So I've wondered about this for quite some time and have heard some answers, but nothing that seemed definitive. Just curious as to any responses.
In the genealogy of Christ, He comes from the Tribe of Judah, but why, as opposed to one of the other tribes?
Judah was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. Usually the name we hear about is Joseph or even the youngest brother Benjamin.
Luke 3:33-34 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,
**SALVATION IS 100% FREE WHILE ETERNAL HEAVENLY REWARDS ARE 100% EARNED**!!
The Words of God concerning **ETERNAL HEAVENLY REWARDS** can not be found in Little David's Bible!!
**SALVATION IS 100% FREE**
Titus 3:3,4: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and **LOVE** of God our Savior appeared , He saved us, **NOT BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUS THINGS WE HAD DONE**, but because of **HIS MERCY**!!
John 1:12,13: To all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, **NOR OF A HUMAN DECISION** or a husband's will but, **BORN OF GOD**!!
John 6:37,39,44,65: Jesus says, "**ALL** that the Father gives Me **WILL** come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will **NEVER** drive away... And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall **LOSE NONE** of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the Last Day.... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father who sent Me **DRAWS HIM**, and I will raise him up at the Last Day!!... No one can come to Me **UNLESS** the Father has **ENABLED THEM**!!"
Ephesians 2:8,9: For it is by **GRACE** you have been saved, through **FAITH**—and this **NOT FROM YOURSELVES**, it is the **GIFT OF GOD**—not by works. So that no one can boast. For we are **GOD'S WORKMANSHIP**, created in Christ Jesus to do **GOOD WORKS**, which God prepared in advance for us to do!
Romans 12:3: For by the **GRACE GIVEN ME** I say to every one of you. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the **FAITH GOD HAS DISTRIBUTED TO EACH OF YOU**... We have different gifts, according to the **GRACE GIVEN TO EACH OF US**!!
Romans 9:15,16,18: God says, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy...Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden. {But God's saints still preach God's Word to everyone}
John 15:16: Jesus says, You did not choose Me, but I **CHOSE YOU**and appointed you so that you might bear **FRUIT**--**FRUIT** that will last!!
Matthew 22:14: Jesus says, "MANY ARE INVITED**, but few are **CHOSEN**!"
Mar 13:20: Jesus says, "If the Lord had not cut short those days, no on would survive, but for the sake of the **ELECT**, whom He has **CHOSEN, He has shortened them!"
{The Lord has shortened the Great Tribulation from 3 1/2 years or 1278 days to 1260 days}
John 13:18: Jesus says, "I am not referring to all of you, I know those I have **CHOSEN**!
Ephesians 1:4-8; 11,12: In love He **PREDESTINED** us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will--to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding... In Him we were also **CHOSEN**, having been **PREDESTINED** in accordance to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity to the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be to the **PRAISE OF HIS GLORY**!!
I Thessalonians 1:4: For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has **CHOSEN YOU**, because our Gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction!
I Peter 2:9: But you are a **CHOSEN PEOPLE**, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you might declare the praise of Him who **CALLED YOU** out of darkness into His wonderful light!!
Revelation 17:14: They will make war against the **LAMB** but the **LAMB** will overcome them because He is **LORD** of lords and **KING** of kings and with Him will be His **CALLED** **CHOSEN** and **FAITHFUL** followers!! {Riding on white horses right after the Marriage Feast of the **LAMB** as per Revelation 19:7-20!}
Romans 6:23: The wages of sin is death, but the **GIFT OF GOD** is **ETERNAL LIFE**!
God's Word clearly teaches that faith, salvation, the Holy Spirit and eternal life are all 100 percent **FREE GIFTS OF GOD** and that the two main incentives for doing good works is being thankful to God for these amazing **FREE GIFTS** and to **EARN HEAVENLY ETERNAL REWARDS** which God has promised His chosen saints for faithful and loving service. Whereas those who believe in **SINLESS PERFECTION** believe that we have to earn our salvation and eternal life by doing **GOOD WORKS** and being **SINLESS** and that the only eternal reward is gaining eternal life by what we do; and if we commit even one small sin after we are saved we will loose our salvation and eternal life. And so man and not God becomes the Author and Finisher of our salvation.
**BUT WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD SAY**??
{*4*}**AND SO SALVATION IS 100 PERCENT **FREE** but **ETERNAL REWARDS** are 100 percent **EARNED**!!
Ephesians 6:8: Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will **REWARD** everyone for what ever good he does!
Revelation 22:12 Jesus says, “Behold I am coming soon! My **REWARD** is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!”
Matthew 16:27: Jesus says, “The Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels and **THEN** He will **REWARD** each person according to what he has done!”
Luke 11:33,34: Jesus says, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a **TREASURE** IN HEAVEN** that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your **TREASURE** is, there your **HEART** will be also!"
Luke 14:13,14: Jesus says, "When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be **BLESSED**. Although they cannot repay you you will be **REPAID AT THE RESURRECTION** of the righteous!"
2 Corinthians 5:9,10: We make it our goal to please Him... for we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15: His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his **REWARD**. If it is burned up he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
How to Win Heavenly CROWNS:
I Corinthians 9:24-27: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes in to strict training. They do it to get a **CROWN** that will not last; but we do it to get a **CROWN THAT WILL LAST FOREVER**! Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize!
2 John 1:8: Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be **REWARDED** fully!.
Revelation 3:11: Jesus says, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your **CROWN**!”
2 Timothy 4:7,8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the **CROWN** of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me **ON THAT DAY**—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing!
The **CROWN** of Life for those who persevere under trials and persecution:
James 1:12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the **CROWN OF LIFE** that God has promised to those who love Him!
Revelation 2:10 Jesus says, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer... Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the **CROWN OF LIFE**!”
Matthew 5:11,12: Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your **REWARD IN HEAVEN**!”
Luke6:22,23: Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people hate you, when they reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and **JUMP FOR JOY**, because great is your **REWARD IN HEAVEN**!"
The Words of God concerning **ETERNAL HEAVENLY REWARDS** above can not be found in Little David's Bible!!
David, yes it is public, but there are topics. It has somehow managed to go from my question bible study to some 1vs1 showdown between you and prophetic. Why?
I don't know you or prophetic on a personal basis, but I'm sure both of you are capable of adding information that is constructive to a conversation.
If you would like, we could start up a conversation here and I will try to explain why I attempt to correct prophetic. I will attempt to listen to any objections you have and in a respectable manner.
Do you want to try that now on this thread?
I’ll be as considerate of your opinions as I can be. You may even hold me accountable here for that.
I’ve had to apologize on this forum before, several times in fact, even to prophetic when I mistakenly claimed he said something that he did not say.
I’ve also stood corrected before too and have had to change my option, that’s how I learn.
So please feel free to discuss with me in anyway you feel it need to be said or ask me to give account for anything I’ve said.
I think you already asked me why. Can’t see your last post right now so I’ll read it again and try to address it. In the meantime feel free to add more
“David, yes it is public, but there are topics. It has somehow managed to go from my question bible study to some 1vs1 showdown between you and prophetic. Why? “
End quote
I think your concern is a reasonable one.
I started on your thread by addressing prophetic’s errant view about Judah receiving Ruebens birthright. The scripture I cited from Chronicles very emphatically says that Joseph received Reuben’s birthright not Judah but that the royal line would proceed from the tribe of Judah.
All I tried to do was counter prophetic’s confusion with the royal line vs the birthright.
I’ll have to read your thread and my posts again, to see if I might want to change some things I posted. I’m also open to suggestions you might have as well at this point. Perhaps how I might have done things differently
Here we have a perfect example of little David's Bible illiteracy!!
JUDAH'S PROMINENCE:
The nation of Israel was named after Jacob whose name was changed to Israel (Gen. 32:28; 35:10). Jacob had 12 sons and in those days the position of leadership of the family clan was usually passed on to the eldest son. And the eldest son’s birthright was a double portion of the inheritance (As per Deut. 21:17).
But we see from the Bible that the tribe of **JUDAH** (The 4th son) became prominent instead of the tribe of Reuben (1st son) – king David was a descendant of **JUDAH* (10th generation, 1 Chron. 2:1-15), Jerusalem the capital of Israel was located in their territory and they were the last tribe to be conquered and taken into captivity. This was unusual because Judah was the fourth oldest son of Jacob and not the firstborn.
Of Judah’s descendants, the most prominent in the Old Testament is king David and the most prominent in the New Testament is Jesus Christ. Jesus was the promised Jewish Messiah (Isa. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5-6), the “son of David” (Mt. 1:1; 22:42; Lk. 1:32, 69; Rom. 1:3; 2 Tim. 2:8; Rev. 5:5; 22:16). One of Christ’s titles is, “THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH**," (Rev. 5:5). This relates to **JUDAH** being promised the right to rule “until he to whom it belongs [Jesus] shall come” (Gen. 49:8-10).
After the Babylonian exile, the Israelites were called “Jews”. This name is derived from the word “Judah” and was used because, by that time, virtually all Israelites were descendants of the kingdom of Judah (the rest had assimilated into other nations). Also, the Jewish religion was known as “Judaism”. So Judah’s prominence is reflected by these words.
So, there are two main reasons why Judah was the most prominent tribe of Israel. First, Reuben forfeited his rights by his incest and Simeon and Levi forfeited their rights by their cruelty and violence. They were disqualified for misconduct. Judah was the next in the order of birth and that is why he received the blessing. Second, **THIS PROMUNENCE WAS PROPHESIED BY JACOB {ISRAEL} before he died.
**JACOB'S {ISRAEL'S} BLESSINGS TO HIS SONS JUST BEFORE HIS DEATH**:
Genesis 49:1,8-10: Then Jacob called for his sons and said.: "Gather around and so I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.... Judah, your brothers will praise you: Your hand will be at the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a **LION** he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him? The **SCEPTER WILL NOT DEPART FROM **JUDAH**scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the **RULER'S staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come {*JESUS*} and the **OBEDIENCE OF THE NATIONS SHALL BE HIS**!"
LittleDavid tries convince us that all the rights of the firstborn of Jacob were give to the sons of Joseph and not to Judah by quoting I Chronicles 5:11-3 below !
Chronicles 5:1-3: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. {Shown in I Chron 5:3 below} He was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed, his rights as firstborn were **given to the sons of Joseph** son of Israel; so he could not be listed in the **GENEALOGICAL RECORD** in accordance with his birthright, and though Judah was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler came from him, the **rights of the firstborn belonged to Joseph** {BUT ONLY ACCORDING TO THE GENEALOGICAL RECORD**} The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.
But we can clearly see that according to God's Word in Genesis 49:8-10 above that Jacob {Isreal} **GAVE ALL THE RIGHTS OF THE FIRSTBORN TO JUDAH**!!
Genesis 49:1,8-10: Then Jacob called for his sons and said.: "Gather around and so I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.... Judah, your brothers will praise you: Your hand will be at the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a **LION** he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him? The **SCEPTER WILL NOT DEPART FROM **JUDAH**scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the **RULER'S staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come {*JESUS*} and the **OBEDIENCE OF THE NATIONS SHALL BE HIS**!"
**JUDAH'S PROMINENCE** is completely obvious in dozens of Scripture including those posted above to any student of God's Word.
I appreciate your response on the topic. I think what you share raises an interesting question and I'm glad prophetic shared what he did because it shows that there are two distinct things happening with the birthrights.
First, as you stated, the birthright went to Joseph, as 1 Chron 5 says it very clearly.
1 Chron 5:1-2 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)
What I'm seeing is that when the blessing is given to Judah, it's both a blessing from Jacob and a prophecy. The blessing being that he became the "chief ruler", and a prophecy of his rule and lineage. Maybe even of character.
I think the account in Genesis actually harmonizes well with it too.
Gen 49:8-9 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
So with that being said, I'm going to throw out a silly question here. In Joseph's blessing, it seemed to speak more of growth and mentioned "stone", so maybe there is a connection to Peter?
Gen 49:22-24 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)
If that is suggesting Peter, then maybe his birthright had more to do with the blossoming of the church? Who is the "stone of Israel?"
