Judah Prevailed - 1 Chronicles 5:1-2

1 Chronicles 5:1–2 (NKJV)

Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel— he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s

     It is important to note that, though the language here presents Judah as having "prevailed", as if the tribe themselves did something to win the day, Judah prevailed because of the hand of God. In verse 1, speaking of Reuben, the English text uses the word "indeed"; where the Hebrew language might suggest the word "although" or "when" to underscore the contradiction that is being brought out in the passage. Reuben was the first-born and ought to have had the first-born's rights and privileges. Yet, Judah, especially when it came to the matter of the coming King, and the Messiah, enjoyed that great blessing. He "prevailed" over his brothers, verse 2 says.
     The verb means to vaunt oneself, or to be overbearing, perhaps to show hubris or even pride. It was used to speak of arrogance in the Scriptures. Eliphaz used it when he accused Job of acting "defiantly" against the Almighty in Job 15:25. Likewise, later, Elihu used it in Job 36:9 to show one of the kinds of sin God teach his righteous people to turn away from. The basic idea is to swell higher, as a tide of water swells at high tide or in a flood. Thus, in Genesis 7:18, as a result of the great rain and the fountains of the deep breaking forth, the "waters prevailed" on the earth... (Likewise in verse 19, 20 and 24).
     That sense can be used metaphorically, as in Psalm 65:3 where David says that iniquities have "prevailed" against him. Thankfully, he goes on and, as in many other places, he says that God will provide atonement for transgression! This metaphorical sense carries over to the idea of be "greater than" or "more" when used in an adjectival sense. Genesis 49:26 says that "The blessings of your father have 'excelled' the blessings of my ancestors...". They are greater in scope or magnitude than those blessings. It can be joined with another verb to modify an idea as in 2 Samuel 1:23 where Saul and Jonathan are said to be "swifter" than eagles and "stronger" than lions.
     So, Judah overwhelmed his brethren, particularly Reuben the first-born. Joseph, (via Ephraim and Manasseh) who inherited the double portion of land (Gen. 49:22-26) and Judah (who inherited the rulership over the family) received the blessing (Gen. 49:8-12) that normally would have gone to the first-born) were the one’s blessed in Reuben’s instead because of Reuben’s defiling of his father’s bed (Gen 35:22).

The Significance
     The significance here is, of course immense. We must note that this "overwhelming" ought to be seen from their point of view and not strictly from ours. It was a progressive overwhelming as God set about accomplishing that "overwhelming", generation by generation, moving through the houses of both Reuben and Judah, frustrating the inheritance on the one side no matter what, and blessing it not what on the other side.
     This, by the way, is one of the reasons for the lengthy genealogies in the Book of 1 Chronicles. It is so that we can watch and see how God brought about what He said He would do all of those decades and centuries He would do. Of course, there are other reasons to read these genealogies, but this a very good one. trace those names, find a good commentary and see what happened to all of those people and see what God did to both frustrate and, more importantly, preserve the line that would be the line of David and, ultimately, the line of His Messiah, our Lord Jesus.

     In all of this we must underscore Judah’s pre-eminence. The tribe of Judah holds the first and most prominent place in these genealogies. Reuben was the firstborn, and Joseph had the birth-right; but precedence was given to Judah. This was foretold in the remarkable language in which old Jacob, upon his dying bed, spoke of this one of his sons and the tribe of which he was the progenitor.

1. The Tribe Of Judah Took Precedence Of All. When the tribes were numbered under Moses, that of Judah was found to exceed all the others in number. When the Israelites were organized for the war against the Canaanites, Judah was divinely appointed to be the vanguard of the army. A similar precedence is accorded to the tribe of Judah in this Book of Chronicles.
2. From The Tribe Of Judah Sprang David And The Royal House. Of Israel the Lord chose Judah, and of that tribe the family of Jesse, and of that family the youthful David. The great King of Israel and his glorious son shed a splendor upon the national annals. And when the separation of the kingdoms came about, the kingdom of Judah was distinguished in many ways, both civil and religious, above the sister kingdom of Northern Palestine.
3. The greatest distinction and privilege of Judah was this: From This Tribe Sprang The Messiah. Jesus, the Son of David, was a descendant from Judah. This was the true “Lion of the tribe of Judah.”