View Shopping Cart

SPURGEON'S SERMONS

NO. 3296 - PRAISE FOR JESUS

A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, APRIL 4TH, 1912,
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON,
ON LORD’S-DAY EVENING, FEB. 25TH, 1866.

"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise."-Genesis 49:8.

THESE words were spoken by the patriarch Jacob when he blessed his sons as he lay a-dying; but before he finished Judah’s blessing, the good old man seemed to forget his son, and to turn his thoughts to Jesus our Lord, of whom Judah was a very significant type. Jacob compared Judah to a lion and a lion’s whelp, and in the Revelation we read that one of the elders said to John, "The Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David; hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." In the tenth verse of this chapter we have Jacob’s notable prophecy concerning the coming of Christ, "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his fleet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

I intend only to speak about Judah so far as he is a type of Christ, and I trust that I shall, by the Holy Spirit’s gracious guidance, move all the brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ to praise him, so that I shall be able reverently to say to him, " Jesus, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise." So I shall speak, first, concerning the praise of Judah and the praise of Jesus; and then, secondly, concerning the glories of Judah as setting forth the glories of Jesus.

I. First, then, let us think about THE PRAISE OF JUDAH AND THE PRAISE OF JESUS.

Jacob said to Judah, "Thou art he who thy brethren shall praise." Judah was preeminent above his brethren in several things for which he deserved to be praised; the first was the eloquence and prevalence of his intercession. Judah seems to have been the gifted one out of the twelve sons of Jacob, and his pleading prevailed with his father when all others were powerless. When "the lord of the land" of Egypt, whom his brothers failed to recognize although he knew them, said to them, "Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you," they went back home with heavy hearts, and their father stoutly refused to allow Benjamin to go down into Egypt. But when all their corn was eaten up, and they were obliged to go again to buy more, it was Judah who persuaded Jacob to let Benjamin go with them. Reuben and Levi were obliged to be silent in that critical period, for they had lost their rightful position in the family by their transgressions, and Simeon was a hostage in the hands of Joseph; but Judah was able to step into the breach, and his intercession prevailed.

We, brethren, are by nature like those sinful sons of Jacob, we have offended our Father who is in heaven, and it is in vain for us to attempt to approach him as sinners without an intercessor. But our Judah-Jesus, if I may so call him, stands before his Father’s face; and whatever our desire or our request may be, provided it is a right one, it is sure to be granted when Jesus pleads for us before the throne. "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Turn your eyes upward, beloved, and see our great High Priest appearing there in the presence of God for us; and as he points to the print of the nails in his hands and feet, and to the scar of the soldier’s spear in his side, and pleads our cause, be certain that his plea must prevail with his Father. Remember the argument of the apostle when writing concerning the Melchisedec priesthood of Christ, "this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." If Judah was praised because his intercession prevailed with Jacob, much more shall Jesus be praised because his intercession prevails with Jehovah. Clap your hands, O ye saints, at the remembrance of his prevalence on your behalf when you sought him out of the depths of your despair, and praise him that he still lives to carry on his people’s cause above ! Have you any burden on your mind at this moment Is there aught that distresses you? Have you been much in prayer without? getting answers to your supplications? The put your case into the hands of Christ. He never lost a suit yet, and that is more than the best of earthly advocates can say about the cases entrusted to them. Therefore praise him, you who have committed yourselves into his hand; and as for you who are going to do so now, begin to praise him, for your most sanguine anticipations of blessing shall not be disappointed.

That was a wonderful scene when Joseph said that Benjamin should not go back with his brethren, but should remain in Egypt as his servant because the silver cup had been found in his sack, and Judah pleaded with Joseph, not knowing that "the lord of the land" was his own brother. You remember how he pictured their old father at home, who would certainly die of a broken heart if Benjamin did not return to him in safety; and how, at last, he offered to be a bondman to Joseph if he would but let Benjamin go free. You see, he pleaded for substitution, and he, also told Joseph how he became surety for the lad unto his father, and his plea was so effectual that Joseph could refrain himself no longer, but bursting into tears declared that he was their long-lost brother. So, dear friends, if the great Lord of heaven and earth seems angry with you because of your sins", and he is angry with the wicked every day, put your case into the hands of the sinners’ Advocate, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and when he stands up to plead with his Father for you, he will soon bring a smile of forgiveness upon the righteously severe countenance of his Father, and you shall gladly say, " Jesus, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise because of thine almighty power in pleading for them."

We find that, at a later period, the tribe of Judah was foremost in wisdom and skill. If you turn to Exodus 35:30, you will see that, when the tabernacle was to be erected in the wilderness, "Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the Lord hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; and to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work." And, surely, I may metaphorically apply this description to our Judah-Jesus. What wisdom there is in him, and what skill ! What is there that he cannot do? Bezaleel could cut, and polish, and set precious stones; but Jesus can take the worthless pebbles of the brook, and transmute them into diamonds. Jesus takes "base things of the world, and things which are despised," and works such marvelous changes in them that the Lord of hosts says concerning them, "They all be mine in that day when I make up my jewels." He is a wonderful lapidary; some of us have been upon the wheel under his hand for a long time, and we are apt to think that he has cut us most cruelly but the cutting is intended to bring out our brilliance, and to make us fit to shine in the diadem of the King in due time. Bezaleel was also a worker in wood, and our great Judah-Jesus came to us when we were growing wild in the forest of sin, it was his axe of conviction that cut us down, and it has been his hand off skill that has been fashioning and carving us to make us worthy to be pillars in his temple.

What is there that Jesus cannot do? Has he not wrought out for us a work which required far more skill than the erecting of the tabernacle in the wilderness, and the making of the ark of the covenant, the veil which hung before the most holy place, the high priest’s garments of glory and beauty, and all the cunning work devised by Bezaleel and his helpers? Did he not spend his whole life in working out for us a matchless robe of righteousness in which we may even dare to stand before the all-seeing eye of God? Angels will keep on wondering throughout eternity at the wisdom of their Lord and ours. The wisdom of his teaching is divine. "Never man spake like this man." The wisdom with which he deals with each individual case that is brought to him is matchless. He is the great Physician, and there is no, earthly doctor who has such skill as he has. Let Bezaleel, of the tribe of Judah, have all due praise, but let Jesus, the Son of God, have far more. All wisdom is to be found in him; his very name is "Wisdom." Solomon calls him by that name. The wisest of men was not at all wise in comparison with incarnate wisdom, the wisdom of God as manifested in Jesus Christ. Jesus, we bless thee, thou who hast worked out a perfect righteousness for us, thou who makest us into living stones, and then buildest, us stone by stone, into the marvelous edifice of thy Church; Jesus, then art he whom thy brethren shall praise for thy wondrous wisdom and skill.

Further, the tribe of Judah had precedence in presenting offerings unto the Lord. In Numbers 7:12, we read, "He that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah." The Lord had said to Moses, "They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar," and the prince of the tribe of Judah therefore led the way by bringing his offering on the first day. We know that our Lord sprang out of Judah, so he was first with his offering. "No," says someone, "Abel was first with his offering." Yes, apparently he was in the order of time, but Christ’s offering was much more ancient than his, for he was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." In the divine purpose, his sacrifice was offered long before the great tragedy on Calvary, and the merit of his atonement was reckoned to his people’s account long before man was created, but certainly in order of precedence Christ’s offering comes first. Christ brought for his offering his own most precious body and blood, and we by faith present the same offering when we come to God in the name of Jesus. What sacrifice could we bring if Judah’s Prince had not first brought his one offering by which he hath performed for ever them that are sanctified? Did I say just now that Christ’s offering had precedence ? I must correct myself, for it is first, it is last, it is midst, it is the only sacrifice that can put away sin, and make us acceptable unto God; and there is no sacrifice either of prayer or of praise that we can present to God unless we being it by virtue of Christ’s on great sacrifice. Let us, therefore, praise our Judah-Jesus; let us give him our loudest hallelujahs, for he comes first to the altar, and we afterwards approach it through him. Jesus, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise for thy wondrous atoning sacrifice.

Yet again, Judah had the singular precedence of always leading the van when the tribes were on the march. In Numbers 10:14, we read that, when the fiery-cloudy pillar moved, "in the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies." First in the encampment, first on the march, first everywhere was Judah’s lion. The tribe of Dan brought up the rear, but the tribe of Judah always went in front; and here again let Jesus Christ be praised, for he always leads the way. If I descend into the Valley of Humiliation, I shall see his foot-prints all down the slippery steeps. If I pass through the Enchanted Ground where so many fall asleep, I shall see the track of the wakeful One all along that dangerous way. If up the Hill Difficulty I have to scramble on my hands and knees, I shall see the marks of the blood drops where his hands were torn by the thorns and his feet were cut by the flints as he climbed there too. And when I go down to the river, I shall still see his footprints; and up the other side I shall see the track of my risen Lord. All up the eternal hills I shall but follow where he leads the way; ay, and up to the very throne of God he has gone before us, clearing a way for his people, and leading them along it.

Yet once more, Judah afterwards attained to the sovereignty, for David, of the tribe of Judah, was in due time proclaimed king over all Israel. We also have a King of the line of Judah, one who is mightier than David, and wiser than Solomon, and happy are we in having such a King to reign over us. Who amongst us that loves Christ would not set him up upon a high throne? Oh, that we could continually exalt him yet more and more ! Let your sweetest songs be all in his praise; let your most daring deeds be done for him. Give him, ye gracious women, your alabaster boxes full of precious ointment. Prepare, your feasts, ye wealthy men, and invite him, to preside at the table!. Come, ye children, and strew branches in the way while he rides along triumphantly. Let "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!" be the joyful strain which comes from every lip and heart because Jesus reigns over us, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Do praise him, do extol him this very moment, lift up your hearts and your voices while we sing this familiar strain, -

"Jesus is worthy to receive
Honor and power divine;
And blessings more than we can give
Be, Lord, for ever thine."

(The congregation joined in singing, and then the preacher continued his sermon.)