At this point in our study of Jacob’s prophecy of the last days, we have come to Judah, Jacob’s fourth son by Leah, and it seems that Jacob sets him apart from the others, saying his brethren would praise him. Judah’s name means praise, and his tribe led the other eleven, when they marched through the wilderness with the Tabernacle in their midst (Numbers 10:13-14), and, later, he led them, when going to war with the Canaanites (Judges 1:1-2). Moreover, if all we do is consider the text, the Lord was first praised by mankind through the birth of Judah (Genesis 29:35). However, I still have to wonder why Judah gets praised here by Jacob, which does occur, if the text is taken literally.
Consider that, while it is implied that Jacob and his family lived apart from the Canaanites, Judah made his abode with them, befriending a Canaanite named Hirah and marrying the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua (Genesis 38:1-2). Later, it was his idea to have Joseph enslaved and conspired to tell Jacob that Joseph was slain by a wild beast (Genesis 37:25-33). For all intents and purposes, Judah represents an unbeliever, every bit as much as his three brothers who were born before him. So, how does Judah get praised in Jacob’s prophecy of the last days (cp. verse-1)? If the wrath of Simeon and Levi was condemned (Genesis 49:7), why was Judah praised, when he participated in the brothers’ wrath against Joseph (Genesis 49:9)?
I believe the answer lies not in anything that Judah had done up to this time, but is implied in the fact that his mother praised the Lord at his birth, and so named him praise! Out of Judah would come the greatest king of Israel, David, who was a type of the Messiah, who was to come in the last days (Genesis 49:1, 10). All the kings of Judah, who came after David, were compared to him (1Kings 9:4, 11:4; 14:8; 15:5; 2Kings 22:2). It seems to me, that the praise that is given to Judah is actually **for** the Messiah. His brethren, vis-à-vis the Messiah’s brethren, praise him. We have no instance in the Bible, where the other eleven sons praise Judah. Judah’s finest hour came when he defended Benjamin (Genesis 44:18-34). Otherwise, he is praised for David’s sake, a type of Messiah (1Chronicles 5:2), who brought the Tabernacle of God to Judah in Jerusalem[1] (2Samuel 6:12-15), which is the place, out of which man came to know God (Psalm 76:1; cp. Isaiah 2:3)
It was actually David who praised the Lord, saying the Lord had given him the necks of his enemies (Psalm 18:40), and Jacob’s sons bowed before him as their king (Genesis 49:8). Nevertheless, after David’s death, the kingdom was divided,[2] so why do the brothers honor Judah, if not because of David, a type of the Messiah? While in Jacob’s prophecy, Judah is referred to as a lion, the lion was, actually, one of four figures comprising the throne of God (Ezekiel 1:10). Moreover, the city to which David retired after his conquests (1Chronicles 14:17), is referred to as Ariel (the lion of God; cp. Isaiah 29:1), but ultimately the lion refers to Jesus, the Messiah (Revelation 5:5). So, although Jacob refers to Judah as a lion (Genesis 49:9), actually the Lion is Christ, and the prophecy is for Christ through Judah.
_________________________________________
[1] Jerusalem is actually in the plot of land given to Benjamin, but Benjamin was given to Judah to rule, when the Kingdom of Israel was divided.
[2] Technically, the kingdom was divided after the reign of Solomon, but the other eleven tribes submitted to Solomon by coercion, now willingly as in the case of David, as is implied in his heavy taxation, which ultimately was used to divide the kingdom (1Kings 12:1-4, 13-14, 16-17).
Smoodock's Blog 