No 3A

(Genesis 49:10)

“The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Jacob was on his deathbed when he spoke these words; he was giving his blessing to each of his twelve sons. Some of his sons received negative blessings – Reuben, his eldest for having committed adultery with one of his father’s wives, Bilhah (Gen 35); Simeon and Levi, the next eldest for having avenged their sister’s defilement with the Shechemites (Gen 34). But when Jacob blessed Judah, the next eldest, he called him “a lion’s whelp.” The key passage above sets the stage for all redemptive history when we look at it on this side of the Cross. The Messiah was to come from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and now Judah. In the genealogies in the New Testament Judah’s name appears in both Joseph’s ancestors (Matthew 1:1, 2) and Mary’s ancestors (Luke 3:33). The word “sceptre” in the passage represents the royal lineage in Israel that ceased after Jesus’ death and resurrection; the word “lawgiver” represents the priesthood that also ceased. “Shiloh”, of course represents the Messiah, “the peaceful one”; “Shiloh” is another name for peace. In Isaiah 9:6 the Bible records the following passage: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Notice the reference to the Prince of Peace who, when He came to earth, said the following words: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27).