The Greatest Mystery of All: Part 7; Judah and Simeon, the Foundation of Our House

As we look again at our map of the tribes in the Promised Land, we see Judah at the very bottom of the map. He, along with Simeon who was assimilated into Judah, is the foundation for this person living in the end times who has come into the fullness of Christ. With each tribal territory representing individual aspects of this perfected person’s life, Judah is the part of this person upon which this whole house is built.

To Recap: The map of the territories of the twelve tribes in the Promised Land reveals all the spiritual components of a person in the end times who has come into the perfection of the fullness of Jesus Christ. We began with the highest part of the map around the Sea of Galilee where we saw Zebulun as our awakened spiritual body; Naphtali as our awakened spiritual mind; Issachar our awakened holy imagination; Manasseh as our perfected natural body free of the curse of sin and death; Ephraim our perfected natural mind also freed from the curse; Benjamin as the great end-time ministry that will do the greater works Jesus spoke of in John; and now we will see Judah (along with Simeon’s help) as being the foundation of this great house—a person spiritually builded by God into the perfect dwelling place for his Son Jesus Christ.

Judah is the secure foundation of knowing who we are in Christ. Our life must be built upon the knowledge that we are deeply loved and totally accepted by God. Simeon, in type, represents hearing and obeying. We must be able to hear God and then out of our love for him, obey him.

By looking at the map we can see that Simeon’s land is completely surrounded by Judah’s territory. While Judah is our true self and, therefore, our most important part, Simeon is also very important. Out of hearing comes knowing. If we hear and disobey, then the whole house will crumble. This is why in the languages of Scripture hearing is always said to have obeying implied. As we hear God and obey him, we gradually come into the knowledge of who we are in Christ. This means we know that we are deeply loved by God, and as we know we are loved, we are then in turn able to love God and our fellowman.

Knowing who we are in Christ comes out of a lifetime of experiences worked through in prayer with Jesus. Difficulties become the chariots that carry us upward into the arms of God because trials are the times of our greatest working through of identity. In this process we learn about the lies we have believed about God, ourselves and others. These lies must be renounced verbally and in the experiences of our lives and then replaced with God’s truth as revealed in his Word. By faith we come to incorporate these truths into our life. Gradually, over time, we learn who we really are from God, not from fickle humans who imply we are less than we ought to be probably from their own attempts to settle their own issues of identity.

Satan tempted Eve in the garden by saying if she ate the forbidden fruit she could become like God knowing good and evil. Once she and Adam ate from this tree, they no longer knew God as their origin but they themselves became their own origin. Now as their own gods, they lost their relationship with God and began to look at themselves as the determinants of good and evil. This opened up the possibility of choosing and doing evil. In this fallen state, looking only to themselves as now separated from God, the first thing they experienced was shame as evidenced by their hiding because of their nakedness. Dietrich Bonhoeffer states:

…man, knowing of good and evil, has finally torn himself loose from life, that is to say from the eternal life which proceeds from the choice of God…Man knows good and evil, against God, against his origin, godlessly, and of his own choice, understanding himself according to his own contrary possibilities; and he is cut off from the unifying, reconciling life in God, and is delivered over to death. The secret which man has stolen from God is bringing about man’s downfall.

Man’s life is now disunion with God, with men, with things, and with himself. (Ethics 1949)

God knows all about this disunity and writes about it in his Word so we can also know. In Judah, the Holy Spirit shows us what happens in the human mind when part of it separates from its mainstream of consciousness and goes down where we cannot access it. The key to seeing this in Scripture is the knowledge handed down to us by the early church Fathers that men can represent the mind or intellect and women are our desires or loves.

Jacob’s Prophetic Words over Judah

Shortly before Jacob died, he spoke prophetic words over each of his sons (Gen. 49). An examination of the words Jacob spoke over Judah will reveal that Judah is indeed the True Self.

Genesis 49:8

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.

This verse can only be explained in context with the ensuing verses that reveal Judah as the True Self. Throughout this interpretation, we must remember that men represent the understanding or the mind. Therefore, Judah, in our inward application, represents a part of our mind. We need to return to this verse for a fuller explanation after examining the remaining verses of the prophecy.

Genesis 49:9

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?

Judah is a lion’s whelp. Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5). A whelp is His offspring, a lion cub, and therefore made in the image of his Father. Our True Self is who we were before we split off from our mainstream of consciousness and began living out of a false persona; therefore, it is the part of us that is authentic, real and most in God’s image. This is the part of us that can have deep, intimate fellowship with God. The True Self is childlike in its faith. It is trusting, spontaneous, completely honest and real.

From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. The Hebrew word for “prey” is tereph which means “something torn, i.e. a fragment.” Our True Self tore away from the rest of our main stream of consciousness and became a fragment of our personality. This happened when we, as children, were deeply wounded or frightened and we tried to protect our self by making another “stronger” self that could handle the pain the True Self could not bear.

The Hebrew word for “gone up” is alah which means “to ascend, to recover, or to restore.” So this prophetic word is stating that although Judah, the part of us that is most real, authentic and in the image of God was torn away and became a fragment, he (it) will eventually rise up and be restored.

This is an encouraging word for everyone struggling with issues of identity. Many problems that lead a person to a psychologist or therapist are rooted in the lack of understanding of the true identity. Serious problems such as anorexia, bulimia, gender confusion, schizophrenia, depression, etc. may be outcroppings of a lack of true identity. To lose one’s True Self leaves one feeling empty, confused and often hopeless.

Let’s continue our examination of this prophecy with the next few words, he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? “Stooped down” in Hebrew is kara meaning “to sink, to fall.” “Couched” is rabats meaning “to crouch (on all four legs folded, like a recumbent animal), to lurk or imbed.”

Here is a picture of the True Self that has sunk down into a lower region of our soul. It is imbedded there like an animal crouching on all fours hiding itself for protection from its enemies. Scripture says he couched as a lion. There are several different words for “lion” in the Hebrew language. This particular word, aryay, represents “a young lion.” This is telling us that it is most likely when we are young that our True Self splits off from the rest of our stream of consciousness and imbeds itself deep down in our soul.

Then this verse asks the question, As an old lion, who shall rouse him up? When this person in whom the True Self has been torn away and imbedded in the deepest recesses of the soul grows old, is there any hope for him? Is there anyone who can bring him out of hiding so that he can take his rightful place in our life? The next verse answers our question. But before examining the next verse, here is a synopsis of this present verse (my words in regular font, the scripture in italics):

Synopsis of Genesis 49:9

The True Self (Judah) is the authentic, real part of our soul that is in the image of God and therefore free from any false persona (is a lion’s whelp). This True Self was injured and torn away to become a fragment of our personality (from the prey, my son), but this part of us will recover and be raised up and restored to its rightful place (thou art gone up). When we were young and life was painful, the True Self sank down and imbedded itself in a lower region of our soul much like a recumbent animal crouching with all four legs folded (he stooped down, he couched as a lion.) He may still be in this position when the person is old (as an old lion). Is there anyone who can bring the True Self up from this place deep in the soul (who shall rouse him up)?

This is the state of most persons today. They are totally out of touch with their True Self. They are confused and don’t know who they are or where they belong.  In our increasingly immoral society where the family is being torn apart by divorce and children are raised by single mothers, or even homosexual partners, abandonment, pain and abuse are rampant. It is the father who ultimately confirms us in our identity but for many, the father is absent…or if the father is in the home, he is emotionally absent or abusive. The only answer to people’s deep emotional needs is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ as we will see in the next verse of our Genesis passage.

Genesis 49:10

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.

The scepter is a highly ornamented staff or stick held in the hand of a ruler as a symbol of authority. The lawgiver is analogous to the scepter. It is a mace, a long ornamented stick resting between the feet of the ruler when he is seated. Shiloh refers to Jesus. The word Shiloh is made up of three grammatical parts (Sh-l-ōh) meaning “Him to Whom It (the scepter or the kingdom) Belongs” (The King James Study Bible).

What this verse is saying is that Judah is the one who has the authority until Jesus comes and rules over all. This is an extremely important concept regarding Judah as the True Self. Our True Self is the part of us that has true authority to rule in us. It is the part of us that is authentic and therefore able to have a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus. Out of relationship with Jesus, the True Self can rule effectively and bring order into our fragmented mind and chaotic life. It is Jesus we want on the throne of our life, but Jesus and our True Self need to become one. Jesus then rules through our True Self.

Many Christians have difficulty finding intimacy with God and maintaining a consistent, meaningful prayer life. This is because they are out of touch with their True Self. They have dissociated into different parts and have become “double minded.” If we are in this state described by James and defined by Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary as “having different minds at different times,” how can we find the depth of relationship with God we are seeking? We are, as James states it “unstable.” We have difficulty remaining constant in our mind and purpose. Our affections are unsteady and our loyalties divided.

There are many Christians who don’t realize this about themselves, so they continually struggle to mature in their faith. Anyone who has spent time in a church in any ministry capacity knows the difficulty many Christians have with the “C” word (C stands for “commitment”). Perhaps one reason people have difficulty remaining committed to anything has to do with their dividedness. When people are double minded, their loyalties are divided and they are tossed to and fro, from this thing to that thing, never really becoming centered in their purpose in life. This dividedness in loyalty is seen outwardly in the church and also at home where people falter in their commitment to one another, to prayer and the Bible.

Praying is extremely difficult when one is praying out of a false self. That is when our prayers seem to hit the ceiling and we feel all alone…like God isn’t there or He isn’t listening. No matter how hard we try, the false self cannot find relationship with Jesus.

Getting rid of our dividedness and living out of our True Self requires the working of Jesus in our life. We can’t do it on our own. We can’t change our own self, but we can make decisions that will open the door for Jesus to enter in more deeply to do His transforming work.

There are two basic things that will facilitate dramatic change in our life enabling the True Self to rise up and take its rightful place of rule in us. These two things involve daily consistent adherence to the Christian disciplines (prayer, Bible study, fasting, etc.) and open, caring, sharing relationships with other Christians.

This is where the “D” words come in. Discipline, combined with our desire for more of Christ, will take us where we could not otherwise go. When we are disciplined, we will pray whether or not we feel like it. We will read the Bible whether or not it seems interesting. We will meet with our fellow Christians even when we would rather do something else…like kick back and watch our favorite movie with a big bowl of ice cream and maybe some cake to go with it. Temptations are all around, but it is discipline that will carry us through if we desire to know Christ.  Discipline, combined with the desire to be conformed to the image of Christ, begins out of duty that leads to delight. If we do not desire to know Christ and be like Him, our attempts at discipline can lead to drudgery and eventually defeat.

We need time alone with Jesus every day to pray and study His Word. Out of relationship with God, as we seek Him for who He is, we will find out who we are. It is He that brings the True Self up out of its hiding place so it can function effectively as God intended. No matter how difficult it is for us to have this time with God, if we will be consistent to faithfully set this time apart for Him, we will notice a difference in our life.

Also we need relationships with other Christians with whom we feel safe. In Christian relationships God works through us to affirm and encourage each other. The True Self will not come forth if the environment is not safe. In the context of a small group of committed Christians who meet regularly, we can begin to take off our masks and risk being real. This takes time and commitment. If we leave the first time we feel misunderstood or fearful, we will never press through into authenticity and the depth of relationship we all long for. Some persons need another Christian to pray with them and ask the Lord to bring forth dissociated parts for ministry.

Unto him shall the gathering of the people be. When Jesus and the True Self come together in deep, intimate relationship, Jesus works within our soul to gather all our fragmented parts together into unity with Himself. (Keep in mind that in our inward application men are the understanding.) His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than ours. It takes time for every desire and understanding to line up with God’s revealed will in Scripture. When our True Self is in communion with Jesus, we can work together to bring the rest of our self under the Lordship of Jesus. In this way Jesus can truly take His rightful place on the throne of our life.

Synopsis of Genesis 49:10

Through this prophecy God says that even though the True Self was injured, tore itself away and sank down out of reach into the deepest recesses of the soul, this True Self still has the authority in this person’s life because he is the part that is authentic and made in God’s image (The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet). In response to the question, “who shall rouse him up?” the answer is that Jesus will as He comes into this person’s life (until Shiloh come). Jesus will gather together into one whole all the fragmented parts of the soul, and then in union with the True Self take His rightful place on the throne of our life (unto him shall the gathering of the people be).

There are other places in Scripture where I have seen Judah as the true self who goes down into hiding. Not only have I seen the going down of the true self in Scripture, but I have seen it in the satanic ritual abuse ministry. Satanists, who torture little children to the point that their mind splits and forms alternate personalities, know about the true self and do their best to make sure no one ever finds it in this person’s soul.

You see, in SRA ministry, we need to meet all the parts the person split into when they were being abused and the most important one will be the true self. This is who the person was before they were tortured. I find this part because Jesus leads me to it for ministry. He knows where it is in the person’s soul and he brings this part forward for me to pray over. It is often still in the mother’s womb. Yes, they torture the baby in the mother’s womb until it splits into alternate personalities even before it is born. (I explain this in my book, Restoring Survivors of Ritual Abuse which is the updated version of Restoring Survivors of Satanic Ritual Abuse.)

The true self is the one who has authority in a person’s life and it is the one all the other parts merge into once they are healed. This is also the part of us that has the greatest authority over demons. So it is easy to see why the enemy of our souls wants us divided within our self and does not want us to ever find our true self. When we are able to live out of our true self with no false personas is when we can have the closest and richest relationship with Jesus and with other people. Then the Holy Spirit can move unhindered through us.

I hope my series on Jacob’s Twelve Sons will encourage and delight people as they see how perfect and totally inspired by God the Bible is. Only the Holy Spirit could write this amazing book such that it reveals truth on different levels so that truths can be revealed at different times to different people only at God’s direction so things reserved for the end times can be revealed only to those who are in the generations that will experience these things.