Thursday, March 16, 2023

 

Thursday, March 16, 2023


Psalm 38

Genesis 49:1-21

Luke 16:14-31


The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet…


Imagine the scene: Jacob, now an old man and using his given name Israel, calls forth his twelve sons for a blessing. Something in the air shifts; imperceptible, yet unquestionable. A look comes in to the old mans eyes, and his words are now prophecy: still his own, yet inspired by the Holy Spirit of God.


All of Jacob’s life he has been reminded of the promise God gave to him, his father Isaac, and his grandfather Abraham, of a great number of descendants and land for them to live in. Now he speaks not only of the promise given these men, but of the promise given by God to Adam and Eve.


The curse upon the serpent, that ancient enemy, is given a flicker of more detail: not only shall his head be crushed, but his reign will one day come to an end. Whenever we read the word “sceptre” in the Bible, remember: this is speaking of kingship, of authority.


From the line of Judah, one of Abraham’s great-grandsons, shall come a ruler, but not like David or Solomon yet to come. This ruler will never lose His authority. His power, the staff between His feet, will always be His to command; Abraham rejoiced to see His day. This ruler will bring in such great prosperity for His people that donkeys will be allowed to eat grape leaves: there will be such plenty that a few rows of wine grapes lost to the pack animals won’t even register on the balance sheet.


This plan of God, to redeem a people for Himself through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, was formed before the creation of the world. There was always to be a final victory of good over evil. As C. S. Lewis once suggested, it is like a play, only all the characters are real people. And every bit of it, from Eden to the New Jerusalem, is for the great and ultimate purpose to bring glory to our good and loving God.



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