07.04. Judah

JUDAH.

THERE is nothing sweeter than a true song of praise. Every ear listens to it, every heart is moved by it, and God Himself bends his heavens to hear. In Moses’ record of a fallen world’s history, the first time that "praise" occurs is in Genesis 29:35. It bursts forth from the house of Jacob and the lips of Leah, and may be said to accord well with that joyful boast of the Psalmist in after-days, when he is led to sing that it is "in the tabernacles of the righteous" you may expect to hear "the voice of rejoicing and salvation" (Psalms 118:15). It is in Jacob’s tents that we first see one wearing "the garment of praise."

There had been a succession of blessings, like waves from the deep ocean, breaking at the feet of Leah; and when this fourth son was given, her exulting heart rose above its former self in gratitude. She takes up the harp; "Now"-("this time" is the literal rendering, as if she had her eye on Adam’s exclamation of delight in Genesis 2:23)-"Now I will praise Jehovah!" and even as the happy mother holds the harp she turns to her new -born son and calls him " JUDAH," which may mean not simply "PRAISE," but "one for whom Jehovah is praised." Indeed, the word is most expressive, involving as it often does the idea of acknowledging and confessing. Where the being and works, the name and excellences, the heart and hand of Jehovah, are spoken of, this is praise; and thus it is used- Psalms 147:12 : "Praise" (be a Judah to) "the Lord, 0 Jerusalem." It is instructive to observe how the Lord by repeated mercies has melted Leah’s heart, so that now, at any rate, if not before, her sel­fishness is drowned in praise. Nothing is so fitted to give a deadly blow to our selfish­ness at any time as real praise. Praise raises its note over buried self. Praise is sung when self is low and God high in our thoughts; and at such times, burdens roll off into Christ’s sepulchre. It is at such times that heavenly work is done by men.

Such was JUDAH’S beginning; like earth’s foundations, laid amid the songs of the morn­ing stars (Job 38:7). And if Judah himself did not very remarkably call forth praise in after-days, his posterity surely inherited this blessing-the sons of him over whom praise was offered became men of note Jacob on his deathbed foretells (Genesis 49:8-12), with reference to the name, and perhaps hinting at the sad feelings of his heart previously in speaking of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi-

"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise;" not only thy mother’s sons, but "thy father’s sons" also: the children of Rachel, and Zilpah, and Bilhah shall all "bow down to thee." And there shall be good reason why thou shouldest be thus honoured and praised; or "Judah is a lion’s whelp," one who shall early show that he is to command others. And did not this soon appear in Judah taking the lead in the desert march, and in going up foremost after Joshua’s death to take possession ? But "the young lion" grew, and became indis­putably terrible to foes. Jacob sees him arrived at pre-eminence, anticipating the time when the historian of the past should write, "Judah prevailed over his brethren, and of him came the Chief Ruler" (1 Chronicles 5:2); and so he continues his delineation of that career which was to entitle him to the name JUDAH.

"From the prey, my son, thou hast gone up!" Is not this the reign of David specially, when every nation round felt the tremendous power of Judah’s King, when David pros­pered whithersoever he went, and when he dedicated of the "spoils won in battles" (1 Chronicles 26:27), an immense amount, for the Lord’s use? But see, says Jacob again- "He has lain down; he has couched like a lion! And like a lioness, who shall rouse him up?" A lioness is peculiarly fierce if her cubs be threatened. All this imagery sets before us the days when Solomon was King of Judah and Israel, quietly seated on his throne, honoured and feared by all the nations, none daring to do wrong to one of his happy subjects. It was then that Judah was at the height of his pre-eminence, the praise of all lands. After that period, never­theless, he still held the high place assigned him; for did not all the noblest and best of the kings spring from Judah’s soil? and the most renowned of the prophets? and all the sweet singers whose psalms and songs have been handed down to us? Judah retained dominion too. "The lion" was still his emblem; and looking on through long centuries, Jacob was inspired to sing of this feature also in Judah’s history- "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, Nor the lawgiver (a ruler’s staff) from between his feet, Till SHILOH come, and the notions be gathered to Him."

Judah held his place as a kingdom till Messiah was born, growing up unnoticed "as a tender plant;" for SHILOH is no other than Messiah, the name signifying "One who has peace," or rest, or security. Messiah had rest and peace in Himself, and came to give it to others: "My peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). And this name given to Him here corresponds very much with "SOLOMON"; the man who "has peace," and who makes others share it. In all probability, it was in reference to this name of Messiah, that the ark was so long kept at Shiloh, the town of Ephraim that bore the same signification. In due time, Messiah, long expected (but whose peace was not found at the town Shiloh, nor in the days of Solomon), did come; and ever since He came, "the na­tions," not the tribes of Israel only, have been gathering round Him, and giving will­ing obedience to Him. From year to year, Shiloh has been gathering willing subjects, and shall never cease till He has gathered all nations as well as all Israel (Psalms 102:22). There may be an allusion to the fact that for a time Jerusalem, was to be the resort of all true worshippers; but only till Shiloh should come (John 4:21-23).

O Judah! what praise belongs to thee! What honour! Divine sovereignty has given thee the birthright pre- eminence. Well may thy brethren in all the earth join with thy "father’s sons," in almost envious gratula­tion. Thou art he who wert honoured to give birth to Messiah, the King of kings, the Prince of Peace, the Saviour of sinners, the blessed and only Redeemer of the lost sons of men! All eternity shall remember thee. On account of all this honour, and because of all that his possessions in the land yielded him, Judah was yet further spoken of by Jacob as a tribe abounding in blessing. At this day the inhabitants of Lebanon, when at vintage season they have stript off the rich clusters of grapes, and thrust them into the wine-vats, tie to the vines the asses that have been helping them, letting them eat the leaves and branches as they please. In allusion to this very ancient custom, which spoke of vintage satisfactorily gathered in, and hinted at the gatherers having gone away to the wine-vats, there to tread out the grapes, Jacob describes Judah’s plenty of all good things "Binding his ass to the vine, and his ass’s colt to the choice vine," etc., enjoying all that might make the eye ­sparkle and the face flush with ruddy glow, while also they had their full share of the land "flowing with milk." Think of Eshcol and Hebron, with hills terraced to the top with vines. Think of plains and valleys covered with cattle and goats. It would be easy to enlarge, but our limits forbid us to dwell on this feature of Judah’s praise. We might add also that Shiloh the Prince of Peace, being a man of Judah as to his humanity, might be shown to embody in Himself all the leading features of the tribe; praised-a man of might, the lion of the, tribe, and yet the peaceful one (Friedreich), introducing the gathered people into an inheritance flowing with milk and honey, an: inheritance better than Canaan. In the blessing of Moses (Deuteronomy 33:7), there is, at first sight, an apparently inten­tional ignoring of the name of Judah in reference to praise. It is of prayer we hear him speak:- "Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah!" But this also is part of Judah’s pre-emi­nence. Yes, he is remarkable above others for prayer. Was his first father so? Was not Judah that brother of Joseph who pleaded with his brethren (Genesis 37:26-27), and then so pathetically interceded with Joseph himself? (Genesis 44:18-34). That voice touched Joseph’s heart; and in after-days, the heart of Jehovah was touched by descendants of this same Judah, who were mighty in prayer. Such was Jabez; such was David; such was Solomon; such was Asa; and such was Hezekiah; not to mention more of the Lord’s famous remembrancers. And in Judah, above all, stood The Temple, to which the chief allusion may be made here; for it was "The house of prayer," from which ascended supplication continually from the days of Solomon’s prayer down to the days of the publican who cried, "0 God, be mer­ciful to me a sinner!" No wonder Moses selected, by the Spirit’s guidance, this feature of Judah’s tribe.

We might further notice that it is Judah who has given name to the whole nation. They are "JEWS;" that is, Judahites; be­cause the tribe of Judah remained at Jeru­salem, when the ten tribes went into captivity and disappeared from view. And so again, O Judah, thy brethren and the nations praise thee! But listen to one who loved thee truly­-Paul who sat once at the feet of Gamaliel in Jerusalem; listen to him reminding thee: "He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Romans 2:29). Come and join us in adoring Shiloh, greater than all the mighty kings, the true "Men of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5), and of David’s line. He rests at the Father’s right hand. Come and praise Him, for He has shed the true glory over thy tribe. He is the true Judah; praised by his innumerable saved ones to all eternity, to whom He gives far better than the wine and milk of your famed Judea. 0 Judah, the Gentiles love thee for Shiloh’s sake; for He was thy brother, while He was also thy Lord, David’s Son and David’s Lord. We love thee, and all thy brethren; and we sing in our dwellings songs that breathe out our longings for the day when thou shalt again be a "name and a praise among all people of the earth" (Zephaniah 3:20), when "Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation" (Joel 3:20).

"When the fair year Of your Deliverer comes, And that long frost, which now benumbs Your hearts, shall thaw; when angels here Shall yet to man appear, And familiarly confer Beneath the oak and juniper.

"When the bright Dove, Which now these many, many springs Hath kept above, shall with spread wings.

Descend, and living waters flow To make dry dust and dead trees grow.

"Oh, then, that I Might live, and see that olive-tree Bearing her proper branches! which now lie Scattered each where, And without root and sap decay, Cast of the husbandman away.

"And sure it is not far;

For, as your first and foul decays Forerunning the bright Morning Star, Did sadly note his healing rays Would shine elsewhere, since you were blind; And would be cross when God was kind;

"So, by all signs, Our fulness, too, is now come in, And the same sun, which here declines. And sets, will few hours hence begin To rise on you again, and look Toward old Mamre and Eshcol’s brook.

"For surely He Who loved the world so as to give His only Son to make it free- Whose Spirit, too, doth mourn and grieve To see man lost-will, for old love, From your dark hearts this veil remove.

"Faith sojourned first on earth with you, You were the dear and chosen flock;. The arm of God, glorious and true, Was first revealed to be your Rock.

You were the eldest child, and when: Your stony hearts despised love, The youngest, e’en the Gentiles, then Were cheered, your jealousy to move.

"Thus, righteous Father, dost thou deal With brutish men! Thy gifts go round, By turns and timely, and so heal The lost son by the newly found."

VAUGHAN.