The Baby in the Manger #21: Lion of Judah

Lion of Judah

(grk: leōn ho ek ho phylē ioudas - lit: Lion that is from the tribe of Judah)

(heb: 'ărî yᵊhûḏâ)

‘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 sceptre 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.
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.
His eyes will be darker than wine,
   his teeth whiter than milk.
Genesis 49:8-12

‘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.’

Revelation 5:5

In order to find references to the Lion of Judah we have to go to the first and last books of the Bible - Genesis and Revelation.  We start near the end of Genesis: the patriarch Jacob is on his deathbed, and prophesies over his sons - the twelve tribes of Israel.  It's a very mixed bag of statements as a whole, drawing on the lives of the men themselves and speaking into the future of the tribes they have founded.  Some thrive, others not so much; some of the words spoken are fulfilled in the short-term, and others take longer; some are easier to interpret with regards to their meaning, others more of a mystery.  One of the longest sections in this chapter concerns the tribe of Judah, within which that tribe (or at least someone from that tribe?) is compared to a Lion: almost a ubiquitous symbol of both power and majesty; beauty and strength.

In this prophecy about the tribe of Judah, there is a promise of rulers: (the sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet).  This comes to pass as Israel's Kings, starting with David, are from the tribe of Judah.  However, there is then the promise of something more: until he to whom it belongs shall come, and the obedience of the nations shall be his.   The original word translated in the NIV as to whom it belongs is the word 'Shiloh' - written as such in some other English translations.  The exact meaning of the word is unclear, but suggestions have included Prince of Peace, Tranquil, and Seed (of Judah).  What is clear, is that out of Judah will not only come Kings to rule Israel, but one who will rule over all the word (the obedience of the nations will be his).

When we turn to Revelation 5, we get confirmation that this prophecy, made thousands of years previously, is indeed fulfilled in Jesus.  

The scene is the throne room of Heaven, and God (the Father) himself holds a scroll.  We see as Chapter 6 follows, this 'scroll' contains a record of the judgements that must fall on the earth.  In it is justice, and John, who is watching on, longs for it to be opened.  There is no one worthy to open the scroll, and John is distressed that evil will go unpunished, but then it is revealed that there is one able to open it: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals (Revelation 5:5).

What is possibly surprising, however, is what this Lion, this Root of David [who] has triumphed looks like.  We see in the very next verse:

...a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain... (Revelation 5:6)

The mighty Lion, the promised ruler and king, is depicted not only as a lamb, one of the meekest of all the animals, but one that has been slain.  But this is no defeat - this is Jesus in his glory.  The song that is sang by those in the throne room explains why:

‘You are worthy to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
   and with your blood you purchased for God
   persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
   and they will reign on the earth.’
(Revelation 5:9-10)

Who can possibly stand in judgement?  Only the one who has taken on the whole weight of human suffering.   His death makes him the only one worthy to stand in judgement over the world.  We do not have a God who judges from far off, having never walked the path of human suffering, but one who came down to the depths itself, and who has loved the lost so much he purchased them with his blood (see Redeemer, Lamb of God).  Jesus came to die, and in his death he is victorious.  He is the Lion and the Lamb.  

The Lion promised in Genesis 49 lay in the manger, but his glory and majesty were not what we might have expected.  His glory and majesty were in his death - of which he still bore the scars once raised to the throne room of Heaven.  This is the ruler who was promised - over all the world.