JUDAH IS A LION’S WHELP … AN OLD LION

With his death imminent, Jacob gave an assessment of the char­acter of each of his twelve sons, appraisals that were sprinkled liberally with pictures from the world of nature. It must have been embarrassing for Issachar, and Dan and Benjamin to be lik­ened to an ass, a snake, and a wolf respectively. Perhaps Naphtali was better pleased that he was compared to ‘a hind let loose’. Judah was likened to a lion, doubtless a metaphor of his ultimate supremacy among the tribes, the others bowing down to him, v. 8. Who would dare to meddle with a lion that was occupied with its prey?

Men regard the lion as the king of the beasts, and scripture gives tacit agreement to that by speaking about ‘a lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any’, Prov. 30. 30. The lion is a fitting symbol of power and authority and kingship. It is significant then that the Lord Jesus is described as ‘the Lion of the tribe of Juda’, Rev. 5. 5. The same context features Him consistently as the Lamb. The Lamb is the sub­missive sacrifice; the Lion is the subduing sovereign. He alone prevailed to take the seven-sealed book, the title deeds of the earth, for as the Lamb He had paid the redemptive price, and as the Lion He has the power to implement God’s purpose for the universe. By breaking seal after seal, He will introduce successive phases of divine wrath, preparatory to ‘the king­doms of this world (becoming) the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ’, Rev. 11. 15.

Because of appalling behaviour, Reuben’s birthright passed to Joseph, but rule was transferred to Judah, 1 Chron. 5. 1, 2, ‘the sceptre shall not depart from Judah’, Gen. 49. 10. Thus, ‘David the king’, Matt. 1. 6, was descended from Judah, and the Lion of the tribe of Judah was ‘of the seed of David according to the flesh’, Rom. 1. 3. His pedigree gives Him the right to reign. He also has the moral qualifications ‘to ascend into the hill of the Lord’, Zion, the seat of administration, for He has ‘clean hands, and a pure heart’, Ps. 24. 3, 4. His power as the Lion will see it become a reality, for He will ‘smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron’, Rev. 19. 15.