Weekly Devotional

Shiloh

by Fr. Dr. Derrence Ross Dmitri Th D, New Zealand

Saturday 26 February 2011 (19 Mechir;19 Amshir)
SS. Priscilla & Aquila

He who is not with me is against me,
and he who does not gather with me scatters.
(Luke 11:23)

CONSIDER THIS:

Your Priests shall clothe themselves with righteousness;
And your saints shall exult. For the sake of your servant
David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
(Psa. 123:9&17)

It was written, 'The Sceptre 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.'
(Gen. 49:10)

What is man, that he could be pure?And he who is born
of a woman of a woman,that he could be righteous?
(Job 15:14)

There is no salvation of soul or hope of everlasting
life but in the cross.
(Imitation of Christ)

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what shall be
has not yet been known. But we know that when He appears,
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
(1 John 3:2)

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have
shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place:
and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
(Matt. 6:6)

In the midst of this anxious world, I have beseeched You,
O Lord, to listen to my plea.
(St. Augustine)

Just as the poor should give thanks to God and return rich love
to those who assist them, so all the more should the wealthy
give thanks for God's providence.
(Isaac the Syrian)

REFLECTION:

The devil desires to keep souls prisoners but the Lord desires
to set them free. The devil incites us to evil, but the Saviour
invites us to practice good.

Our Lord and our Saviour, let us never give up the freedom from
sin, which You won for us. Help us to cling to You and shun all
contact with evil.
(St. Jerome)

HOMILY:

Shiloh:

The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah, not a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall a gathering of the people be. (Gen. 49:10)

'The Sceptre shall not depart. 'The royal dignity of Judah attained in David was made permanent by the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:16), fully realized in the Kingship of Jesus Christ.

'Until Shiloh come.' The Hebrew text here contains the word 'Sylh.' The versions however, apparently reflect a reading 'Slh'. If we follow the lead given by the versions, we read the word as 'sellah', equivalent in Hebrew to 'aser lo' meaning 'that (which) to him.' One possibility then is to understand it to mean 'That which belongs to him (ie Judah).'

Judah will continue to be the royal house until all that is rightfully his comes to him; or again 'he to whom it (ie Sceptre or Kingship) belongs.' Ezekiel evidently treats the passage in this latter way (Ezek.21:27; in the Hebrew Bible 21:32), apparently in a Messianic sense; his treatment of "sylh' could involve free punning.

If the 'selloh' is followed, then the traditional understanding of it as a Messianic title meaning something like 'the establisher of peace.' (see 1 Chron.22:9) In Christ, Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5 & Gen. 49:9) and the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). The Late Emperor Haile Sellase of Ethiopia also had the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah" among his titles deriving his kinship with the House of Judah through his ancestor Candace Queen of Sheba.

The turning point was reached in the Davidic dynasty, not terminating it, but introducing its final and complete expression. To Christ is the obedience of the peoples, of the nations universally and only His reign produces the peace of ultimate and eternal paradise.

It is to Judah's Messianic Descendants that this international acknowledgement comes. Shiloh is also the name of a City in Ephraim, where the Ark of the Covenant was deposited and remained there a long time. To Thee be glory and praise, now and ever, unto Ages of Ages.

AMEN!

Today's Readings:

Evening: Psalm 17:1-2; Luke 17:3-6.
Morning: Psalm 119:49-52; Mark 13:33-37.
Liturgy: 2 Cor.6:14-7:16; 1 Peter 1:1-12; Acts 21:1-14;
Psalm 95:1-2; Gospel Luke 13:1-5.

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