Word of Salvation – Vol.51 No.45 – December 2006
The King From Judah
An Advent Sermon by Rev John Haverland
on Genesis 49:1-2, 8-12
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 11; Matthew 1:1-6, 15-21
Theme: Jacob prophesies about the King coming from Judah who
would establish a world-wide rule of blessing.
Purpose: To direct us to trust, honour and serve Jesus as the King who is ruling.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Around this time of the year you hear a lot of Christmas carols being sung or played. You hear them in the shopping malls and in supermarkets and on the radio. You hear them in church services in this Advent and Christmas season. Many churches host special evening services of Christmas carols, either in their church buildings or out in a public square or park. Most of the songs and hymns sung in churches on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are about the birth of Jesus.
Many of the Christmas carols are well written and give a clear expression of what the Bible says about the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world. They describe the song of the angels and the response of the shepherds and the worship of the wise men. They give us words to express our own praise to the Lord Jesus for his coming and birth.
But some of the Christmas carols are weak and sentimental. Take, for instance, this popular children’s Christmas carol:
“Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head,
the cattle are lowing the baby awakes,
the little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.”
This Christmas carol, like a number of others, focuses too much on the baby Jesus, on Jesus meek and mild, on Jesus sweet and tiny, forgetting that Jesus came here to this earth to suffer and die for the sins of his people, and then to rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven to rule over the world. Jesus was born as a King! He came as Lord! He was born to rule!
So this Sunday we will consider the rule and reign of Jesus as King.
We are going to do that from the perspective of a prophecy about Jesus that was given by Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, 1850 years before Jesus was even born. When Jacob spoke these words he was 147 years old and he knew he was nearing the end of his life. So he gathered his twelve sons around his bed to speak to them before he died.
This chapter records the last of the great blessings and promises that appear in the book of Genesis. These promises began with the far-reaching promise of Genesis 3:15, the promise that someone would come who would crush the head of the serpent. This promise of a coming saviour was passed on by Noah to his sons, then from Abraham to Isaac, then from Isaac to Jacob.
In turn, Jacob looked forward into history and blessed his sons. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he spoke about the future of each son and the tribe each son represented. He prophesied about events far in the future and looked ahead to the time these tribes would possess the land of Canaan. But he looked even beyond that to a King who would come from the tribe of Judah.
Today we want to consider this great king of Jacob’s prophecy, looking at:
1. His Expected Coming,
2. His Extensive Reign,
3. His Extravagant Kingdom.
1. HIS EXPECTED COMING is anticipated in these words of Jacob to his son Judah, recorded in verses 8-9.
It is unusual that such a blessing should be given to Judah because he was not the firstborn. Jacob blessed his sons in the order of their birth; so he had already spoken to Reuben, Simeon and Levi – all sons of Leah. He described their sins of immorality and violence and murder. Because of these sins they had forfeited their rights to the promises of the firstborn. Instead, these promises fell to Judah, the fourth son to be born, also born from Leah. Not that Judah was perfect. Genesis 38 tells us how he lay with a prostitute who was actually his daughter-in-law.
Despite that, it was Judah who persuaded his brothers not to kill Joseph (37:26 f), who took responsibility for what happened to Benjamin (43:8-10), and who offered himself as a substitute for his youngest brother (44:18-34). When they spoke to their father in Canaan and to Joseph in Egypt Judah emerged as the spokesman for his brothers (43:3 ff).
God promised that Judah would be pre-eminent. His name means praise. When he was born Leah said: “This time I will praise the Lord” and she named him Judah (29:35). The one whose name meant praise would be praised by his brothers.
God promised that the tribe of Judah would be given a superior position over the others. Already in the first census taken in the desert after leaving Egypt Judah was the largest of the tribes and had the largest number of fighting men. Judah was the first to be given an inheritance in the land of Canaan and was the first tribe to attack the Canaanites. After the death of Saul, David, from the tribe of Judah, was recognised as the King of the twelve tribes. That did not happen easily – it came through conflict, war and trouble – but it did come (see 2 Sam 5:1-3).
Judah was described as “a lion’s cub”. We should probably think of a young lion in the full vigour of his newly matured strength. After killing his prey he would lie down, secure, because he is the king of the beasts; who would dare rouse him or disturb him?
All this anticipated the coming of Jesus. The last book of the Bible describes him as the fulfilment of this picture: One of the elders of heaven points the apostle John to “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David”, the One who has triumphed (Rev 5:5).
All this shows us that God is working to a plan. Through Jacob he prophesied that all this would happen. He knows the future and he guides everything and everyone to their goal. Some theologians today deny this in a heresy called, “The Openness of God” or “Open Theism”. They say that God doesn’t know everything that is going to happen and some things catch him by surprise. But that is not the teaching of the Bible. Here we see God prophesying what will happen to Judah and the position the tribe will occupy. The Lord has it all in hand.
And He is still the same today. God hasn’t changed: He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He is almighty, all-powerful, guiding, directing and leading all things to fit into his purposes. Just as he blessed the tribe of Judah in the Old Testament, so today he gives his love and favour and mercy to his people, the church. He is looking after us; so we should not be discouraged or anxious, no matter what is going on around us. Jesus is the long expected king.
2. Secondly we see HIS EXTENSIVE REIGN as it is described in verse 10.
Judah would retain the sceptre and the staff. These words refer to a position of rule and dominance. This does not mean that Judah was always at the top of the ladder. The people of Judah had their ups and downs, their highs and lows. Their lowest point came when they were taken away into exile in Babylon in 587 BC. The Lord brought them back to their own land but they never regained the glory they had under David and Solomon. But still the Lord preserved them. They continued on until God handed over the sceptre and the ruler’s staff to the One he had promised would come.
These words looked forward to the Messiah, the Anointed One, to Jesus Christ, to the Son of David who came from the line of Joseph out of the tribe of Judah. This is why Matthew began his gospel as he did: “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” The genealogy centred around David – he was a type, a pattern of the promised King.
The King is described with the Hebrew word ‘Shiloh’ which you’ll see in the text of the NASB and in the footnotes of the NIV. It’s difficult to be sure of the best translation of this word. The NIV text gives one possibility: That the ruler’s staff will remain with Judah until “he comes to whom it belongs”. This fits in with another prophecy using the same words made through the prophet Ezekiel (21:26-27). (This is the translation used by the LXX, also known as the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament).
The other possibility is to take the word Shiloh as referring to its root word, which is rest or peace. Then Shiloh means ‘Man of Peace’, or “one who brings peace”. The Lord described Solomon to David in these terms: “But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest” (1 Chron 22:9). This description also ties in with Isaiah’s prophecy that Jesus would be the Prince of Peace (Is 9:5). Either way the prophecy is clearly referring to the Lord Jesus Christ as the King and as the fulfilment of this promise.
Jacob also prophesied that “the obedience of the nations is his” (vs 10b). This is in line with other prophecies made about the nations:
When God gave his promise to Abraham he told him, “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:3).
God told Israel through Isaiah that they were to be a light to the Gentile nations.
This is what happened in the New Testament at Pentecost: the Holy Spirit made it clear that the good news about Jesus was for all peoples, regardless of race or language. The curse of the Tower of Babel had been reversed. From Pentecost on people from all over the world would be gathered into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus.
The full extent of his reign is described in many powerful verses of the Scriptures. “He will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth” (Ps 72:8). “…for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious” (Is 11:9b-10; cf Phil 2:9-11).
This should be of encouragement to us today. It is true that the church in the Western world, including our country, is weak and feeble and Christians are a small minority. Yet many people in many other countries are turning to the Lord Jesus; many are bowing the knee to him in repentance and faith – people in China and Korea and Africa and Russia.
And let’s take heart that the enemies of God are also weak.
* Many scientists are pointing out serious flaws in the theory of evolution.
* People all over the world are seeing the dark side of the teachings and practices of Islam and many Muslims are questioning their faith.
* The empty results of 200 years of humanistic philosophy are starting to take effect and people have begun searching for a better world and life view.
In this Advent season you need to recognise that Jesus is Lord. You need to submit to him and recognise him as your King. You need to obey him in every area of your life, seeking to please him in all that you do. You need to serve Jesus as Lord at work and at home; in business and in medicine; on your building site and on your farm; in your classroom and in your lecture theatre. We need to call people to obey his laws in our towns, in our cities and in our nation. We need to pray that the Lord will use us to extend his reign and that all the nations will be obedient to him.
We have considered the expected coming of the King and the extent of his reign.
3. Thirdly, and finally, we consider HIS EXTRAVAGANT KINGDOM.
This is the language of these verses 11-12 [read…] This is a poetic description of the abundant blessings of Christ’s kingdom.
In those days people usually tied their donkeys up to a hedge and it didn’t matter if it pulled at his rope and damaged the bush or if it ate some of the shrub. But in the days of the Messiah vines would be so abundant that people would tie their donkeys up on them; even a young, energetic donkey on one of the best vines. Vines would be so plentiful it wouldn’t matter if they were damaged or eaten.
What’s more, wine would be so plentiful it could be used for washing! “He will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.” This is the language of poetry and it is a picture of excess, of extravagance. It is to convey a picture of blessing and abundance in the kingdom of Christ.
People will have so much to eat and drink that they will be very healthy: eyes darker than wine, teeth whiter than milk.
There are other passages in the prophets, like Isaiah 11, that describe the joy, peace and plenty of the messianic kingdom. There will be peace in the land, an abundance of crops, harmony amongst the animals, health, strength and long life for all.
Imagine that on your farm: bumper crops every year, cows always at peak production, sunshine, and rain always falling at the right time, never any sickness or disease or setbacks!
Imagine that in our nation: harmony in marriages and families, no crime, safe streets, no rape or prostitution, full employment, no poor in the land, no one on welfare, everyone working and productive, constant growth, a booming economy!
The blessings of the kingdom are described in physical and material terms because this is what Israel could identify with. But they anticipate the spiritual blessings of Christians living in these last days – this New Testament age – where we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3).
We already enjoy the benefits of the forgiveness of our sins, of peace with God, of being adopted into his family, of the gift of faith, of the fellowship of God’s people. All of these already belong to the people who believe.
This description also anticipates the good things God will give us when the kingdom of Christ comes in all its power and glory. The fullness of that will come when Jesus returns, when he comes for the second time, and brings about a New Heaven and a New Earth.
So as we remember the first coming of Christ let’s put out of our minds any pictures or ideas of Jesus as tiny and weak and helpless. Yes, he was born a child, but he was also a king! He came to establish his kingdom and to rule over all.
And as we remember his first coming let’s also look ahead and remember that he will come again as the Lion of Judah, as the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Amen.