Shiloh

 According to professor Google there are over a hundred names for Jesus in the Bible.  Dont fret, we wont be looking at all of them but I thought it would be interesting to move away from the ' Wonderful counsellor, Mighty God, Emmanuel ' names which we hear so much at Christmas and explore some of the lesser known names of Jesus.  Well ,lesser known to me anyway.  You have probably got books on your shelves about these names 😁

Way back in Genesis, the second name we are told He is given is Shiloh

“The scepter [of royalty] shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes,
And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.   (Gen 49 ;10)

Shiloh is a difficult word to translate into English apparently.  When broken down into its component written parts it literally means ' He whose it is'.    Which is somewhat mysterious but reminds me alot of the name God gives Himself - ' I am who I am'  The question is, to what does the ' it' refer?  

Genesis 49 is looking forward to a time when the Kings of Israel ( who will be part of the tribe of Judah)  will rule with strength and power.  (“Judah, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.  Gen 49:8 )  We are only a few chapters into the story of everything. and already there is enmity between tribes and people are at war.  The Kings of Judah are tasked with trying to keep order until such time as Shiloh comes at which point the people won't need to be ruled with a sceptre or a staff.  They will willingly submit to the leadership and sovereignty of Shiloh. 

As far as I can understand it ( Hebrew is pretty tricky and English isnt massively expressive or poetic) the ' it' which is tied up in the word Shiloh has to do with peace.  Calm. Goodness.   Im not sure it is quite the same as the Prince of Peace title which we more readily associate with Jesus at this time of year.  But its definitely along the same lines.  The word translated 'ruler' in the verse above is commonly held to mean something more akin to 'law maker'.  People will be ruled over by those who have the power to make laws until such time as Shiloh comes. And then their reign and their laws will be superceded.  No longer necessary.  Something completely new will have arrived and the result will be the obedience of all.   Just think of that!  Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  And its right there in Genesis.


Over the next few weeks I'll be posting a few songs by Paul Baloche who has written several Christmas albums combining tradition carols with worship songs.   I really like them.  Its hard to worship to carols.  They tend to be ' about God' rather than ' to God' songs. I think we are missing a trick in church when we revert to traditional carols all the time and dont take the opportunity to introduce people who maybe never come to church otherwise to some more Jesus focused stuff.    Rant over.  Enjoy this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSgKBeIbhM0


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