Tag Archive | Lamb of God

Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Revelation 5 uses two very different animals to describe two aspects of the nature of Jesus Christ, a powerful and ferocious LION and a meek and harmless LAMB. Jesus is both the conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah, symbolizing His kingly authority and power,and the spotless Lamb of God, symbolizing His submission to the will of His Father to be the perfect sacrifice of the sins of mankind.

“And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” Revelation‬ ‭5:5-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Yesterday we looked at Jesus as the Lamb of God. Today we are looking at Him as the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Genesis 49:9 describes the tribe of Judah as a “lion’s cub” (Hebrew words mean a young lion) and a “crouched lion” as if ready to attack. Based on this verse, the term “Lion of Judah” became the symbol of the Jewish tribe of Judah.

The following verse is the first prediction of a royal line of David which would come from the tribe of Judah.

“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.” Genesis‬ ‭49:10‬ ‭NKJV‬

Jesus Christ is clearly identified in Scripture as a descendent of the tribe of Judah, and more specifically as of the line of David. When we use the name Lion of the tribe of Judah to describe Jesus, we are saying He is the Messiah who is to come as King of kings and Lord of lords, ruling in His eternal kingdom. (The meaning of the word Shiloh is debated by biblical scholars; some understand it to be one of the names of Jesus, while others simply translate it as “tranquility”or “peacemaker.”)

As I was doing some research on this name of God, I came across a quote by Nancy Leigh DeMoss that perfectly ties these two aspects of the nature and purpose of Jesus Christ together.

“The triumphant, conquering Lion is also the slain Lamb. The Lion’s victory, the Lion’s overcoming, the Lion’s triumph was accomplished by His death as a Lamb. He conquered by His suffering.”

Having conquered sin and death by His suffering, He is now our soon-coming conquering King. And that’s a good reason to give thanks today!

Jesus: The Lamb of God

Dec13

The whole idea behind the complex sacrificial system of the Old Testament is foreign to our modern western society, but at least a general understanding of its significance is essential if we want to understand what Scripture means when Jesus is identified by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God.

In Genesis 4, we learn of the first offerings mentioned in Scripture, those of Cain and Abel. By the time of Abraham, the people God had set aside as His own were very familiar with the idea of sacrifice. When God delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, the Passover celebration included the sacrifice of a lamb.

“Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats…” Exodus‬ ‭12:3-5‬ ‭ESV‬

Once the tabernacle was made according to God’s detailed instructions and the priests were consecrated, a daily system of sacrifices began.

“”Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.” Exodus‬ ‭29:38-39‬ ‭ESV‬

Hebrews 10:11 tells us that these daily sacrifices lacked the power to take away sins. So why did God give such detailed instructions concerning the sacrificial system? I believe there were two reasons: First, God wanted His people to understand that sin separates us from God and that the penalty of sin needed to be paid. And second, the symbolic offering of lambs was a picture of the single sacrifice for all sins that would be offered by Christ.

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Hebrews‬ ‭10:11-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Christ Jesus as the Lamb of God is the fulfillment of the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. He also is our Passover Lamb, sacrificed during the time of the Passover memorial. By shedding His blood on the Cross, Jesus once of all time made atonement for our sin and restored us to relationship with God. 1 Peter 1 tells us this was God’s plan all along. And the following verses remind us of the difference these truths are to make in how we live our lives.

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:17-21 ESV

Lord Jesus, I am eternally grateful that You are the Lamb of God, an acceptable sacrifice because You are without blemish or spot. Thank You for paying the penalty for my sins and making a way for my relationship with God to be restored.

Immanuel, God With Us

Dec10

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Immanuel, meaning “God with us,” is a Hebrew name first appearing in Scripture in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter seven we read of God instructing Ahaz, king of Judah, to ask Him for a sign. Ahaz refuses. Isaiah 7:14 is God’s response to King Ahaz, as Jehovah God reveals to the king that He Himself will give His people a sign. This prophesy of the birth of the Messiah was over seven hundred years before this One called Immanuel would appear.

In the gospel of Matthew, Immanuel is specifically applied to Jesus before His birth. Mary, who is betrothed to Joseph, is with child, and Joseph knows the child is not his. He is about to quietly break the betrothal, when an angel comes to him in a dream and says to him,

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1:20-23‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Key to the understanding of the name Immanuel is the doctrine of the virgin birth. The Messiah was to be conceived in the womb of a single young woman, a virgin, without the involvement of a biological father. The conception was by the Holy Spirit, which means Immanuel is the Son of God in a fleshly, bodily form.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”‭‭ Matthew‬ ‭1:18-20

So why is this important? Because Jesus was God incarnate, the Son of God in human flesh, and not conceived by a human biological father, the sin nature passed on from Adam to all mankind was not in Jesus. He was the only One qualified as the perfect, spotless Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world by dying on the Cross of Calvary for us. And for that, I am eternally grateful.