choirs of New Jerusalem by Fulbert of Chartres, translated by Robert Campbell, 1850. View the Lyrics. Narration by Aimee Riegert.

Devotional by Randy Newman.

Image: The Nimrud Tablet, circa 733 BC, contains an early reference to the biblical kingdom of Judah. It was discovered at the site of the ancient Assyrian Kalhu Palace which is rendered here.

There are close to 800 passages in the Old Testament, identified as messianic by both Christian and Jewish scholars. If you look into this (perhaps with the help of Alfred Edersheim’s magnificent work The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah), you will find hundreds of Jewish writings identifying the same passages that Christians say are about Messiah.

Most of those 800 references, perhaps 500 of them, envision a powerful reign of a conquering king. Some 300 of them depict a suffering servant. Some Jewish interpreters try to make sense of this by suggesting two Messiahs, one who suffers and one who conquers.

Christians think it’s better to say there will be one Messiah who comes twice—first as a suffering servant and then later as a conquering king. The passage we’re considering today in Genesis 49 fits in the conquering king category and predicts one who descends from the line of Judah and will reign with the traditional symbols of kingship: a scepter, and a ruler’s staff.

On one level, this is merely historical. The Messiah is a descendant of Judah. On another level, this is truly astonishing. One with a very human genealogy will rule with absolute divine authority.

It is worth pondering that the Messiah would come through the line of Judah and not Joseph, the one who got more airtime in Genesis and comes across as the good guy. Judah was despicable. (Go back and read Judah’s actions in chapter 38.) God has always been scandalously gracious, even choosing a sinner like Judah to pave the way for the sinless Savior. For today’s prayer reflection, consider how graciously forgiving God has been toward Judah and sinners like him—people like you and me.