JUNE RADIO MESSAGES
The Twelve Stones in the Breastplate of the H igh Priest JUDAH: the sardius stone by Dr. Lloyd T. Anderson
In Genesis 49 we read that Jacob prophesied that “The sceptre shall not depart f r o m Judah until Shiloh come . . .” Jacob prophesied at the same time, something of the characteristics of the ministry of Christ — that He would weave together the common place, represented by the ass’s colt, with the beautiful, as represented by the vine. Jacob also foretold that Christ would have the fullness of the Spirit and be the Bread of Life — Genesis 49:11, 12. We have seen the spiritual grasp that Jacob had of the Tribe of Judah, but he was not alone in this leading of the Spirit for we must add the name of Moses who also prophesied that Christ would come of the Tribe of Judah and that in Him would be perfect sufficiency, redemption, and spiritual santification according to Deuteronomy 33:7. And there is an other to be added to this number •— the prophet Micah for he prophesied that Christ would be born in Bethle hem in Judaea (Judah). In coming to this blood-red stone, we see it in its majesty as it rests cen tered upon this composite picture of Judah, the Tribe of Judah, and the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom the Word refers as being a precious stone. The sardius, in its meaning — blood-red, all the more relates the stone with Christ and, of course, with His own precious blood. One of our great authors said, “In the English Authorized Version of the Bible, the stone is called sardius, a (continued on next page) 9
W e have b e e n devoting our studies to the stones of the breastplate en bloc and have considered, briefly, the first stone of the twelve in its typi cal significance to the Lord Jesus Christ, and direct reference to the per son of Judah. We now want to look at the sardius stone and its ramifications, in part. Our interest shall be fastened upon this choice gem, the sardius, not only because of the honor of its placement among the other stones, but because of its many qualities that shone in its dual reference to Judah and to our Lord. And now we shall see how it works itself out in the things of beauty in our faith. It was fitting that the name of Judah be engraved on the sardius stone as Judah had the meaning of “praise”— the praise of a life directed only to the worship of God. We see this in various acts of his life; for instance, when he intervened with wise counsel at a time when there was danger of his brothers putting Joseph to death. Judah’s argu ment lies in Genesis 37:26, . . What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?” It was Judah who promised to stand as surety for the little boy Benjamin — and it was his appeal that broke down the decision of Joseph. This appeal was set down in Genesis 44:34. These acts, we are sure, rested under the direction and bless ing of God. After looking at the man, we want to rather quickly review some prophe cies relative to the tribe that bore his name — the Tribe of Judah.
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