In this video listen to Genesis 49 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.

In Genesis 49 Jacob is 147 years old, and is on his death bed. He now proceeds to prophecy and bless his twelve sons. Some of the blessings don’t seem very good for them, but are accurate as our knowledge of history shows.

The most profound of all the blessings is for Judah, his fourth son. Judah is told that the sceptre will not depart from Judah and that he will rule over his brothers. Later of course King David comes from the tribe of Judah, but of his lineage, Jesus is to come. Jesus is the king of kings, with an eternal kingdom, and the sceptre never departs from him. Before Jesus every knee bows and every tongue will confess. What we have here is a blessing, but also a prophecy about Christ.

The other prophecies/blessings are al ...