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Fact About Christ on page 8: Christ is a praiseworthy, victorious and prosperous ruler from the tribe of Judah
The Lion from the tribe of Judah… has conquered
– Revelation 5:5
Today, we will visit our last picture from the book of Genesis – the Lion of Judah. This might warrant further study, but the pictures in Genesis somewhat follow a progression in the operation of God. Among others, we’ve touched on Jesus as our pattern, His life of conflict on the earth, His death on the cross, His work in connecting earthly men to heaven, and his heavenly ministry. Now, this final picture in Genesis is related to the Lord’s second coming. When He comes again, we will see Christ as the Lion of Judah. The description of the Lion of Judah is found in Jacob’s final blessing to his children, a prophecy given with his final breath, to instruct the twelve sons of Israel “what shall happen to you in days to come” (Genesis 49:1). Specifically, we will read the blessing designated for Judah, the ancestor of the Lord Jesus.
Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he has washed his garments in wine
and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk.
– Genesis 49:8-12
We will look at this prophecy verse by verse four parts: 1. He will be praised! 2. He will be victorious! 3. He will rule! 4. He will be prosperous!
He will be praised!
Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
– Genesis 49:8
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth
– Philippians 2:10
In saying, Judah, your brothers shall praise you, Jacob lifts Judah up above the rest of the children of Israel. In terms of history, different tribes had their time as the most influential among the Israelites. At the time of this blessing, Joseph was preeminent among the sons. The phrase Your father’s sons shall bow down before you was true for Joseph at that very moment. This was foretold in Joseph’s dreams (Genesis 47:5-9). Later, the tribe of Levi through Moses has the first place. But Jacob at this time sees further. He sees that in the end, Judah is the most honored among the tribes. Through Judah comes King David and through King David comes Christ.
When it comes to the second coming of Christ, we see this: Everyone will know. Everyone will praise Him. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. Today, only those who believe in Jesus acknowledge his lordship, but in that day, there will be no question as to who is king.
He will be victorious!
Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
– Genesis 49:9
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”
– Revelation 5:5
Here we see a progression from a cub to a lion to a lioness. This shows Christ’s growth into a conqueror.
Christ is so secure. Why? He’s a lion! And as a lioness, He’s a fighter. In His life, every step is a fight, but He is more than up to the fight. Who dares rouse him? If you look at your own life, you need a lion. To go on with the Lord in a healthy way is always a fight, but we have such a fighting Christ.
He will rule!
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
– Genesis 49:10
But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”
– Hebrews 1:8
Here we see how Christ’s rule is so secure. The scepter and the ruler’s staff, symbolizing authority, will never depart from Him. Because Christ’s rule is secure, you can rest in it. You can trust in it. Why? Because His throne touches eternity. His rule is related to God’s eternal plan. As Christians, our view of Christ’s rule is often too small, too limited. We think He rules so we can have lives without trouble. So we can beat alcoholism. So we can succeed in our careers. No! Christ’s rule is eternal, and for the eternal purpose of God. When things happen under God’s government, in other words, when God allows things to happen in our lives and in our environments, we should ask: through this, are we gaining something of eternity? If not, there is very little lasting value.
He will be prosperous!
Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
– Genesis 49:11a
In addition to being secure, the rule of Christ will be prosperous. So prosperous, so full of wealth and riches, it doesn’t even matter if you tie a foal to your grapevines and let it eat freely. When it comes to what Christ has to offer, He has no need to measure carefully or to give only a little bit at a time. This is Christ as the lion of Judah. As a Christian, if you fight, as He fights, then you will see this richness. Fight for His kingdom. Fight for a friend to have the gospel. Fight against your own desires to stand with a brother in prayer. After you fight, then you just get fed. You have strength and joy from the Lord. And the more you fight, the more you will see how abundant and rich that supply is. Somehow, it’s always fresh, always satisfying, always exactly meets your inner need.
he has washed his garments in wine
and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
– Genesis 49:11b
So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia.
– Revelation 14:19-20
“I have trodden the winepress alone,
and from the peoples no one was with me;
I trod them in my anger
and trampled them in my wrath;
their lifeblood spattered on my garments,
and stained all my apparel.”
Isaiah 63:3
The last aspect of the Lord’s return is this: he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. This is a sober phrase. Revelation calls this the great winepress of the wrath of God. The imagery is striking. There will be a winepress, filled with every wicked person, and Christ will trod on that winepress in His anger and in His wrath. His garments will be stained with their blood. From Isaiah’s description, it is as if for ages the Lord has looked around for people to stand with Him against the wickedness of the world, and finding none, He takes it upon Himself to eradicate all wickedness alone. The wrath of God is coming. This is true. It is not a matter of what you think about it, or how you feel about it. But only this: On that day, whose side are you on? This is the lion of Judah.
Have any inspirations or questions about the content of the article? Or do you just want to say hello and introduce yourself? We’d love to hear from all our readers! Leave a comment or send an email to editors@asweetsavor.org with the title of this post in the subject line. If you are burning to engage with us, but don’t know what to say, here are some questions that could be a help:
- The wrath of God is a very real, sober thing. But I would be remiss to not mention that until that day, there is a provision for us. Romans 10:9 says “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” and 10:13 continues “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” So don’t wait, open your mouth and call “Lord Jesus” today!
- Have you ever experienced the Lord as a conquering Lion, fighting for you or for someone else through you?
- The Lord in His government allows many things to happen to us. Most notably, in the current situation, the whole globe is experiencing a dramatic change in life due to Covid-19. How can our realization of the Lord’s eternal throne change how we act and think during these times? Will we be different in a way that touches eternity when the world opens again?