Bible Study Online Article
In the last article we learned about the first part of Judah's prophecy that Jacob had foretold. At this point within the foretelling of this very important prophecy, we learned that Judah would eventually be praised by his brothers, and that this tribe would assume an authoritative position from within the promise covenant, that God had bestowed upon the family. Within the first part of the prophecy, we also learned that the tribe of Judah, would be like a lion. First as a young lion, that eventually grows into a wise and strong older lion. I also pointed out, how the prophecy of Judah, has nothing to do with the prophecy of Ephraim, in spite of the fact, that Jacob had foretold that Ephraim would also hold an authoritative position from within the twelve tribes as well. The reason why in my opinion, that I don't see conflict between the two tribes, is for the mere fact, that Ephraim's authoritative position comes way before Judah's, and will eventually run parallel to Judah's authoritative position. The reason why, is for the mere fact that, Judah would find itself ruling the Southern Kingdom, and Ephraim would rule the Northern Kingdom. This will happen, after God splits the kingdom and rips ten of the twelve tribes away from the Judah, the House of David. But let's move forward, we will (if God is willing) have plenty of time to explore and review these coming events. Just remember, that this information is very important to us in this day and time, for it shows us how the current Blood Covenant that we have the privilege of enjoying today, came into existence. It also shows how God treated those who were in His covenant, and how He treated the people, that were outside His covenant. It also shows how, we can stand on the belief that Jesus is the true Messiah, and how the Blood Covenant that He made with those who believe in Him, and how that covenant has an official heavenly commission, that has been ordained by the one true God. And although, we are traveling through, what most would call the Old Testament, keep in mind that we are trying to identify how God moved, reacted, and dealt with those that followed His ways, and how He dealt with those that didn't. Understand that God is the same today, yesterday and forevermore, and we must not forget that He never changes. Which means, since He did it then, He will do the same now, and into the near future and beyond. God's love, mercy, grace and the gift of redemption is found throughout His entire testament (Old & New) that is known as the Sacred Scriptures. And although God's gift of love, mercy and grace, are unconditional: when it comes to the gift of redemption, we must understand that this comes with conditions, and it's important that we know what those conditions are through the Blood Covenant that Jesus Christ gave his natural life for. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes." (Genesis 49:10) Okay let's take a closer look, being that at this point, Jacob tells us exactly when Judah comes into its authoritative power from within the covenant. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes" Goodness, there's so much within this statement, entire books have been written on this scripture alone. But understand that "The scepter shall not depart from Judah" points to a couple of things. First it tells us when Judah will come into power, for we must understand that the word "scepter" is a normal terms deal with a rod or staff that is used by kings. For the word signifies "royal authority" or "dominion" or "government." Now, this leaves us with the question: "When did the tribe of Judah, receive this 'scepter?'" This position wouldn't come into play, until the days of David. Now understand that, David wasn't Israel first king, for that honor goes to Saul the son of Kish, who came from the tribe of Benjamin. During Saul's reign as king, he was ruler over all twelve tribes. But when David was made king, he was at first, ruler over the tribe of Judah only: "Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah" (2 Samuel 2:4) After this had happened, Abner (Saul's cousin and army captain) took Ish-bosheth, Saul's only remaining son, and made him king of the other eleven tribes. This arrangement would last for the next seven and a half years, before David would reunite the Israel nation after the death of Ish-bosheth. Now the scepter is with the tribe of Judah, and it would be this way until the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 721 B.C. and because of their sins, around one-hundred and fifteen years later, the tribe of Judah was taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. This captivity would last for seventy years just like God had told the prophet Jeremiah: "And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years." (Jeremiah 25:11) But critics could use this event to try to discredit Jacob's prophecy, for he stated that "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes." But, what they fail to realize is that the tribe of Judah was taken into captivity, they weren't destroyed. Although they were held captive, they were still a tribe; a nation of God's chosen. This brings me to the time when this same nation, was being held captive in the land of Egypt, for four-hundred years. For we must understand, that the promise covenant that God had made with Israel's forefathers were still intact, even though they were being held captive in another country. But let's draw back some, for we must not forget, that the prophet Daniel who was of noble birth and from the tribe of Judah, was already serving in Nebuchadnezzar's court, long before the tribe of Judah was fully taken into captivity. Daniel held a very high position from within the Babylonian courts, some say as high as second in command. If this was the case, then the tribe of Judah still had royal representation, during their days of being in captivity. Daniel would serve in this royal position, until the Persian king "Cyrus the Great" had defeated Belshazzar and taken the city of Babylon. And within the next few years, Cyrus had allowed the tribe of Judah to return back to their city, so that they could rebuild the temple. During this period they would now be represented by Zerabbabel who was also from the tribe of Judah, and would later be known as "the prince of the captivity." After his reign, representation would now pass to the prophet Ezra, and then to the prophet Nehemiah, who were both also from the tribe of Judah. But these events would all happen before the birth of Christ. So what happen to the tribe of Judah's representation (scepter) or lawgiver, or what was put in place as a government that represented the tribe of Judah to the Israel nation, as they began to rebuild themselves? For we must remember: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes."
Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE**
113) The Prophecy of Reuben, Simeon and Levi 114) A Lion In The Making 115) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 116) Representation of the Scepter 117) The Importance of the Sanhedrin 118) The Gathering of the People 119) The Prophecy of Zebulun, Issachar and Dan 120) Jacob's Prophecies - Gad, Asher and Naphtali 121) Jacob's Prophecies - Joseph the Fruitful Tree 122) Jacob's Prophecies - Benjamin the Ravenous Wolf 123) The Death of Jacob 124) Jacob Goes Home 126) The Death of Joseph 127) Evolutionist And Creationist 128) Moses the Historian  CrossDaily.com Web Search where you can VOTE FOR THIS SITE & other great ones. Christian search engine, directory & voting index. You'll find Bible Study Online, chat, churches, jobs, music, reviews, software, theology, & more. See the best sites! |
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