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Come Up With Me Unto My Lot......

The story of Judah and Simeon is one of the most powerful stories of Grace found in the Old Covenant. Prophetically cursed by his father Jacob for his anger and self-will Simeon became a type of fallen humanity under the same curse of sin. We like sheep have all gone astray and gone unto “our own way” at one time or the other like Simeon. But praise God that the Lion of the TRIBE OF JUDAH has declared to all mankind to “come up with HIM into HIS LOT” of salvation and Grace. It is in this lot that we will find our deliverance and the peace of God that will truly pass all understanding!

By Chris McDonald

Judges 1:1-3

Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? [2] And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. [3] And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

Genesis 49:5-7

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. [6] O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. [7] Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Genesis 49:8-12

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. [9] 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? [10] The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. [11] Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: [12] His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

The story of Judah and Simeon I believe is one of the most powerful stories of Grace found in the Old Covenant. Prophetically cursed by his father Jacob for his anger and self-will, Simeon pictures us all in a way today – fallen creatures under the same curse of sin outside Jesus Christ! I pray this journal will encourage those of us out there today like Simeon who have lost their inheritance or calling but through our Heavenly JUDAH, we can regain that inheritance through HIS BLOOD today!

Eph 1:11-18

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Col 1:12-14

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Col 3:24-25

24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

Heb 1:4-5

4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son

Heb 9:15

15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

We have an inheritance in CHRIST! HIS LOT is our inheritance today. All of humanity has an invitation purchased by His blood to come up to this lot today. That call is a call rooted in the love of God for every single human being on this planet. There are none who are exempt from the love of God today. His love reaches to the highest mountain and goes through the lowest valley! It’s love rooted in BLOOD – the BLOOD of Yeshua – what purchased our redemption and inheritance today. Glory to the Lamb forever.

We all with find a story of ourselves in this journal today of the story of Judah and Simeon, the sons of Jacob and Leah

Gen 35:23

The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun:..

While neither was perfect and Simeon was under a prophetic curse, JUDAH stood out among all the tribes for it was through HIM that the promised redeemer would come.

Gen. 49:9-10

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? [10] The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Jacob knew that through Judah the scepter (a symbol of kingship) would not depart from Judah’s tribe. He knew the promised Redeemer would spring from his son’s lineage.

Heb 7:14

For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

Jacob called Messiah, SHILOH, the LAWGIVER. To Abraham he was the ram caught in the thicket – “Jehovah Jireh.” To Isaac, the great antitype of Christ as the obedient son, Messiah was the water in his wells. To Jacob, Judah’s father, Messiah was the man who wrestled with him one night under the heavens to shatter Jacob’s self-will and change his name, destiny and character forever. Jacob’s name became ISRAEL after that encounter with Messiah.

ONCE YOU HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS you will never be the same again! I mean friend, religion will leave you in the same state it finds you – but JESUS CHRIST will change your name! He’ll change your heart, He’ll change the way you talk, the way you walk, the places you go, the motives you hold and the desires you have! Glory to God!

Every time I think of Jacob I weep because I know in my heart of hearts that Jacob is a picture of me. He is a picture of you. He is picture of everyone really for in his life there were probably more defeats than successes but somehow, someway the Holy Spirit produced a PRINCE and changed his name and changed his character and called him ISRAEL, a prince with God. Every blemish in his life is under the microscope of the Holy Ghost like no other patriarch but it is there that we may be warned by the patriarch’s failures and encouraged by their successes

His personal difficulties at times are very easy to see in scripture as the Holy Spirit decides to pull no punches in showing this man’s treachery, deceit, manipulation and drive to get what he wants at all costs. And the Holy Spirit pulls no punches in describing Jacob’s son’s faults either. Simeon’s entire history will be one of rebellion, anger, wrath, murder, hatred and revenge, yet because of God’s GRACE, Simeon’s lot is spoken for by JUDAH.

God’s Overruling Grace

It is striking that six of the tribes descended from the sons of LEAH, not from the sons of the beloved Rachel, for whom Jacob was content to labor many years for. The deception practiced on him by Laban had found a heavenly purpose when Laban gave Jacob LEAH to wife instead of Rachel. The union of Jacob and Leah literally birthed the Israel nation, as we know it today. How often is the thing that we like the least made to turn out for our highest good and blessing?? We need God’s grace to take our disappointments in this life because in the disappointment our blessing lies right around the corner!

Jacob’s prophecy concerning his sons was in harmony with their CHARACTER though in some cases God is His GRACE overruled the ordinary circumstances in their favor, as in the case of SIMEON. Always remember this friend, the door of God’s mercy is always left open to the penitent, and, where sin abounds, GRACE DOES MUCH MORE ABOUND!

Romans 5:5-10

And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. [6] For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. [8] But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. [10] For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Romans 5:20

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

Simeon, The Second Oldest Son Of Leah And Jacob

Genesis 49:5-7

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. [6] O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. [7] Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Jacob’s prophetic address came to his sons in order of their ages. After dealing first with Reuben the firstborn, he turned to Simeon and Levi, who were next according to age. BOTH were given words of utter condemnation because of their joint act of cruelty against the people of Shechem. You can read the entire story of what happened in the 34^th chapter of Genesis. It’s very graphic in nature and we will not get into it here but it was one of the most despicable acts ever imagined in the minds of human beings. And by the way before you read that and say “yea those sinners out there are always doing awful things,” let me remind you of this one somber fact - this horrific act against the men of Shechem was not perpetrated by heathens, these acts were perpetrated by the CHURCH OF THAT DAY!!!!!!!

The brothers’ deeds had caused Jacob much grief and was the means of disturbing the life and even threatening the existence of the family for it compelled the Shechemites to compel Jacob and the entire clan to leave the district where they had happily settled.

Genesis 34:30

And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

The people of the land could have easily taken vengeance on them had God not intervene and protected them.

Genesis 35:5

And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.

The prophetic words of Jacob struck at not just the physical acts of Levi and Simeon but at the spiritual ramifications of their sin. The act had left more than just the Shechemites dead, it left Simeon and his brother Levi under a curse of SIN:

Genesis 49:5-7

Humanity is cursed today by the same nature of sin that caused Simeon and Levi to do what they did. There are no exceptions. The violence we see in our society today is not the result of the lack of a death penalty to stop murder. I believe in the death penalty but the argument that it is a deterrent against violent crime is not a valid one no more than the argument that making abortion illegal in America will stop abortion.

Sin is a matter of the heart. God looks on the heart of man. Simeon’s anger was CURSED because it led him to commit murder through a willful act of cruelty. This is the case with modern culture today. The murderer is a murderer NOT because he kills people, but because his heart is filled with hate and violence. If we hate our brothers we’ve committed murder already in the sight of God. Hate is not something anyone can see in another – BUT GOD CAN! Why? Because He sees the HEART! He judges us more by what’s there than even our actions.

1 John 3:15

Whosoever hateth his brother (in his heart) is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Jacob withheld Simeon’s inheritance as a result of his heart – “I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” Those words must have broken Simeon’s spirit. Simeon was more than just Jacob’s son, he was the progenitor or representative of all who would be born under his name later on.

It’s the same issue that we live under today as a result of the fall in the Garden of Eden. Adam’s sin affected more than just him; it affected the entirety of the human race.

Romans 5:12-16

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: [13] (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. [14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. [15] But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. [16] And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

Paul makes it clear that once Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world upon ALL. Even from Adam to Moses when there was no law, death that resulted from Adam’s sin reigned over all who came after him – “death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.” That is something we must grasp again in the modern church. We have lost sight of the fact that man is not inherently GOOD, man is a SINNER! Man’s goodness will NOT save him. Man’s efforts to save himself are no better than Adam’s fig leaves. Man needs a Saviour. Man lost his inheritance because of sin. As a result of losing that inheritance man faces eternity without God unless he is born again and made new by the power of the Risen Christ!

Simeon’s act of murder came from a darkened heart. The heart of man is the seat of all the wickedness and evil in the world today.

Mark 7:20-22

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defiles the man. [21] For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, [22] Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

Jeremiah 17:1-9

[9] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? [10] I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. [11] As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

Society does not need another powerless program to change it – it needs the power of the gospel. Only Jesus Christ can set the captive free. Only Jesus Christ has the power to produce the type change that society so desperately needs today. Our psychological efforts in the church may change behavior for a season but that’s not what will work!

I’m going to help some of you reading this right now. Lady, if you will get your heart right with God, you won’t want to leave that husband of yours. Sir, if you will get your heart right with God, that wife of yours will once again be the only object of your desire and affection. Divorce rates are skyrocketing out of control because we as believers have stopped telling people the answer to a broken marriage is a change in our heart. I know a couple right now where the wife recently just up and told the husband that she had spent 24 years of hiding the fact she didn’t love him with anger. She said well “now the anger is gone and the root is dried up, I’m leaving you.” These are not two heathens, these are two spirit-filled people.

When the wife of our congregational leader visited this lady to admonish her to repent and come back to God the wife snapped back at our leader’s wife and said “you don’t tell me what the Word of God says, I KNOW what the word says.” On top of this arrogance has been the advice of so-called Christian friends who have told her that the only thing important right now is for “her to be happy and if that doesn’t involve her husband then so be it.”

I’m not judging this lady but I do want to make a point. If these two people went to every marriage counselor in the world I can guarantee you that it will not help them. The problem here is a spouse whose heart has been deceived by Satan and she cannot see the evil she is doing in leaving her husband. All the preaching in the world cannot change that. She has to REPENT and have a HEART change – THEN the love she thinks she has lost for her husband will come back. Is the husband perfect? Absolutely not. But just because we don’t have perfect spouses does not give us a right to DIVORCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has not cheated on her, beat her, abused her, or neglected her. She just “wants to be happy on her own for a while.” That is a too familiar sounding theme we are hearing more and more and causing many in the Body to lose their inheritance in God.

I believe God forgives divorce but if we will obey His voice and allow Him to change our hearts – believe me neighbor – we will see a STOP to divorce in the first place! Divorce is about SIN, it’s not about us being happy. There is no where in scripture where the Lord said we were going to be happy all our life. If anything He warned us that through “many trials and tribulations we would enter into the Kingdom of God!”

We hear a lot of excuses today for sin. But the more we look for excuses, the less we look for the avenues of repentance that will change us forever. All the counseling in the world will not change a hardened heart that is bound by self, sin and deception!

The Loss Of Inheritance

As a result of sin, Simeon (and Levi) suffered the loss of their inheritance. Levi was separated from his brother Simeon and dispersed among the nation. Sin always separates us from those we love. In the journeyings through the wilderness Levi had a specific place apportioned by the side of his elder brother Reuben, but he had no inheritance! Yes, Levi would later be called out to serve the Lord through the priesthood and again we have a picture of what GRACE will do for us!

The fate of Simeon was similar. The tribe’s numbers were greatly diminished in the wilderness journeys. At the first census their number was 59,300. In the second census they were reduced to 22,200. Thus a decrease of 37,100! That is more than half!

Numbers 1:23

Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.

Numbers 26:14

These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred.

Many Bible commentators believe that the Simeonites’ drastic reduction in number was brought about by further rebellion later on in the matters of Baal-Peor and also in the rebellion of Korah. One of their princes, Zimri, the son of Salu, was deeply involved in the rebellion of Baal-Peor. That is a warning to us today. Sin never stays stagnant. It always breeds MORE sin and MORE rebellion. (That’s why we have so many church splits – you can’t build on a foundation of rebellion!)

Numbers 25:14

Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.

Numbers 16:49

Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.

In harmony with Jacob’s decree, Simeon had no inheritance. He had only allotted to him a section in Judah’s possession, and that, right to the extreme south.

Joshua 19:9

Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.

Without an inheritance and hope for the future, Simeon was indeed divided in Jacob and dispersed in Israel. Moses, in blessing the tribes later, DOES NOT MENTION SIMEON! Neither does Deborah mention them among some of the other tribes as their territory lay in the extreme south of the land He is a picture at this point in his life of the sinner without Christ. Without the power of a Risen Messiah in your heart today sir, you are on a downward spiral that NO power on earth can stop you from! There is no power on earth to stop you drug addict from jabbing that needle up your veins! There is no earthly power alcoholic to stop you from getting drunk every night and going home to a broken marriage, a broken wife, broken children and a broken life. All the self-help agencies you go to will NOT set you free. All the 12-step programs you take will NOT set you free. All the counseling you take will NOT set you free. There is so salvation under heaven outside the Lord Jesus Christ. ONLY HE CAN SAVE AND DELIVER TODAY!

It’s the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that sets the sinner free!

Simeon – Hearing

. Simeon’s name says a lot about this second son of Leah – it means “hearing.” Leah gave this name to him exclaiming, “Jehovah heard that I am hated – not loved” – hoping the birth of a second son to Jacob, would cause the great Patriarch to show her greater affection and true love. It expresses the truth that God hears the cry of His children and goes far beyond Leah’s application. It is also true of our experience today.

It is God’s character to hear our cry and deliver! Sinner man if you’re reading this the word is very plain and crystal clear to you today – CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED!

Acts 2:17-21

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God,I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: [18] And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: [19] And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: [20] The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: [21] And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Oh Glory to God. Jesus Christ did not come for the righteous but He came thank God for SINNERS. I was a sinner. YOU were a sinner. Some of you reading this are sinners now – under a curse – doomed to hell forever without hope and mercy – but thanks be to God that through His “unspeakable gift” we have been brought into the mercies of God through the BLOOD of the Lord Jesus Christ!

2 Cor 9:15

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

How Shall They Hear?

Romans 10:13-20

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. [14] How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? [15] And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! [16] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? [17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This is the beauty of the gospel. Paul repeats Peter’s words in his treatise on the faith and how we are saved. He asks the question on how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not HEARD??? Simeon’s name meant “hearing.” Simeon is a picture of fallen humanity who so needs to HEAR the good news of our heavenly Judah saying “COME UNTO ME and I will give you rest!” “Come and drink of the water of life FREELY, COME without money, without price!” Oh, Glory to God. How shall they hear man of God if we are not telling the good news of the gospel to the world today? How shall the Simeon’s of this earth HEAR if they don’t hear the good news from us?

The Blessing Of Judah

Genesis 49:8-9

In contrast to the cursed tribe of Simeon, the blessing on Judah held the future of the entire human race in its grip. The blessing on Judah, like that of his elder brothers, looks on to the future of the tribe, and finds it highest fulfillment in Judah’s noblest SON – The Lord Jesus Christ – Yeshua Ha'maschiah!

In the tribe of Levi we have a double type of Christ – as the PROPHET, making known the will of God to the people, teaching Jacob His ordinances and Israel His law – and as the PRIEST, bringing the sweet-smelling incense of His life to God, and the whole burnt offering of His atoning death for God’s acceptance. In the tribe of Judah, following LEVI, therefore, very suitable set for the KING who shall reign and prosper.

Through Judah, all of Israel shall PRAISE GOD!

Genesis 29:35

And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.

It was Judah who gave his name to the Jewish people (another form of it is Judean). It is not so much that for Judah that we have to praise God for Judah was just as flawed as Simeon – but Judah’s SON – JESUS – was NOT FLAWED! He sprung from the TRIBE OF JUDAH and it is in HIM where our praise should rest! It was in the tribe of Judah that it pleased the Lord to provide the mould in which the humanity of Christ should be cast.

Judah was by no means perfect, but he at times actually typified Christ. It was at his suggestion that Joseph was not put to death by the brethren. He pleaded with his other brothers:

Genesis 37:26-27

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? [27] Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelite, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

He saved Joseph’s life just like our Heavenly Judah came to save life too!

It was Judah who seems to have had greater influence with his father than his brothers. As we noticed before, it was to be his earnest pleading that Jacob yielded and sent Benjamin with them to Egypt. His words are pregnant with meaning. After his father refused to listen to Reuben and his other sons, Judah approached Jacob and said:

Genesis 43:8-9

And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. [9] I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:

Jacob then consented. It is JESUS above any other name that has the EAR of the FATHER! He is sitting at the right hand INTERCEDING for His brethren who call upon His name on earth! He made Himself responsible for us to the FATHER! No one else could possibly have carried out the important mission of preserving our lives, “that we may LIVE and die not!”

Jeremiah echoed this sentiment:

Jeremiah 30:21

And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? SAITH the Lord.

The Hebrew expression "arav" that Judah used to Jacob is here repeated. It is CHRIST, the NOBLE ONE out of the midst of JUDAH, WHO HAS APPROACHED HIS FATHER on our behalf and given HIM the necessary pledge for our safety.

Judah pleads so eloquently for his youngest brother and becomes a type of our Heavenly substitute who pleaded for us on the CROSS as He hung between heaven and earth and cried “FATHER FORGIVE THEM for they know not what they do!”

Genesis 44:18-34

Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. [19] My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? [20] And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him. [21] And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. [22] And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. [23] And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. [24] And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. [25] And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food. [26] And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. [27] And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: [28] And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: [29] And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. [30] Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; [31] It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. [32] For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. [33] Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. [34] For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

He tells Joseph that he had made himself surety unto the father for the lad, and offers to remain as a bondservant instead of him, so that he should be freed. Is not this what the Lord Jesus has done on our behalf? He, indeed, not only offered to become a servant, but actually took upon HIM the form of a bondman in our stead. The Greek doulis is, of course, the equivalent of the Hebrew eved used by JUDAH, and is a title frequently used for Christ. It speaks to us tonight of Him who,

2 Cor. 8:9

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

We are told that JUDAH PREVAILED above his brethren.

1 Chron. 5:2

For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)

Numerically they were the strongest tribe, and from early in their history they took a leading part in the affairs of the nation. They marched foremost before the ARK in the wilderness, having Nahshon, one of our Lord’s ancestors, as prince leader:

Matthew 1:4

And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

Numbers 2:3

And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.

After the death of Joshua, JUDAH was commanded by the Oracle of the URIM to be the first in attacking the enemy. (Judges 1:2). Thus, in the STRENGTH of Judah's character lay latent the power of the future tribe and the one who was to come to save mankind from its sin. They would call the one to come SHILOH! His name would be the LAW GIVER, the ROSE OF SHARON, the LILY OF THE VALLEY, the bright and the morning star, the first and the last, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the firstborn among the brethren, the GREAT I AM!

The tribe of Judah had many worthy men who foreshadowed the Lord Jesus. There was Bezaleel meaning, in the shade or protection of God) who, though not a Levite, was nevertheless filled with a special anointing to work on the tabernacle of Moses:

Exodus 31:3

And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

Exodus 31:5

And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

Exodus 35:31

And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;

Bezalel made the tabernacle a fit dwelling-house for God. In this he also typified the Lord Jesus, who is building a spiritual tabernacle composed of living stones.

Then there is CALEB, meaning the valiant, the faithful hero who with Joshua insisted, in opposition to the other spies, that the Israelites should go up and possess the land. Some 45 years later the Lord enabled him, as a reward of his fidelity, to play a principal part in the conquest of Palestine, when he conquered Kirjath Arba – the city of the giants – driving out the sons of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. He said to Joshua:

Joshua 14:7-12

Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. [8] Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. [9] And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. [10] And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. [11] As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. [12] Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said.

Caleb prefigured our Lord Jesus who is the MIGHTY WARRIOR and ONE who shall one day go forth conquering and to conquer and the peoples shall fall under HIM, as the Psalmist says:

Psalm 45:3-5

Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. [4] And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. [5] Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

Another hero from the tribe of Judah was Boaz, the gracious kinsman redeemer, who by marriage united himself to Ruth, the Gentile who had been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and estranged from the covenant of promise, but who was brought NEAR, and made a fellow-citizen with the saints and of the household of God.

Then there was of course, David, the beloved warrior king, and his son, the “man of rest,” Solomon (Shelomo) by name – to whom was given total SHALOM (peace and tranquility). These two kings together setting forth HIM, Who, after subduing His enemies, will set up a reign of peace and righteousness, when every man shall sit “under his vine and under his fig tree; and no one shall make him afraid.” There was also King Hezekiah, the reformer, and indeed the whole Davidic dynasty, each king being a pledge and earnest of King Messiah, the Divine Ruler, to come.

Other heroes included Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the valiant man of Kabzeel, a town of Judah, mighty in the battles of the Lord, who slew the two giants of Moab, and killed a lion in its den on a snowy day. He prefigured Christ who destroyed the powers of darkness and spoiled the principalities of hell:

Col. 2:14-15

Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; [15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Then the great statesmen DANIEL, “the man greatly beloved,” and his faithful companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all children of Judah, bearing testimony to the God of Israel at a time of great national declension. Jewish tradition also makes Isaiah the prophet to be of the tribe of Judah and family of David.

All these heroes, however, sink into insignificance before the greatest Son of that tribe, the Lord Jesus in whom this sublime prophecy finds it ultimate fulfillment: “THOU ARE HE WHOM THY BRETHREN SHALL PRAISE.” This is in stark contrast to cursed Simeon who had lost everything and had no hope for eternity.

Judah is compared to a young LION gone up from the prey, and as a grown lion couching dauntlessly, no one daring to rouse him up. Some translate labhi “lioness.” The picture here would then be of a lioness couching to protect her young. Even backslidden Balaam similarly likens Israel to an invincible lion in a couching, fearless, attitude, evidently connecting it with the rule of Christ. The scene is cast in the reign of King Messiah, WHO SHALL BE HIGHER than AGAG and WHOM Kingdom shall be exalted:

Numbers 24:7-9

He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. [8] God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. [9] He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

Micah also referring to the same time, predicts that the remnants of Jacob shall be among many peoples, as a lion amongst the cattle of the wood, and as a young lion amongst the folds of sheep, when the Ruler of Bethlehem Ephratah shall stand and feed as a shepherd in the strength of Jehovah His God:

Micah 5:2-8

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. [3] Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

[4] And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. [5] And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. [6] And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. [7] And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarries not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

[8] And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

There is a tradition that Judah, numerically the strongest, made his emblem of advance the LION. The symbolism of Revelation 5, where our Lord is portrayed as the LION of the tribe of Judah, is evidently based on Genesis 49. In Revelation 5 the Lord Jesus combines in Himself the characteristics of the lamb in regard to His suffering and atoning work, and those of the lion as setting forth His Kingship and strength. Even as the lamb He is portrayed as having seven horns, “perfect strength,” and seven eyes, “perfect vision” – Omnipotence and Omniscience.

Jacob further indicates the Judah was to receive the homage of his brethren. “Thy hand shall be upon the neck of thine enemies.” Thy father’s sons shall bow down before thee.”

The Fight Is On And The Battle Is The Lords

We have shown you the two tribes in contrast. Now we get back to our text. Israel inquires of the Lord and asks, “Who will go up and fight against the Canaanites?” That is the question we need to be really asking today in the church. There is a battle on for the souls of men unlike any time in human history.

We need all the help we can get in this battle! Many of our own have fallen prey to the enemy as a result of discouragement, delusion and deception. Many spirit-filled men of God have succumbed to temptation and fallen into sin only to see their families taken, their ministries destroyed and the call of God stand in jeopardy on their lives.

Israel won victories over her enemies when Israel marched as ONE! The only times the nation suffered great defeat outside the times it was backslidden were the times it was DIVIDED. The Canaanites were enemies that would take all the resources of the nation and the HELP of Almighty God to conquer. In inquiring for this battle, the nation was looking at its very existence being threatened.

Neighbor hear what I say to you today. We are in the same FIGHT! This fight is not about how big our churches are going to get, how many people come to “our church” or how many services we have to have on Sunday morning. This fight is not about what color the carpet should be or how loud the organ should play on Sunday morning. We fight over things in the church that does not matter to a hill of beans while souls slip off into eternity! This battle is for ETERNITY! This is for the souls of men. The dividing line between the forces of Good and the forces of Evil is simple – the BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS! The line between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of Satan is the BLOOD and the NAME of Jesus Christ!

There is NO OTHER NAME under heaven whereby men can be saved. Let there be no question or gray area on how we stand there. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO GOD BUT JESUS! Muslim, I love you and I pray the Lord shines His light to you before it’s too late, but putting your faith in Allah and the Koran will NOT SAVE YOU! Catholics, I love you and appreciate you. I know that there are some very good people in the Catholic church. BUT putting your faith in the sacraments of the church and confessing your sins to a priest WILL NOT SAVE YOU. Baptists, I love you, but being a church member, teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, as good and wonderful as those things may be – IT WILL NOT SAVE YOU! Pentecostals, I am one of you, and I love you, but speaking in tongues – as great and wonderful as that experience is and needed for today – IT WILL NOT SAVE YOU. We are not saved because we speak in tongues. We are not saved because we attend church. We are not saved because we submit to the Pope. We are not saved because we preach to large numbers each week. NO NO NO NO NO! We are saved because we have put our FAITH and our TRUST in the finished work of Christ on a bloody cross some 2,000 years ago and His blood has covered our sins and set us FREE from the powers and the shackles of SIN!

You may say “well McDonald, that’s NARROW and mean-spirited to say those things.” If the bridge is out ahead over a 20,000 foot canyon below and you’re headed straight toward it and to your destruction and I know the bridge is out and in my compassion and love for you I RUN to you and plead with you the bridge ahead is out and the ONLY way to survive but to find another way around the bridge – that would sound narrow minded to some people too! But friend the bridge between heaven and you today is OUT if your faith is in anything else other than JESUS! Jesus didn’t come to “bring” us anything. HE IS! There is a big difference. I’ve come to see this more clearly in the last few months of how He IS our salvation. That means for me to be saved I must die to myself and LIVE unto HIM! I don’t possess anything. I must be in UNION WITH HIM!

And that is the battle that rages today. It’s for TRUTH. It’s for righteousness. It’s for the kingdom of God. It’s the dividing line between heaven and hell, sink or swim, life or death neighbor. There is no middle ground here. God help us today in the church when we shrink back from declaring to the world that Jesus saves and there is no other way to God but HIM. God help us when the Pentecostal world trades the anointing of the Holy Spirit that can break yokes off the lives of men and women, boys and girls, for the tawdry exchange of worldly entertainment to keep our “young people coming each week.” God help us all when the church ceases to be the LIGHT we’ve been ordained to be on this earth. You see WE are not the LIGHT per say but are a reflection of THE LIGHT, the Son of God. We are the BODY, HE IS THE HEAD. We are to be vessels of HIS LIFE flowing to a dying and hurting world.

As I write this there are millions of Simeons out there today. Some of you reading this journal may be one of them – hurting, dying, under a curse, angry at God, angry at life, bitter, rageful, violent, without God, on your way to hell. The only way we will reach them is to proclaim the message to them that Judah proclaimed to Simeon so long ago – “COME UP WITH ME INTO MY LOT.”!

The Battle Belongs To Judah

Judges 1:2

And the Lord said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

The battle is in the hands of JUDAH! The LION OF JUDAH has prevailed. Praise God, praise God. Our heavenly JUDAH has conquered the powers of darkness and has set the captive free. The Father has placed EVERYTHING in the hands of the SON! He’s placed His name, His power, His kingdom, His approval, HIS GLORY and even His judgment! When we see the SON, we’ve seen the FATHER! If we want to know the FATHER more intimately, we must get to know the SON!

John 3:35-36

The Father loves the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. [36] He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.

John 5:22

For the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

God has delivered the victory into the hands of JESUS – the son of the TRIBE OF JUDAH! Judah means praise. When we embrace and PRAISE HIM my Lord all of hell shakes. When things are going bad and it doesn’t look like we’re going to make it – if we will start praising Him neighbor we will see the victory! There’s a song right now that says “victory is mine, victory is mine, victory today is mine! God told Satan – ‘Get thee behind’ Victory is mine.” Another one says “if I hold my peace, let the Lord fight my battles, if I SING and SHOUT, have FAITH, and never never doubt, victory, victory is mine!” That’s your answer drug addict, that’s your answer alcoholic, that’s your answer sir. Yes I’m talking to you, the one who has so much money you can’t shake a stick at, but you’ve found that all the money in the world can’t buy you peace and happiness and joy. It can’t take away the nightmares at night or the loneliness you feel as a result of sin Only the love of Jesus can set you free today. Only the LION of the tribe of JUDAH has prevailed against the powers of hell for us so that we can be free from that same power!

Rev. 5:5

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Neighbor, no church can do that for you! No denomination can do that for you! No man can do that for you! No psychologist can do that for you! No penance, no POPE, no priest can take away your sin sir! Muslims, keeping all the holy days in the Koran and placing your faith in ALLAH will not do that for you sir! Muslims, you are NOT GOING TO HEAVEN IF YOU DIE unless you have been BORN AGAIN! There is no special set of circumstances set aside for you no more than there is a set of circumstances set aside for the Jewish people we so love and minister to who have not come to know Yeshua as their Messiah either. The way is the SAME for all and it is made PLAIN! The way is made PLAIN today by the power of the blood of JESUS!

Hosea 14:1-4

O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. [2] Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. [3] Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

[4] I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

The whole human race has FALLEN because of their iniquity. I’ve said it many many times in our journals – the problem is SIN! It’s not how we were raised, it’s not how we were brought up, it’s not we got bad breaks in life. Our problems are spiritual and in the matters of the Spirit, God looks at man without respect of persons and commands ALL MEN TO REPENT! REPENT, turn around, as Hosea declares. RETURN to the LORD your GOD!

Say to him “take away our iniquity,” in other words CONFESS today you are a sinner and He will save you! “Receive us graciously” – depend on HIS GRACE. This journal today is about GRACE. GRACE, Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that SAVED a wretch like me, I once was lost but NOW I’m found, I was blind, but NOW I see.!” God’s grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than ALL my sin! Grace that is greater than drugs. Grace that is greater than the devil. Grace that is greater than stealing. Grace that is greater than dishonesty and craft. Grace that is greater than the world. Grace that is greater than Hollywood. Grace that is greater than the demons and devils in hell! We are not saved by WORKS, but by GRACE!

Ephes. 2:8-9

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Which brings me to SIMEON.

Come Up With Me Into My Lot….And I Will Likewise Go With Thee Unto Your Lot

&nb