He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof (Revelation 5:5, KJV)

Jesus by natural birth, through the mysterious bond of marriage, is considered to be from the Tribe of Judah. Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, was from the Tribe of Judah. Mary, His mother, however, was probably from the tribe of Levi, as her Cousin Elizabeth. Jacob spoke prophetically about Judah on his dying bed and said:

“Judah is a lion’s whelp…and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah…” (Genesis 49:9–10, KJV)

He, therefore, made two important revelations about the coming Messiah, the King. First, He will come from the tribe of Judah. Secondly, He will reign as a lion reigns amongst the other animals in the forest. Prov. 30:30 says the lion is “strongest amongst beasts and turneth not away for any”. The phrase “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” therefore describes Jesus as the King that is supposed to come from the tribe of Judah who will reign with power and authority as the lion rules and prevails in the wild!

He died as a Lamb, which is so weak and powerless before its enemies. He had to be a Lamb so that He could die, otherwise, we would have never been saved. But when He resurrected and had settled the sin problem once and for all, He now reigns a lion. His kingdom is expanding as leaven spreads on dough until it leavens the whole lump, meaning the kingdom is growing quickly and will fill the whole earth. And you are reigning with Him, to crush and break to pieces whatever is against God’s will and purposes in your life! That includes sin, Satan and his demons, disease, poverty, fear, depression, shame and guilt, etc!

MEDITATE

How does the word “prevailed” in Rev. 5:5 explain the meaning of the phrase “Lion of the Tribe of Judah”? How does it apply to you as a believer in Christ today?

APPLY THE WORD

Jesus is tender-hearted and gentle, but He is not a weakling, sissy or namby-pamby the world thinks of Him. One of these days, He will roar as a Lion and the world will tremble and fall on its knees. If coronavirus has scared the world to death as it is now, what will happen when the Lion of Judah fully roars?? Be encouraged. You are not in weak hands. Jesus, your Savior and Lord, is the Lion of the tribe of Judah!