The Lion of Judah

I really enjoy studying the Old Testament, and seeing how it foreshadows the coming of Christ.  As usual, God has a way of mixing up the orderliness that we, as mere humans, so dearly love.  For example, why did Jesus trace his lineage to the tribe of Judah?  If you remember your OT, Judah was the 3rd of Jacob’s 12 sons, the others being; Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Zebulon, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin.  Normally we think of the oldest son inheriting his father’s blessing and a major portion, if not all, of his estate, but not in this case. As you read through the scriptures, you’ll find incident after incident where God changed this “law” of primogeniture to suit his future purposes. For example, Jacob himself had stolen his older brother, Esau’s birthright; Isaac trumped Ishmael, and David, the soon to be king, beat out all his brothers.

 “Why mess with the law?”, you might well ask, and here’s why.  God looks on the heart of a man or woman, not on outward appearances or birth order.  Judah’s older siblings were told, by Jacob, why they were skipped over.  Rueben for a sexual sin, and Simeon and Levi because of their violent natures.  Next in line was Judah, and he was to become God’s chosen man.  Maybe part of it was because he had earlier spared Joseph’s life by selling him into slavery rather than killing him, but I’m sure Jacob had prayed fervently about it before making such a decision.  “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” Genesis 49:8-10.

Now don’t get the impression that Judah lived an exemplary life, far from it.  He married a non-Jewish woman, had three unruly sons, and allowed pagan worship to enter his home.  Not exactly what I would call godly behavior, especially for the “Lion of Judah” the chosen son.  So, how did this all work out? I won’t spoil the whole racy story, be sure to read it for yourself in Genesis 38. Suffice it to say, that in spite of the poor, personal choices Judah made, God continued to steer this designated vessel into His safe harbor. Those other folks, listed in the ancestry of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-16), were far from perfect individuals either, but they had one thing in common, a heart that ultimately turned and honored God.  All of us, who have been born anew, through a personal belief in Christ, are counted in His bloodline,as well.  Sure, we’re bound to make our share of mistakes, but even still, we’ll all be sharing in the Judah Family Reunion one day soon! Break out the Lion t-shirts!!