JACOB'S SCEPTER
ADVENT DAY 4
Here is a complimentary unabridged reading of Day Four from Heaven’s Battle Cry
From Heaven’s Battle Cry, serialized for Gracepointe Church.
Scripture Reading
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.”
— Genesis 49:8–12
Reflection
Jacob lay dying, his weathered hands trembling, his sons gathered like sentries around his bed. In his final farewells, he gave his sons prophecies and blessings burning with the fire of God’s Spirit. When he came to Judah, his voice thundered across the centuries, shaking the foundations of kingdoms yet unborn.
“Judah,” he declared, and with that name came destiny.
Judah would be the lion, fierce and untamed. His brothers would bow before him like subjects before a throne. His hand would rest on the necks of his enemies, not in cruelty, but in conquest. And from his line, a King would rise whose scepter would never be broken, whose reign would make the earth itself drunk with abundance.
What manner of prophecy is this? Jacob speaks of garments washed in wine and eyes darker than vintage wine. These are images so rich, they make the imagination reel. This is no ordinary blessing whispered over a favored son. This is a war banner planted in advance, a coronation ceremony conducted centuries before the King is born.
From Judah’s tribe would come David, the shepherd-king who slew giants and sang psalms. And from David’s line would come the greater Lion, the Root of Jesse, the King of kings whose roar would silence Hell itself. When Revelation calls Jesus “the Lion of the tribe of Judah,” it is reaching back to this moment at Jacob’s deathbed, connecting the dying breath of a patriarch to the victory cry of the Lamb who was slain.
Here is the beautiful contradiction that only God could author: the Lion who conquers by dying, the King who rules by serving, and the Conqueror who wins by surrender. Advent reminds us that the Child in the manger came with a crown written into His story and a scepter forged before time began.
Though He first arrived helpless, dependent, and weak, nursing at His mother’s breast, He was always destined for triumph. The Lion may have looked like a lamb to mortal eyes, but make no mistake: Hell itself knew the prophecy of Jacob. Every demon trembled at the sight of infant hands that would one day hold the scepter of all nations.
This prophecy is both fierce and tender, terrible and wonderful. Fierce, because the Lion conquers His enemies with the fury of righteousness. Tender, because His reign brings abundance that makes creation itself sing with joy. The manger is not just cradle but coronation hall. The baby lying in straw is the King who holds the world in His hands like a child holds a toy.
And we, dear ones, are His subjects, not by conquest but by grace, not by force but by love. We who were once enemies have been made citizens of His Kingdom. We who deserved His wrath have received His mercy. The Lion who could devour has chosen instead to adopt us as His own.
So, when you look upon your Advent candle tonight, see more than a small flame flickering in the darkness. See the fire blazing in a King’s throne room. See the Lion’s eyes flashing with justice and mercy mingled. See the scepter unshaken by time, unbroken by rebellion, unbent by the weight of ruling all creation.
The Lion of Judah has come once as a Child. He will come again as a King. And His Kingdom shall have no end.
Prayer
Lion of Judah, You are the promised King, the ruler whose scepter never fails, the conqueror whose enemies fall silent before the thunder of Your roar.
You came first as a Child, gentle and lowly, that we might not fear to approach Your throne. You will come again as a King, mighty and terrible, that every knee might bow and every tongue confess Your lordship.
Teach us to bow before Your throne now, while grace still reigns. Let us live as citizens of Your Kingdom, ambassadors of Your peace, heirs of the abundance that flows from Your wounded hands.
Rule in our hearts as surely as You rule the nations. Come quickly, King Jesus, and let Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
Field Orders
Light your Advent candle tonight and say together: “The Lion of Judah has come. His scepter is unbroken. His reign will never end.”
Pause for a moment of silence, letting the candle’s flame remind you that the King is both fierce and tender, both Lion and Lamb. Look around your table, these faces glowing in the candlelight are citizens of His Kingdom, children of the King, subjects of the Lion who chose to die that they might live.
The prophecy spoken over a dying patriarch’s bed has come to pass. The scepter has not departed. The King has come. And He is coming again.
—B.D.F.