Well, after Christmas, we often say, that the baby Jesus, born in the manger, grows up to become the Lion of Judah, so this may be an appropriate follow-up to Christmas, as we look into a new year…still waiting for His return…
“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.
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?
The sceptre 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.
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.
His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.”
The Tribe of Judah was singled out to produce the Messiah, the mighty Lion of Judah.
From Genesis to Revelation we see Him proclaimed, running throughout the Bible.
We recognise the actions of Jesus in this chapter, binding his donkey to the vine, or the colt of an ass, just as in the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, where He was hailed as King.
“And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples,” and so we bow down with all who recognise Him with gladness as our ruler, just as His followers did that day!
The Lord Our Righteousness
The Messiah is prophesied to come from the Line of David in Jeremiah 23.5, the Branch of Righteousness;
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate), “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD Yehovah Tsidkenu (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Continuing the theme in Isaiah 11.1, it says,
“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate).
His delight is in the fear of the Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate), and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears.
A Lion from a Small Town
In Micah 5.2, Bethlehem of the Tribe of Judah is chosen out of all the towns of Israel to be the birthplace of the Messiah, the Shepherd of Israel;
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me, the One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
Judah is the tribe that produced kings, and this one is the Ancient of Days!
He is our conquering King, this lion came from such humble circumstances, born as a lamb in a stable among farm animals, the raised to a lion, the King of the Jungle!
The lion is a powerful, kingly animal and yet in Jesus resides the lion and the lamb, dwelling together!
Lions are the only big cats that live in families and providing for them.
Jesus, as the lion of Judah, sets the lonely in one big family, the church, with Him as the Head, provider and protector!
God wasn’t ashamed to use the lowly or the little, Bethlehem was the smallest, yet He chose them, and Jesus came as the smallest and most helpless, as a baby, let us not think then, that He will overlook or despise us, in our low estate.
Our weakness is not a barrier to Him.
In Genesis 22.14, we see how God provides the ram in place of Isaac, for Abraham.
Like a lion the Lord also provides for us, His family.
Lions are fierce protectors, defending the territory of their family.
They are powerful, fierce protectors and providers, so is God.
They are unafraid – Why should we fear when He is our protector?
Judah also means “praise”, the tribe of Judah were worshippers.
We are to keep our eyes on Him and worship, because He has the victory, and we have it through Him.
Lions very rarely lose a fight and are a formidable foe.
He is stronger and more capable than us, and He’s fighting on our side.
He will prevail in the lives of those who let Him in.
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has Prevailed.
The Lion and the Lamb, looking as though He had been slain, He stands at the throne.
The Lion played for the highest stakes possible in the fight of His life at the cross, for our life, allowing Himself to be slain.
Judah had a destiny to be fulfilled, of leadership, dominance over its enemies.
He is an untameable Lion.
The lion has courage, strength and untamed majesty.
Who Can Tame God?
He is full of latent strength and vigilance, nothing escapes His gaze.
He exercises authority over His enemies.
The sceptre and staff are symbols of rulership and kingly authority.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah.
He has the right to govern, because Isaiah 9.6 states that the government will be upon His shoulders.
He protects the Kingdom from external threats, He is the first line of defence against our adversaries.
Numbers 24.9 says, “He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?”
And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?”And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.
So, I wept much, because 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.”
He is victory, kingship and redemption together, only Jesus can fulfil God’s plan of redemption.
He is mighty in battle and commanding in presence.
He is not passive, but active in combatting and defeating the forces of Satan.
He brings about God’s justice and is the culmination of the Davidic covenant.
He is a warrior who fights on behalf of His people and victor over sin and death.
“Death where is your victory, death where is your sting?!”
“Thanks to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15.55-57)
He is the conquering king and the sacrificial lamb, love does not conquer by brute force, but by sacrificial love.
He is a warrior king and suffering servant combined, humility, meekness and love.
He has full authority over creation and the spiritual realm, including storms and spirits. (Mark 4.39)
He establishes order over chaos. (Mark 1.27)
He does not want our lives to be ones of chaos, but order and brings us out of the chaos of our old lives, into His peace.
He has the courage and righteousness of a lion and speaks out against injustice.
He represents triumphant justice and everlasting peace.
Philippians 2.9-11: Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
To belong to Him is to live under His rule, steadfast in hope, receiving the benefits of His covering, knowing that our King has already secured the victory, we dwell in peace.
He commands obedience, fear and awe and we gladly serve Him!
He is a worthy King, who commands all our attention.
His relationship with His people, His strength wielded on behalf of the vulnerable and oppressed, we see this theme repeated over and over!
What a mighty God we serve and love!
Isaiah 31.4 “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 Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) of the Heavenly Armies will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
As a lion standing over its prey, undaunted or distracted from their purpose by noise, resistance or human effort, He is resolute, nothing can thwart God’s purposes.
No matter how much noise man makes, nothing can derail His plan, He stands firm and unafraid in the face of adversity.
Isaiah 11.6 “The wolf also 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.”
Here is a world transformed under Messiah’s leadership, we are brough into peace under His reign; where enmity with natural predators is abolished; our relationships with the natural world and each other are finally transformed.
Th devil’s reign is perverted to bringing about destruction, God’s to bringing about peace.
Power, when divorced from righteousness and love, becomes destructive.
Revelation 19.15-16 “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.”
Just as Genesis 49.10 says, “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah”, so He “rules them with an iron rod”, this lions whelp from the Tribe of Judah, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and to Him is the obedience of the peoples!
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah has indeed conquered!
In Genesis 3.15 God promises to send someone to bruise and crush the serpent’s head.
In Genesis 49.8-10 The delivering Messiah is prophesied and promised and defined.
What He will do is not fulfilled in Judah himself, nor in David or in Solomon, but in Jesus.
Our deliverance does not manifest itself by the arm of flesh, by thousands and thousands in military might.
The Lion is born as a meek baby, like a lamb, among domesticated animals, lying down with the lamb and becoming a lamb, sacrificed in death.
In resurrection the Lion conquers, by being sacrificed as a Lamb!
Like Aslan submitted Himself to be slain, Jesus submitted Himself, only to rise again!
Death could not hold Him!
He stooped down in submission and conquered.
The conquering lion conquered through love, He chose to humble Himself.
Hosea 11.9-10 “For I am God Elohim (The Living Word, The Many Powered), and not man, the Holy One in your midst;
“They shall walk after the Lord Yehovah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate. He will roar like a lion. When He roars, then His sons shall come trembling from the west;”
He comes with a roar of victory and salvation and His people respond to His voice, like sheep we know His voice and run to Him.
He draws us to Him through His roar and we come trembling to His feet at Calvary.
Just as Aslan’s roar in Narnia brought life, His voice brings life to His kingdom, to all who believe and none can snatch us out of His hand, so let’s live for Him this year as He sustains us as we listen to His voice!
Thank you for this meat to chew on for 2026! This is a great message.
Thanks Raye!
Hallelujah 🕊️ ✨ 👑