Christian author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor wrote a book entitled A Shiloh Christmas, which is about a small boy named Marty Preston and his rescued beagle dog Shiloh, who are eagerly waiting for Christmas to arrive, as their town is running low on love and compassion; or what we might call “Christmas spirit.” At one point in the story Shiloh runs away from home. Marty is worried sick about him and says, “If Shiloh don’t never come back, Christmas won’t feel like Christmas.”(1) And that’s pretty much the sentiment of our Scripture for today: “If Shiloh doesn’t come, then there won’t be any Christmas!”
We’re going to be looking at numerous prophecies of the Messiah, all contained in one brief passage; and one of the terms that we’re going to be viewing is Shiloh – that Shiloh must come before the arrival of God’s kingdom of peace and justice. This passage deals with the arrival of the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the King of Kings (both His first advent and second coming); therefore, I’ve entitled our message, “The King is Coming.” If you would, please stand with me in honor of God’s Word, as we read Genesis 49:8-13.
Judah and the Coming of Shiloh (Genesis 49:8-13)
8 Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. 11 Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk. 13 Zebulun shall dwell by the haven of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall adjoin Sidon.
In verses 8-12 of our passage, we see some character traits and prophecies of the coming Messiah; and the first thing mentioned is Judah. According to Micah 5:2, the Messiah was expected to arise from the tribe of Judah; and this prophecy was fulfilled. We read in the book of Matthew that when the wise men came looking for Jesus, they asked King Herod, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). The Scripture says that when Herod “had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel’” (Matthew 2:4-6).
Judah was the fourth son born to Jacob and Leah. His birth is recorded in Genesis 29:35, which says, “And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘Now I will praise the Lord.’ Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing” (Genesis 29:35). The word translated as “praise,” in verse 8 of our passage (and also in Genesis 29:35), is a variation of the name Judah that is intended as a word play.(2) The name Judah means “praise” and he will be praised by his brothers.(3) But why? “Judah’s superiority of character had appeared early, [such as] when he proposed to sell Joseph rather than take his life (37:26ff). Judah’s character rose higher when he offered himself to Jacob as a pledge for Benjamin and pleaded with Joseph on Benjamin’s behalf (43:9-10; 44:16ff).(4) “God was praised for him at his birth . . . and God is praised in him, because Jesus descends from the tribe of Judah. Because of this, his brothers shall . . . praise him.”(5)
The second part of verse 8 speaks about Judah’s hand being on the neck of his enemies. “To have one’s hand on the neck of their enemies is an expression indicating conquest and victory over them.”(6) This prophecy about the tribe of Judah was fulfilled in Psalm 18:39-40, in which David – a descendant of Judah – declared, “You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me.” Commentator Charlie Garrett says that this passage in Psalm contains more than just a literal fulfillment by David. It is a prophecy of “the ultimate King of the Jews. He has conquered not only the physical enemies of God’s people, but all the spiritual ones as well. In Him, sin is defeated, Satan is destroyed, and death is conquered.”(7)
Look at verse 9. “Jacob now assigns a striking metaphor to Judah which will continue to be used until the last book of the Bible, that of a lion. He begins with calling him ‘a lion’s whelp.’ This is a young lion, one of little power. At this point in the history of Judah, he is [indeed a lion’s whelp] among his brothers, with no seeming advantage above them. However, as a lion . . . he will grow.”(8) “As the lion matures, they take hold of their own prey and they ‘go up’ with it normally to their mountain lairs to eat. The tribe of Judah eventually matured into a [full] grown lion in its own right. It became the largest of the tribes and was known for its many conquests, defeating prey in all directions as they prospered.”(9)
We read how Judah “bows down, he lies down as a lion” (v. 9). “The symbolism here is of a lion that crouches in a satisfied way over his prey, with no worries about it being taken from him as he devours it. Eventually, he is satisfied with his victory and filled with the meal and he enjoys rest and repose as he lies down. He is at peace and he has no fears. At the same time, his enemies are [troubled] by him, always on the alert should he raise himself again to go on the prowl. As a full mature lion, satisfied with the catching of his prey, Judah found itself in this position as well.”(10) In 1 Kings 4:25, we read “this” description about the state of affairs in Judah: “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba.”
Verse 9 asks, “And as a lion, who shall rouse him?” “The word for ‘lion’ here [depicts] . . . a fully mature lion, maybe even a lioness which is fiercer than the male, [growling] angrily when it is disturbed from its rest. A lioness is also the caretaker of the cubs and will defend them with ferocity. When Judah had finally subdued all enemies and the people were at rest, the other nations sought peace with them. Many treaties were made in an attempt to pacify [Judah] and stay their desire to conquer them.”(11)
In Isaiah 31:4, this terminology about the lion is applied specifically to the Messiah. We read this: “For thus the LORD has spoken to me: ‘As a lion roars, and a young lion over his prey (when a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice nor be disturbed by their noise), so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.” “The Lord, even now, is reposing in majesty, but some day, He will rise from that position . . . and like a lion in defense of her cubs, He will be prepared to defend His children.”(12) We read in Joel 3:16, “The LORD also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the LORD will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.”
At this point in the text, I cannot help but think of Aslan, the stately lion from The Chronicles of Narnia who represents Jesus. Commentator John Gill says, “All this [imagery] may be applied to Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah. The lion being the king of beasts, and the strongest among them, may denote the kingly power and authority of Christ – His great strength as the mighty God and mighty Savior; His courage in engaging with all the powers of darkness and valor in vanquishing all enemies; His generosity and [kindness] to those that [submit before] Him; and His fierceness to His adversaries; Who took the prey from the mighty, and then ascended on high, leading captivity captive, where He sat down at the right hand of God at rest and ease.”(13)
In verse 10, we read how “the scepter shall not depart from Judah.” “The ‘scepter’ was a symbol of kingship, indicating the preeminence of Judah as the theocratic head over latter Israel.”(14) Psalm 45:6 says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” In Numbers 24:17, Balaam prophesied of Israel’s coming Messiah, declaring this: “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel . . . and destroy all the sons of tumult.”
The phrase “from between his feet,” in verse 10, “is a picture of the head of state or chieftain, seated with his wand [or scepter] of office held before him, and extending down to his feet.”(15) The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a king or leader “until Shiloh comes” (v. 10). So, what is Shiloh? “The name ‘Shiloh’ . . . has given rise to many interpretations and speculations, but the most reasonable is that it refers to the Messiah. The phrase could be translated ‘until he comes to whose right it is,’ because the word Shiloh means ‘whose it is.’ The ancient rabbinical scholars took Shiloh to be a name of the promised Messiah, who alone had the right to claim rule over God’s people Israel.”(16)
An article from the Christian Courier, states that “the text clearly indicates that, in some sense, Judah would retain their sovereignty until the arrival of the Messiah, after which, at some point, that rule would be surrendered. The historical facts are these. The substantial sovereignty of the nation never ceased until Herod Archelaus was removed from his position. Even when Judah was subject to other powers, it sustained a degree of autonomy, and mostly was ruled by Jewish administrators. There were ‘governors’ (e.g. Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah); ‘high priests’ under the Ptolemies and Seleucids; and Hasmonaean ‘priest-kings’ under whom Judah was temporarily independent of other powers.”(17)
“The Romans [even] gave the Jews their own king, Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1) . . . Herod’s wicked son, Archelaus, ‘reigned’ over the Hebrews until he was deposed in A.D. 6 (cf. Matthew 2:22). [And] the Jews, henceforth, were governed by the Romans through a series of procurators, one of whom was Pontius Pilate. It, thus, is clear that by the time the Romans took direct control over the Jews, the Hebrew ‘ruling’ power (the scepter) was completely and permanently gone.”(18)
I disagree with the Christian Courier that the scepter was completely and permanently gone! The great Baptist preacher W. A. Criswell said, “The coming of Shiloh is not to terminate the reign of Judah, but it is the coming of Shiloh which would bring about Judah’s rule over the nations.”(19) The scepter would not disappear when Shiloh arrived; but rather, it would be removed from among men and transferred to its rightful owner, the Lion of Judah and the King of Kings!
The one to whom the scepter shall be conferred, according to verse 11, will “bind his donkey to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine.” This statement reminds me of another prophecy of the Messiah. Zechariah 9:9 says, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” This prophecy from Zechariah was fulfilled during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, on what we call Palm Sunday, when He had the disciples untie a donkey and her colt, on which He rode into the city (Matthew 21:1-11).
We also read, in verses 11-12, that “He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.” In Isaiah 63:2-3, we learn how garments that are stained red from the trodding of grapes are symbolic of garments being stained with blood. In Isaiah chapter 63, the Lord says, “Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? . . . For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes.” Here, the theme moves from the first advent of Christ to His final return.
In the Messiah’s final return, when He does battle at Armageddon and takes vengeance on the enemies of God, His garments will be stained with blood. Listen as a share a passage from Revelation that seems to line up with Genesis 49:11-12. In Revelation 19:11-13, we read this: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.”
Allow me to share a prophecy from the Dead Sea Scrolls, which speaks of the endtimes. In what is called the Priestly Blessings for the Last Days, we read, “For God has established You as the scepter over the rulers; before You peoples shall bow down, and all nations shall serve You. He shall make You mighty by His holy name, so that You shall be as a lion among the beasts of the forest; Your sword will devour prey, with none to rescue. Your swift steeds [or horses] shall spread out upon the earth.”(20)
Commentator Warren Wiersbe says, “The description in verses 11-12 certainly goes beyond Judah’s time and speaks of the blessings of the kingdom age when the Messiah shall reign over Israel. Nobody in Old Testament times would use a choice vine for a hitching post for his donkey, because such an act would certainly ruin the vine and probably cause the loss of the animal . . . This is the language of hyperbole. It describes a land so wealthy and a people so prosperous that they can do these outrageous things and not have to worry about the consequences.”(21) You see, there is coming a day, after Christ’s Second Advent or His return, that He will be the Prince of Peace over a kingdom of peace, and over a reign of prosperity, for all time. That’s what the prophet Isaiah tells us (Isaiah 9:6-7); and I’ll share His prophecy before we close.
Now, let’s take a look at our final verse. You’ve probably already noticed that verse 13 is separate from the description of Judah. It instead deals with the tribe of Zebulun. I wanted us to take a look at this verse as it pertains to another prophecy of the Messiah. Allow me to begin here by sharing some brief background information about Zebulun. Jacob’s tenth son, Zebulun, was the youngest of six sons borne by Leah. When Zebulun was born, Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons” (Genesis 30:20 NIV). The name Zebulun means “dwelling” or “honor.”(22)
The land of “Zebulun was located on an important route that carried merchandise from the coast of the Sea of Galilee and to Damascus . . . For the most part, the Jews weren’t a seafaring people, but the tribe of Zebulun did business with the Phoenicians east of them and provided imported goods to the people west of them.”(23) “Zebulun’s territory was located in what later became known as Galilee, in Northern Israel. Moses’ blessing on the tribe was that they would prosper in their overseas dealings with Gentile nations (Deuteronomy 33:18-19).”(24)
Allow me to share a prophecy about Zebulun from Isaiah chapter 9: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali . . . by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined . . . For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever” (Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7).
The gospel writer Matthew tells us, “Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned” (Matthew 4:12-16). The website GotQuestions.org states that “Isaiah’s prediction is Messianic: Galilee (including Zebulun) would be honored as the first to hear Christ’s preaching.”(25)
Time of Reflection
In closing, I want to share something by commentator Gordon Wenham. He says that “the blessing of Judah, to whom the royal symbols of authority, the staff and the scepter, will be entrusted, [and] to whose descendant . . . the peoples obey” has universally been recognized as the clearest messianic prospect.(26) He says that perhaps it could have been fulfilled in David, but it is evident that the “psalmists and prophets looked for a yet greater Son of David, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, before whose throne all tribes and peoples and tongues will fall.”(27)
His kingdom will be one of everlasting peace. Isaiah says that in that place “the wolf . . . shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them . . . They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:6, 9-10).
Before His kingdom comes in fullness, He must return in righteousness and judgement, which commences with the opening of the scroll. We read in Revelation chapter 5, that “no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals’ . . . Now when He had taken the scroll . . . they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:4-5, 8a, 9-10).
The reason why the Messiah came was to do as I just read; to be slain and to shed His blood for us, in order to redeem us unto God. The Bible says that all of us have sinned (Romans 3:23), and that we are supposed to die for our sins (Romans 6:23), but Jesus stepped in and took our place, so that we can be free from the penalty of sin; and He offers His redemption unto every single person on this earth from every tribe, tongue and nation. For those who refuse the gift of forgiveness and grace, they will suffer the wrath of God; but for those who choose to confess Jesus as Savior and Lord, and King of Kings, they will reign with Him forever. I want to close by inviting you to receive the greatest Christmas gift of all, the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
NOTES
(1) Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, A Shiloh Christmas (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2016), p. 146.
(2) Charlie Garrett, “Genesis 49:8-12 (The Blessing Upon Judah),” The Superior Word: https://superiorword.org/genesis-49-8-12-the-blessing-upon-judah/ (Accessed December 6, 2021).
(3) Ibid.
(4) W. A. Criswell, ed., Holy Bible Baptist Study Edition (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), p. 74.
(5) Garrett.
(6) Ibid.
(7) Ibid.
(8) Ibid.
(9) Ibid.
(10) Ibid.
(11) Ibid.
(12) Ibid.
(13) John Gill, Gill’s Exposition of the Bible: https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/genesis-49-9.html (Accessed December 6, 2021).
(14) Criswell, p. 74.
(15) Ibid., p. 74
(16) Warren Wiersbe, “The Complete Old Testament in One Volume,” The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2007), p. 137.
(17) Wayne Jackson, “Who Is the Mysterious Shiloh?,” Christian Courier: https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1101-who-is-the-mysterious-shiloh (Accessed December 6, 2021).
(18) Ibid.
(19) Criswell, p. 74.
(20) Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr., and Edward Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls (San Francisco: Harper, 1996), p. 150; “Priestly Blessings for the Last Days” (1QSb 5:27-29).
(21) Wiersbe, p. 137.
(22) “What Can We Learn From The Tribe of Zebulun?” Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org/tribe-of-Zebulun.html (Accessed December 6, 2021).
(23) Wiersbe, p, 137.
(24) Got Questions.
(25) Ibid.
(26) Gordon Wenham, Genesis 16-50, vol. 2, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1994), p. 493.
(27) Ibid., p. 493.
