Judah typifies Christ as king; Levi foreshadows the Lord as priest. No one in Israel could function as both king and priest. The Pharaohs professed that they were sons of Ra, the chief god. Augustus Caesar became the chief priest of Rome. One king of Judah, Uzziah, aspiring to burn incense in the Holy Place, was punished instantly by God. Only Melchizedek, a contemporary of Abraham (therefore a Gentile), was acknowledged by God as both king and priest.
JUDAH: Judah connotes praise, and it was prophesied that his brothers would honor him (Gen. 49:8). So our Lord Jesus will be glorified by His brethren (Ps. 118:26; Mt. 23:39). Judah would vanquish all his opponents; Christ would bruise the serpent’s head (Rev. 20:10). Israel shall bow before Him (Zech. 12:10), and all nations also (Ps. 22:27). Judah is like a lion, the strongest of animals (Prov. 30:30); he can conserve his conquest and relax satisfied. So the Lion of Judah can rest after His victory and take care of what He has gained (Isa. 53:11-12).
The scepter (Gen. 49:10), an emblem of royal authority, will remain in Judah until Shiloh comes. Apart from a town by that name, this word is used only here, where it means a person. Many teachers connect it with Ezekiel 21:27, where the words, “whose right it is,” are almost identical with “Shiloh.” Heathen empires ruled over Israel: Medo-Presia, Greece, Rome, in Bible times. God will overturn all Gentile rulers in favor of Christ.
Messiah’s scepter, we know, is righteous (Ps. 45:6). The same word is rendered as rod; with it He will protect His sheep (Ps. 23:4), and scatter His broken enemies (Ps. 2:9). God will then gather His own people to the Lord Jesus (Mt. 13:30; 24:31; Jn. 11:52). He will find them more than willing to obey their King.
The prophecy next becomes highly poetical (Gen. 49:11-12), promising prosperity to Judah. Thinking of the greater Son of Jacob, we can search the Scripture for other uses of this word. The judges of Israel rode on donkeys (Jud. 10:4; 12:14) and Zechariah foretold that the righteous King would come in humility, riding on a donkey and its colt.
Isaiah asked the Coming One why His garments were red as if He had been treading out the grapes. The righteous Speaker replied that He had in fact trodden the winepress of God’s fury alone (Isa. 63:2-3). (Notice in Rev. 19:13-14 that Faithful and True has blood on His clothing, but the loyal armies who follow Him are clothed in linen white and clean. He treads the winepress alone.)
His eyes are darker than wine, and His teeth whiter than milk (Gen. 49:12). Both eyes and teeth were components of beauty portrayed in the Song of Solomon. Of Jesus it was said that there was no beauty that we should desire Him. But we shall see the King in His great beauty, surpassing all (Ps. 45:2; Isa. 33:17; Zech. 9:17). What a prospect! And soon!
LEVI: Jacob linked Levi and Simeon together and seems to say no good about them. These two had killed the men of Shechem to avenge their sister, Dinah. Jacob’s prophecy sounds totally negative, but it was a blessing (Gen. 49:28). He did say one good thing–that they would be separated. In the Promised Land, Simeon received a portion within the boundaries of Judah (Josh. 19:1). But Levi received no land except the 48 cities and their suburbs (Josh. 13:114; 21:41).
Before the people reached Canaan, the men of Levi exonerated themselves. Moses and Aaron were Levites, but Aaron led Israel into idolatry while Moses was meeting with God (Ex. 32:2-4). When he came down from the mount, Moses called for those who were on the Lord’s side and all the Levites responded. They were God’s agents in destroying 3,000 of the sinners that day and Moses promised them a blessing (Ex. 32:29).
So we come to Deuteronomy 33:29. The Urim and Thummim, (Lights and Perfections), are found seven times in the Old Testament. The first letters of these two words are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, just as Alpha and Omega are of the Greek alphabet. God gave guidance in making decisions by means of these (Num. 27:21; Ezra 2:63). So Christ is the Light of this world and the Perfecter of His saints (Eph. 5:27), providing the basis for all right decisions.
Moses prayed that these Lights and Perfections would be with God’s holy one. Levi was the object of God’s grace (Deut. 33:8); but greater grace was to come. This word “holy one” is used of Messiah in His death and resurrection (Ps. 16:10). Levi at Massah and Meribah proved faithful; how much more our blessed Saviour, also tested in the wilderness.
The men of Levi were loyal to God even against their tribal relations. So Christ did not seek human approval; His own received Him not. Yet His excellence shines from every page of the Gospels.
The priests were to teach God’s laws to the people. The Lord Jesus did this in the form of parables, sermons, and instruction to His disciples. The Levites also brought the holy incense before Jehovah, which the high priest burned on the gold altar (Ex. 30:7-8; Lk. 1:9). The Levitical priests also offered burnt sacrifices on the bronze altar (Lev. 1:8-9). Christ was Himself a sacrifice of a sweet odor to God (Eph. 5:2). We and our gifts should be the same (Phil. 4:18). The Lord Jesus replaced and outshone all the offerings of the Old Testament (Heb. 10:8-9); He now leads the praise of His brethren (Heb. 2:12).
Moses asked the Lord to bless what Levi owned (Deut. 33:11), and accept what he did. He also prayed that Levi would have victory over all his enemies. God has certainly blessed all who belong to Christ. He accepted His Son’s work by raising Him from death. The final victory belongs exclusively to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ is revealed as Priest in the book of Hebrews. Like Aaron, He is merciful and faithful, and has made propitiation for sins (2:17). A real yet perfect Man, He can empathize with us in our weaknesses (4:15). He, too, was called of God for this ministry (5:5).
There were essential differences between Aaron’s priesthood and Christ’s, however. Christ entered the heavenlies, a Priest forever of a different order (Heb. 4:14; 6:20; 7:21). Much more than Aaron or any of his descendants, Christ was holy, harmless, separate from sinners (7:26). Those priests brought animal sacrifices (8:3; 10:11), some of which were burned outside the camp (13:11). But the Saviour offered Himself (7:27), and this sacrifice needed to be offered only once (9:28).
Melchizedek was a more complete type of our Saviour, both King and Priest. His sacrifice completed, Christ sat down on His Father’s throne (Heb. 8:1). He is the true Son of Judah and the Son of Levi, the Royal Priest, ruling forever, interceding always.
It is marvelous to know also that He calls us royal priests (1 Pet. 2:9). Priests today, we can worship, bring sacrifices, and intercede for others; and we will worship forever. In the future, we are named kings with Him (Rev. 1:6; 20:6), and even now are called to show forth His praises in this dark world. This is our portion; may it be our practice.