Following Christ-Rediscovering the Jewish Faith of Jesusಮಾದರಿ

Day 5: Tribe of Kings

God made a series of promises to Abraham, which He repeated to Isaac and Jacob (Israel). Jacob eventually moved his family to Egypt, where his son, Joseph, whom he thought was dead, had been made the second-highest ruler of the land.

At the end of his life, Jacob gathered his sons, who were to become the twelve tribes of Israel, and declared a specific blessing (or prediction) over each one. Some of what he said wouldn’t be considered blessings, as some of his sons had done cruel things.

One of the most positive blessings was for his son, Judah. Jacob compared Judah to a lion in strength, but the key verse is Genesis 49:10: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations shall be his.”

This is an amazing verse. It designates a continuity of kingship through the descendants of Judah. Astoundingly, this actually happened! King David was from the tribe of Judah, and many of his descendants ruled after him. Nevertheless, the verse focuses on one ultimate King—One who will rule not only over Israel but all the nations.

The prophets elaborated on this future king of a regathered Israel, this Messiah, son of David. Jeremiah wrote this: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior” (Jeremiah 23:5-6). And Micah even pinpointed where this ruler would be born, writing, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2).

Yeshua ben Yosef, whom most of the English-speaking world knows as Jesus, was this Messiah. Jesus offered the kingdom to the Jewish leaders of His time, but was rejected. Instead, Jesus was crucified, paying the penalty for mankind’s sin, and was raised to life again after the Sabbath day.

The good news is that He is coming back to reign over the ultimate kingdom of Israel in Jerusalem. We should pray in the way that He taught His disciples: “Thy kingdom come.” King Jesus, reigning over God’s kingdom on earth, will preside over the ultimate in peace and prosperity. Let us continue to pray for His coming and the subsequent establishment of His kingdom on earth.

Reflection

We are kingdom people—ambassadors representing King Jesus. As His representative, you are the closest person some people will ever get to Jesus. How does knowing this change the ways you interact with others?

Ambassadors have the authority to speak for their countries, an authority they are expected to use wisely, since it reflects on their king and their government. This is one of the many reasons that we need to remember who we are. Ask God to show you what this looks like in your life.

When we pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we immediately enter into one of God’s central yearnings: that all people would be His and living in His kingdom, under His umbrella. What does His kingdom here look like to you?