42_Judgement of our sin is a blessing Gen 49:1-7 Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come. 2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel. 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. 4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it. 5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers— their swords are weapons of violence. 6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel. 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. On October 6, 1980, a crime shook the conscience of Kerala, India. It was the infamous Karikkanvilla massacre in Thiruvalla, where Reni George, a young man born into a Christian family, committed an unthinkable act. Desperate for money to fund his addiction and drug trade, he brutally murdered his uncle and aunt, a retired couple who had lovingly cared for him. Arrested and sentenced to death, Reni’s life seemed destined for a tragic and irreversible end. However, something extraordinary happened. When his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment due to his young age, the public responded with outrage, calling it an injustice. Yet, in the darkness of his prison cell, Reni encountered the light of God’s truth. He repented, confessed his sins, and surrendered to Jesus as his Savior. Today, Reni runs a rehabilitation center near Bangalore for children and families of prisoners, dedicating his life to giving others the second chance he received. His transformation reminds us that when we humbly accept God's judgment and turn to Him in repentance, He can redeem our lives for His glory. This powerful story echoes the theme of today’s devotion. Jacob, nearing the end of his life, gathers his sons to speak words of blessing—or, as they might seem to us, word of judgment. Jacob, at 148 years old, was a man shaped by trials and divine encounters. Once a deceiver, he had become Israel, a prince of God. As he addressed his sons, his words were not merely a father’s farewell but the inspired truths of God Himself. “Listen to your father Israel,” he urged. His blessings were rooted in truth, devoid of flattery or sentimentality. Even his beloved son Benjamin was described as a “ravenous wolf.” Jacob’s words reveal that God’s blessings are not always comfortable; they are grounded in truth, designed to bring life, growth, and transformation. Take, for example, his words to Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. To Reuben, the firstborn, Jacob declared, “You are unstable as water; you shall not excel.” Simeon and Levi were condemned