The Lion
| your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. 9 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? 10 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. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. |
Today's promise portrays Him as a Lion.
The scene is Jacob (now called Israel - the Father of nations) blessing his twelve sons. Each blessing is connected with the character and nature of the son he is blessing, but at a much deeper level the blessing has prophetic implications for the tribes emerging from each of the sons. There is, in the blessing of Judah, a very distinct messianic aspect which is highlighted in today's passage...
In the earlier part of the blessing on Judah, he is described as a lion and a conqueror. From history we know that the Kings of Israel came from the tribe of Judah and that the line of monarchy narrowed down even more to the line of David who was from the tribe of Judah. The tribe of Judah was the dominant ruling tribe in Israel's history.
The sceptre mentioned in the passage can also be translated as the commander's staff and the promise was that Judah's tribe would be supreme and the commander's staff will "remain in the family" until it came to whom it belongs. Although Jesus came as a lowly king and as the Lamb of God, He is also the Lion of Judah. Through His obedience to the Father (even unto death) and through His resounding victory over the grave, He is victorious and is enthroned at the right hand of the Father as Lord of the Church. Paul says:
"Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place.
And gave Him the name that is above every name." (Philippians 2:9)
When He comes again, it will be as Lord of all, and then what Paul wrote will be fulfilled:
"that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
in heaven and on earth and under the earth
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:10-11)
And in Revelation John portrays Him as a Lion: "Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.'"
We make a serious mistake if we see Him only as the Lamb!
