It was in the land of Egypt that Jacob (Israel) blessed his sons and told them their future. Jacob gave a special message to each of his 12 sons about what the Lord God would do in the lives of their children.
Among his sons, Jacob blessed Judah (Yehuda) with this special message:
“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.” Genesis 49.8-10
We see in the lives of these men of God that God continued to keep his promise to Abraham. God was working to keep the family of Abraham alive. The Bible lets us know very clearly that these great men were not perfect or sinless. However, they were willing to suffer many things to be faithful to God. It was through these people that God showed his faithfulness. God wanted to show the way of blessing through his people.
Satan tried to destroy the work of God by causing temptation to come into the way of these men. Joseph, for example, could have accepted the love of Potiphar’s wife. Instead, Joseph fought this and ran away from sin. Satan always tries to control the people of God. Satan wants us to leave the true path and follow the ways of the world. But we know that God loves his people. He helps them through times of suffering.
God’s prophets, the sons of Abraham, were people of prayer and worship. They called upon God to protect them and guide them in the right paths. This is how Jacob prayed to God:
Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan [river], but now I have become two groups.… But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” Genesis 32.9-12