lion of the tribe of judah

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Although not often attended to, in many places in Scripture, our Messiah is referred to as a lion or as having lionlike qualities. He is referred to as the lion of the Tribe of Judah: the fierce leader and sovereign over all Israel. This lion, though takes on many characteristics and traits which change according to his purpose: but understanding the metaphor of the King of beasts for the King of Kings can be a dynamic one, showing one more side of the great Messiah of Israel. Surprisingly, the rubric "Lion of the Tribe of Judah appears only once in Scripture, at the end, although allusions and direct comparisons to the 'Lion' who is both lion and lamb, are replete throughout the Word. The colorful descriptions of our Messiah as a lion refer to many characteristics and qualities such as strength, valiance, headship, and extreme power. This comparison though of the 'King of Kings' with the 'King of Beasts' is a flexible one: it refers not only to His excellence and headship, but also to His ability and propensity to devour the enemies of the ones He loves. The imagery of a lion is also a fluid one, for the devouring nature of a lion over his prey is applied not only to the Redeemer, but can also refer to His antithesis, the devil who is said to 'kill, steal and destroy' and who is compared also to a lion in one passage in which it is noted that the devil like a lion seeks whom he may devour. We see in the lion power, from the raw power of a young lion to sovereign power of an old lion, and in the Song of Songs, we see the first glimpse of the coming Lion of Glory peeking from the heights of Shenir and Hermon. The Lion of Judah is mentioned in whole or part from Genesis to Revelation, and is seen in such seemingly unrelated passages as the prophesies of Balaam, all the way to the prophesies of Revelation, and Ezekiel's vision of the Temple in Heaven.

One other magnificent manifestation: lion whelps, lions and lionesses and 'Great Lions' are seen referring in utter synthesis and co-existence to both Messiah, Jesus and Israel: as with prophecy, His fate and life and actions are intimately bound up in His Bride, Israel. In this study, we will explore the wondrous mystery of the Lion which rises out of Judah.

The Name of a Lion

When Adam was placed in the garden, the first vocation God gave him, was to name the animals, and Scripture particularly notes that the loving father God wanted to see what his new creation would call the animals. God is about 'naming' things and people, usually in terms of their destiny or purpose and He desired to see what His child Adam would do when seeing each unique creature. When give the name of a Lion, three basic Hebrew words are used: 'ari' which is directly a lion, sabal, which is used to denote a lion of fierce countenance, and lebe, an old lion, or a grand, great old lion. Messiah was all of these. As we discuss Messiah as Lion, we will see he was the young lion of strength and conquest, the older wise lion of centuries and in wrath, the opposite side of Glory, He can be a very fierce Lion in defense of Israel and His Own.

Lions in the Word of God

There is no lack of mention of lions in the Word of God. Israel is compared to a lion crouching in the desert, and as early as Balaam where the passage is mentioned, the Messiah to come is likened to one. In general, lions are mentioned as young, old, and great, as valiant, as having great strength, as being tenacious in the killing and devouring of prey, and as an animal to be feared. As mentioned above, both the Devil and the Lord are compared with the King of the Forest, with the imagery applied ten times more to the LORD than satan. Whether the devil or the LORD, the tenacious, devouring, and sovereign countenance is essential: the divine in Justice and judgment and the demonic in tearing, ripping, 'undoing' and ruining destruction. Strength and force are pre-eminent, and the teeth of lions are mentioned frequently. The portrayal and characteristics of Lions in scripture are critical in the understanding of the application of the imagery to the Messiah, the Lion of the Tribe and Judah as it points to His headship, His Just nature, His strength and force, and wrathful nature [even under grace] to His enemies, the enemies of Israel. Following are examples and discussions of the many aspects of lions in the Word.

Strength of a Lion

Proverbs 30:30 declares that the lion is:

stronger than any beast

and in Judges 14:5, the question is posed,

"What is Stronger than a lion?

The strength of a lion is used in a number of passages to indicate the utter test of a man's strength against this most powerful beast, such as when Samson wrestles and kills a lion, only to find the sweetness of a honeycomb inside [see honey,honeycomb], or in the early days of David, an indication of the strength of his kingship to come when the young shepherd kills a bear and lion which was devouring the sheep, and this deed showing David's strength over the powerful devourer, preceeds slightly his slaying of the strong Goliath of Gath, Israel's enemy. A lion's strength is so great, that once his prey is caught, the consuming of the prey is merely an afterthought. This strength of a beast in the world, though, points to the strength of God's Messiah, Y'shua, or Jesus Christ.

The Valiant Lion

Close at hand with Strength is the mention of the valiance of a lion:

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The dictionary describes 'valiance' as:

the qualities of a hero or heroine; exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger (especially in battle); "he showed great heroism in battle"; "he received a medal for valor"
WordReference.com

The bravery or valiance of a lion is seen in such passages such as II Sam 17:10 when the "heart of a Lion" is mentioned, or when the righteous are compared with:

The righteous are bold as a lion. " Proverbs 28:2

The heroic overcoming of a lion is mentioned in the story of Samson and David and in II Samuel 23:20, although they overpower lions heroically, Daniel's God overpowers the Lions in the den by faith alone. This attribute of valiance is seen easily in the countenance of Messiah: He comes meekly as an infant, as a lamb the first time, as God incarnate, but at the end, in the final Deliverance of Israel at Armaggedon He is seen riding valiantly as a King to save all of Israel.[Revelation}

Young Lions, Old Lions & Great Lions

The nature of lions as with humans changes over the lifespan: in our youth we are often fearless and unwise, as we begin to age we are less likely to foolishly "go where angesl fear to tread", and when we grow old, having found out the world as our own lives are not what we expected if we have een changed by the LORD and pacified by the Word, we become often more apt to surrender than in our youth. The description of lions in the Word follows suit---and we see the nature of life and glimmers of the Messiah in the aging "King of the forest". A Great lion? All grow old, but only afew grow great: among lions it is the Great Lion towering above the pride which presents the picture of the reign and character of Messiah: the Meschiach, the Holy One, the Great Lion of the trible of Judah who by his countenance alone takes headship of the tribe of tribes. Following are the descriptions the Word gives to Young Lions, Old Lions and Great Lions.

Young Lions

Even the tribes of Israel are noted from as early as Balaam's prophecy when beyond his desire for prophecy for hire, the prophet Balaam speaks to the dismayed Barak of Israel as a crouching lion, and Israel in its early youth is compared in several passages to a lion's whelp.

Judah is a lion's whelp from the prey, my son thou art gfone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion and as an old lion who shal rouse him up? 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." Genesis 49:9-10.

In this passage both the old lion and the young whelp is seen: both describing Israel, particularly Judah, as both a young nation with the strength of an old lion. Judah is a lion's whelp, a whelp is cute, coy and 'joyous' not unlike a new believer. They can be a handful: they tend to do their own will, without regard for consequences: this is seen clearly in the early wars of Israel as they learn the critical principle of obedience to God in battle. Even the obedient,

Messiah is a Lion

To be continued

"Rev 5:5 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.