The Lion of the Tribe of Judah
But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory. 1 Corinthians 2:7
Paul often speaks of mysteries–secrets or wisdom hidden until Christ came but are now revealed to us. The Greek word mysterion means a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding.
This week’s name, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, is a great illustration of the New Testament revealing a mystery hidden in the Old Testament. This name is introduced in the first book of the Bible and fulfilled in the last book of the Bible.
In Genesis 49, Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) prophesies over his 12 sons who fathered the 12 tribes of Israel. Here’s what he has to say about Judah.
Judah is a lion’s cub;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares to stir him up?
“The scepter will not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. – Genesis 49:9-10
Honestly, Genesis 49 might be the perfect chapter to illustrate the graphic above. The ancients surely read it and shook their heads. Dan will be a serpent? Naphtali is a deer? Those kids of prophecies don’t make much sense until they’re fulfilled.
But what can we tell from this prophecy about Judah? Besides Judah being a lion’s cub, we see some interesting things that pertain to the Messiah. Here’s one. The scepter will not depart from Judah.
Couple that with Isaiah 9:6 –
For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
A Son will be given. The government will rest on Messiah’s shoulders. The scepter will not depart from Judah.
The Messiah, the King, would come from Judah.
Just imagine the mayhem when Samuel anointed Saul of the tribe of Benjamin. “That’s not right! Our king must come from Judah!”
Exactly.
The people got ahead of God by demanding a king, so he gave them what they wanted. But Saul was not who God intended to be king. King Saul was a placeholder for David. But that’s a study for another day. Today, we’re looking at lion. Judah is a lion’s cub.
To tie this up, we go from Genesis all the way to Revelation.
And one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to be able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” – Revelation 5:5
Boom. There he is. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Prophecy fulfilled and tied up with a bow. 
If that intrigues you, take a look at the rest of Jacob’s prophecy for Judah in Genesis 49:11-12. You’ll find the fulfillment of those verses in Revelation, as well.
This study is inspired by Ann Spangler’s Praying the Names of God for 52 Weeks
