Grace for the Undeserving

Genesis 49:1-12

Jacob Blesses His Sons

^49:1Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.

² “Assemble and listen, O sons of Jacob,
    listen to Israel your father.

³ “Reuben, you are my firstborn,
    my might, and the firstfruits of my strength,
    preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
⁴ Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
    because you went up to your father’s bed;
    then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!

⁵ “Simeon and Levi are brothers;
    weapons of violence are their swords.
⁶ Let my soul come not into their council;
    O my glory, be not joined to their company.
    For in their anger they killed men,
    and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.
⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
    and their wrath, for it is cruel!
    I will divide them in Jacob
    and scatter them in Israel.

⁸ “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
    your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
    your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
⁹ Judah is a lion’s cub;
    from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
    He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
    and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
    until tribute comes to him;
    and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
¹¹ Binding his foal to the vine
    and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
    he has washed his garments in wine
    and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
¹² His eyes are darker than wine,
    and his teeth whiter than milk.

(ESV)

Thought:
We are seeing now the culmination of all the brothers’ lives, what they have earnt and are seen as deserving by their father who has observed them. Most prominent in this initial section, is to whom shall the firstborn rights be given to, who shall be the leader of this nation?

Reuben is rejected for his sexual exploits with his father’s concubine, Simeon and Levi rejected for their fierce anger with which they killed the entire town of Shechem. Now it comes to Judah, who started this journey as unworthy as his brothers, but by the grace of God we have seen become a different man.

From a lover of himself to a lover of others. Now in his humbled state, he receives the greatest blessing, the blessing of leadership, eventual kingship, and also bearer of the messiah.

Though all have bowed down before Joseph, eventually all show bow before Judah and his offspring. He shall not come from the line of exemplary godliness, from Joseph. But rather from the line of repentant sinners, those who have experienced grace.

This Messiah would not hang around the great and respected men of his time, he would hang out with the outcasts, the deplorables, the sinners, all those who saw themselves as desperately in need of God, not those who saw themselves as righteous in the presence of God.

The way to this great blessing and exaltation was through being humbled. He was given the blessing not because he was worthy of it, but because of the fact he saw he was unworthy of it. That is what makes for a godly person. Someone who recognises they shall always be undeserving of what they receive from God, but yet is eternally grateful for his compassion toward them.

Reflection:
Today I need to resist the temptation to think I have somehow earned God's favour. Pride can appear in subtle ways, convincing me that I deserve blessing because of my efforts, obedience, or spiritual maturity. Yet the reality is that everything I have from God comes through His grace.

As I go about my day, I want to remember that my greatest qualification before God is not my strength but my need. I can apply this by coming to Him honestly, acknowledging my weaknesses rather than hiding them. In my decisions today, I want to be quick to give thanks instead of taking credit, and quick to show mercy to others because I have received mercy myself. A grateful heart grows when I remember that every spiritual blessing I enjoy is a gift from a compassionate God who delights to lift up the humble.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for the grace You have shown me when I deserve none of it. Keep me from pride and self-reliance today. Help me to walk in humility, remembering my constant need for Your mercy. Fill my heart with gratitude for all You have given me through Christ, and help me extend that same grace to others. Amen.