Verse 2 also says, “Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.” Jacob’s first son was Reuben. Reuben should have had the first son’s portion, which was the birthright. The birthright included three elements: the double portion of the land, the priesthood, and the kingship. Although Reuben was the first son, he lost his birthright because of his defilement (Gen. 49:3-4; 1 Chron. 5:1-2). Then the double portion of the land went to Joseph. This must have been due to his purity (Gen. 39:7-20). He was the son closest to his father and the one most after his father’s heart (Gen. 37:2-3, 12-17). Each of Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, received a portion of the land (Joshua 16 and 17). Thus through his two sons he inherited two portions of the good land.
The priesthood portion of the birthright went to Levi (Deut. 33:8-10). Levi was very much after God’s heart. In order to fulfill God’s desire, Levi forgot his parents, his brothers, and his children and only took care of God’s desire. Thus, he received the priesthood portion of the birthright.
The kingship, another portion of the birthright, was given to Judah (Gen. 49:10; 1 Chron. 5:2). If we read Genesis, we find the reason for this. When Joseph was suffering under the conspiracy of his brothers, Judah took care of him (Gen. 37:26). He also took care of Benjamin in time of suffering (Gen. 43:8-9; 44:14-34). Because of this, I believe, the kingship went to Judah.
Today we are the “church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23). Our birthright is also composed of these three elements: the double portion of Christ, the priesthood, and the kingship. We are in Christ, and we can enjoy Him in double portion. We are also priests and kings of God. However, many Christians have lost their birthright. They have been saved and can never be lost, but they have lost their extra portion of Christ. If we would enjoy the extra portion of Christ, we must keep our birthright.
All Christians have been reborn as priests (Rev. 1:6). But today many have lost their priesthood. Because they have lost their praying position, it is hard for them to pray. If we would keep our priesthood, we must be like the Levites, and forget our father, our brothers, and our children and take care of God’s interest. God’s desire, not our families, must be first. If God’s desire has first place in our hearts, then we shall be close to Him and keep the priesthood.
All Christians are also reborn as kings (Rev. 5:10), but many have lost their kingship. When the Lord Jesus returns, the overcoming saints will be with Him to be priests of God and co-kings of Christ (Rev. 20:4-6). At the same time, they will enjoy the inheritance of this earth (Rev. 2:26).
Hebrews 12:16-17 warns us not to lose our birthright as Esau did. “For one meal” Esau “gave up his birthright.” Later, he regretted that he had sold it so cheaply, but he was not able to get it back. We all need to be on the alert. We have the position to possess the birthright and we have it already, but maintaining it depends on whether or not we keep ourselves from being profane or becoming defiled. We have seen that Esau lost his birthright because he was profane and that Reuben lost his birthright because of his defilement. But Joseph inherited the double portion of land because of his purity; Levi obtained the priesthood because of his absolute separation unto the Lord; and Judah received the kingship because of his care for his suffering brothers. We need to keep ourselves pure for the extra portion of the enjoyment of Christ; we need to separate ourselves absolutely to the Lord with a heart caring for the Lord’s desire above all things; we need to care lovingly for our suffering brothers. If we are like this, we shall surely keep our birthright. The extra portion of the enjoyment of Christ, the priesthood, and the kingship will be ours. Even today we can enjoy Christ in a double measure. We can pray, we can rule, and we can reign. Then, when the Lord Jesus returns, we shall be with Him enjoying the inheritance of this earth. We shall be priests contacting God continually and kings reigning over the people.
Because Judah gained the kingship portion of the birthright, he brought forth the kingly Christ (Gen. 49:10), Christ the Victor (Rev. 5:5; Gen. 49:8-9). “It is clearly evident that our Lord has risen out of Judah” (Heb. 7:14).
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah are all associates of Christ. If we have the life of these four generations—Abraham’s faith, Isaac’s inheritance, Jacob’s dealings, and Judah’s care of love—then we are the associates of Christ in His generation.
When this genealogy mentions Isaac and Jacob, it does not say “and his brother”; only when it mentions Judah does it say “and his brothers.” Both Isaac’s brother Ishmael and Jacob’s brother Esau were rejected by God. But all eleven brothers of Judah were chosen; not one of them was rejected by God. Judah and his eleven brothers became the fathers of the twelve tribes which formed the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people for Christ. Hence, all Judah’s brothers were related to Christ. For this reason, the genealogy of Christ also includes them.