The Pursuit: Jesus in Genesis – Episode 3
In last week’s study, Professor Kingsley finished walking us through Genesis 3:15, which introduced the promise of the Messiah and His victory over evil. Today, he turns to Genesis 49:8-12 to show how that promise unfolds through the royal line from which the Messiah would come.
The Context of Genesis
The book of Genesis essentially chronicles the tragedy of sin in the post-Fall world. Sin spread rapidly, and humanity fell hard. Genesis 6:5 describes it clearly: “Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (LSB).
The question then becomes, “What will God do?” Those he created in His image continually rebel against Him. The answer is in His covenant with Abraham, promising land, seed, and blessing to Abraham and his descendants. Even more, God tells Abraham that from his seed will come a line of kings. Despite mankind’s sin and fallenness, God’s covenant with Abraham remains. It is unconditional and unilateral. This sets the stage for the back half of Genesis, chapters 37-50, where the question of this kingship becomes the focal point.
The Mark of a King
Genesis 37-50 tells the story of Joseph, the man sold into slavery by his own brothers, who was then raised to a place of prominence in Egyptian society. After hearing his story, it seems as though, out of all of Jacob’s sons, Joseph is the most sensible choice to bring forth the line of kings. He has proved himself through his wisdom and power ruling in Egypt. But God’s choice does not fall on Joseph, but rather Judah.
The turning point comes in Genesis 44. Joseph, testing his brother’s character and loyalty, demands that the youngest brother, Benjamin, be left behind as a slave. Instead of abandoning Benjamin, as he once did Joseph, Judah steps forward. He offers to take Benjamin’s place, willing to bear the sin and shame of his family for the rest of his life.
At this moment, God was molding Judah and shaping him to be someone special. Through his willingness to sacrifice himself for his brother, Judah embodies what a king should be. A king is someone who does not just live for his people, but also dies for his people. From this moment on, the line of kings would now come through Judah. And ultimately, the promised Messiah of Genesis 3:15 would be born of his tribe, being the true king that humanity needs.
This blog post captures the essence of Professor Jared Kingsley’s series on Jesus and the Wells. You may click on the video above to hear more insightful details on Jesus throughout the Old Testament. Professor Kingsley is a professor of Hebrew and Old Testament for The Master’s University traditional on-campus program.
