So we've been talking about Israel being “God's timepiece.” Prophetic things are going to take place in the future that will count down to the return of Christ in Israel. The country of Israel will be in the center of it. So, we've talked about the line of Abraham that continues through Isaac and then to Jacob the deceiver, who was renamed Israel from where the country got its name.
Today we want to narrow it down even more; because the blessing that is going to come through the seed of Abraham is going to come through a tribe, a clan and a family, and that would be “Judah.” The Messiah- Jesus would be of the tribe of Judah and He would belong to the family of David.
So, let's back up to Jacob again who had the 12 sons. These 12 sons came from four women. The love of his life was Rachel, for whom he worked seven years; but he got duped by his uncle Laban into marrying her sister Leah. She was the first wife but she was not the love of Jacob's life. It's a sad story of rejection, pain and hurt. Childbearing was such an important part of their lives, it carried the respect of being a mother, so she thought that if she could bear Jacob’s children, she would be accepted but that was not the case.
Genesis 29: 34 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore, his name was called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore, she called his name “Judah.” Then she stopped bearing.
So Judah means “praise”. And “praise” means to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; especially to revere or worship (with extended hands). Praise means to literally empty your hands in order to give worship to God- and Leah came to the place where she was willing to let go of trying to find love and affection in her relationship with her husband and she would instead delight herself in the Lord.
Later, during a time of famine, Jacob brought his entire family into Egypt, and the Bible says that before he passed on; he called each of the sons to him and gave them a blessing or spoke a word from God upon each one. I want to look specifically at the blessing he gave to Judah, who means “praise.” This is a phenomenal word that Jacob will speak over him; a word of prophecy that applies to him having a prominent role of leadership leading up to King David from the line of Judah and eventually to the Messiah - King Jesus.
Genesis 49:8 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Jesus, the Messiah came from the line of David of the tribe of Judah…He was the One who was referred to as “Shiloh”- the Prince of Peace. And one day, the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” will come again and rule and reign with His saints. And He will be the "praise" of the entire earth.
Join us in person on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. or via livestream by going to https://www.firstbaptistsudbury.com and clicking on livestream for “Praise Leads the Way.”
Blessings,
Kevin
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