Advent Day 08: The Lion of Judah

Today, we light the Green Candle, the Black Candle, and the Blue Candle. The Green Candle represents life and all that Father God created in Christ, Good and Whole. The Black Candle represents the Evil and Corruption of Sin that entered our World through our rebellion. The Blue candle represents the Hope that comes from the Promises of a future Savior and King.

Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; the nations will obey him. (NET)

The Lord God made promises to Abraham and assured that these promises would be fulfilled by binding Himself to Abraham and His descendants with a covenant. Because Abraham had been faithful, blessings would come to others.

After Abraham died, the promises and blessings passed to his son Isaac:

Genesis 26:2–5
The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 26:3 Stay in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, and I will fulfill the solemn promise I made to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants {seed} so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants {seed}. 26:5 All this will come to pass because Abraham listened to my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” (NET)

Again, we hear themes repeated: the multiplication of descendants, a land to possess, blessings to all the nations. And take note: all of these promises would come to pass because Abraham had been faithful – he had listened to the LORD and had done all that the Lord asked of him.

As the story unfolds, many of the descendants of Abraham would prove to be unfaithful. But the sure fulfillment of the promises would not be based on the future failures of Abraham’s family. They would come because the Lord would be faithful to fulfill what He had promised to Abraham because Abraham had been faithful.

Abraham had already shown his complete trust in the Lord when he was asked to do the unthinkable – sacrifice Isaac – his first born son, the son of promise. But Abraham was willing to do the unthinkable because he trusted the Lord completely:

Hebrews 11:17-19
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, yet he was ready to offer up his only son. God had told him, “Through Isaac descendants will carry on your name,” and he reasoned that God could even raise him from the dead. . .

Abraham’s faith and faithfulness had assured the blessings of the promises not just for himself, but also for his whole family. Ultimately, a blessing would come to all the nations of the Earth.

After Isaac died, the promises and blessings passed to Jacob.

Isaac, however, had two sons – Esau, the oldest, and Jacob, the youngest. This inheritance should have gone through Esau. Jacob, however, is a treacherous character. He not only sells Esau a bowl of soup in exchange for the firstborn’s birthright, but he dresses up as his brother to trick his father Isaac out of Esau’s blessing. Jacob lies, cheats, and steals to get the blessing that should have rightfully gone to his brother.

In Genesis 32, Jacob actually wrestles with God for a blessing. His audacity knows no bounds! But Jacob’s perseverance is rewarded. God blesses him and changes his name from Jacob (“the one who supplants”) to Israel (“the one who strives with God”). This deceitful, conniving, trickster wrestles his place into the line of Abraham. Because Abraham had been faithful, blessings would come to others. Jacob/Israel becomes the father of the 12 sons who become the 12 tribes of the nation of Israel. Abraham’s family is multiplying just as the Lord had promised.

At the end of his life, Jacob calls his 12 sons together so that he can tell them what would happen in days to come. Jacob made a series of prophecies about his sons. To Judah he said:

Genesis 49:8–10
Judah, your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,
your father’s sons will bow down before you.
You are a lion’s cub, Judah,
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
like a lioness—who will rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until He comes to whom it belongs;
the nations will obey him. (NET)

Of the 12 Sons of Jacob/Israel, Judah and his descendants would be the line in which ruling power and authority would be established. In the days to come, One descendant – a Seed of Judah – would arrive who had the right to claim the scepter and the ruler’s staff not just over the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but over all the nations. A day would come when all the nations would give their allegiance and obedience to a descendant of Judah.

But who would this Descendant be?