Lion of Judah

Genesis 43:⁸ Judah said to his father, "Send the boy with me, and we will be on our way. Otherwise we will all die of starvation—and not only we, but you and our little ones. ⁹ I personally guarantee his safety. You may hold me responsible if I don't bring him back to you. Then let me bear the blame forever.

Genesis 44:³² My lord (speaking to Joseph), I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, 'If I don't bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.'

³³ "So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn't bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!"

Genesis 49:8 

"Judah, your brothers will praise you.
    You will grasp your enemies by the neck.
    All your relatives will bow before you.
⁹ Judah, my son, is a young lion
    that has finished eating its prey.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down;
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
¹⁰ The scepter will not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler's staff from his descendants,
until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,
    the one whom all nations will honor.

I used to wonder why Jesus could trace His human ancestry back to Judah.  It always seemed to me that it should have been Joseph.  Joseph seemed more Christ-like...more pure...more full of faith.  But why Judah.  Then, after hearing the story once again I began to realize that Judah reflects the purpose for Christ's coming and epitomizes His identify.  Judah was a man with a mix of good intentions while also falling into sin.  He is a good picture of "every man"...like you and like me.  But Judah has some kind of transformation of character.  When it comes time for one of the brothers to lay his life on the line for the survival of the entire family, it is Judah who steps forward and places his life as the guarantee...as the substitute to preserve the life of another.  I think this is why Jacob revealed in his blessing that it would be through the line of Judah that the lion of Judah would come one day.  Judah is a picture of what Christ does in the life of a man who is both sinner and saint, saved by grace!

blessings,

Rob Smith