MORNING REVIVAL. WEEK 34 — DAY 3 ›› Morning Nourishment Gen. 49:8-9 Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down before you. Judah is a young lion; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he stretches out like a lion, and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Rev. 5:5 ...Do not weep; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome... According to the Old Testament, the twelve sons of Jacob are arranged in four groups of three....The [first] group of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi...was utterly evil in the eyes of God....What a poor beginning it was! However, this should be an encouragement to us because our beginning was also very poor. The second group is composed of Judah, Zebulun, and Issachar. Because Christ comes in with this group, it is the group of victory. In this group we have the gospel...signified by Judah and fully recorded in the four Gospels; the preaching of the gospel signified by Zebulun and fully recorded in the book of Acts; and the church life signified by Issachar and fully recorded in the remaining books of the New Testament beginning with Romans. The result is the enjoyment of the church life and the kingdom life. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1285, 1296) Today’s Reading Genesis 49:9 says that Judah is a lion. In Revelation 5:5 Christ is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This proves that Genesis 49 needs Revelation 5 for its development....In the New Testament there are three main truths concerning Christ. The first is the truth of the victory of Christ....He has accomplished everything God required of Him....He took care of sin, solved the problem of the world, defeated Satan, abolished death, and eliminated every negative thing. He has gained the full victory for the accomplishment of God’s purpose. The second main truth is the truth of the authority of Christ, the kingdom of Christ. Because Christ has won the victory, He has been made Lord of all. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him (Matt. 28:18). Furthermore, He has received the universal and eternal kingdom of His Father. Thus, He has the authority, the kingship, and the kingdom. The third main truth in the New Testament concerning Christ is the truth of the enjoyment and rest in Christ. Christ has accomplished everything in His victory and He has received the authority and the kingdom so that we may have enjoyment and find rest in Him....These three truths are a summary of the New Testament. In his prophecy Jacob likened Judah to a lion in three aspects: a young lion, a couching lion, and a lioness. The young lion is for fighting, for seizing the prey....The words “you have gone up” [Gen. 49:9] imply that the young lion first had to come down. He came down from the mountain to the plain to capture his prey. After the young lion seized his prey, he went up to the mountaintop again to enjoy it. When Christ was on earth and was crucified on the cross, He was a young lion seizing the prey. And what a prey He captured! It included the whole world, all the sinners, and even Satan, the serpent. From seizing His prey Christ has gone up to the mountaintop, that is, to the third heaven....Ephesians 4:8 says that when Christ ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive. Christ gained the victory; He put His hand upon Satan’s neck....As the young lion, He has overcome all His enemies. After a lion has enjoyed his prey and has been satisfied, he couches; he lies down to rest in satisfaction. The figure of the couching lion in Genesis 49:9 describes Christ as the One enjoying His rest in the heavens. After gaining the victory and enjoying the prey, He was satisfied....This rest and satisfaction are the issue of Christ’s victory. Christ is no longer fighting; rather, He is couching. Christ is also likened to a lioness [v. 9]. As a lioness, He has produced many cubs. We all are Christ’s cubs....Toward men we are lambs following the Lamb; but toward Satan we are lion cubs. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 1273-1275) Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 100
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 12:12:05 +0000