The King Is Coming Series

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)