Until Shiloh Come – Part three

The Scepter

The “scepter” is literally a “stick,” or a “rod.” The word is used in the Bible in two ways:

• For ruling— as a symbol of king­ship, authority, and influence (“the scepter of thy kingdom” — 45:6; this same word is also translated “tribe,” or that over which authority is exer­cised): Christ and the saints will break in pieces the nations with a rod of iron (Psa. 2:9) and then rule as kings and priests upon the earth (Rev. 5:9,10).
• For correction (as in 2 Sam. 7:14 — “I will chasten him with the rod of men . . .”, and Prov. 22:15 — “the rod of correction”): Christ will wield the rod to correct his brethren after the flesh, to discipline and teach them God’s ways. They will look upon him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for their past sins. Then Christ will open for them a “fountain” to cleanse their sins, and he will cut off the “idols” from the land (Zech. 12:10; 13:1, 2). National Israel will thus be elevated to a new and higher position among the na­tions, because of the moral change she will have undergone. The “first dominion” will come to the daughter of Zion (Mic. 4:8).

The Lawgiver

This word is from a root “to engrave” (as upon stone). The same word is used in Job 19:23: “Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed (engraven) in a book. . .” The giving of the law is here associated with the kingly tribe of Judah. In the past, Moses — of the priestly tribe of Levi — was the man whom God chose as His lawgiver. Never has Judah or any of his descendants been a “lawgiver.” The time in which “Judah” is God’s lawgiver is the future, the kingdom age. This may be seen in Psa. 108:8,9:

“Gilead is Mine: Manasseh is mine: Ephraim also is the strength of Mine head: Judah is My law­giver; Moab is My wash pot; over Edom will I cast out My shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.”

Christ will then fulfill his predicted role as the “lawgiver.” He will combine the two offices of king and priest over God’s kingdom. When Edom and Moab and Philistia — and all nations — are subjugated to his rule, then Isa. 33:22 will be realized:

“The Lord — Yahweh — is our lawgiver . . .”

And the wonderful promises of Isa. 2:2-4 will come to pass:

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills: and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob: and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

Shiloh

This word is the key, the center of our subject. The word itself signifies unity, blessing, peace; and thus it very definitely points to Christ — who is called in Isa. 9:6 “the Prince of Peace.” Jesus spent more than three years preaching the gospel of peace throughout the land of Israel; and after his ascension to heaven, his disciples carried the same message to the Gentiles:

“I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him” (Isa. 57:19).

At this time, Christ did not offer to his listeners any guarantee of immediate peace or freedom from trouble and strife. (He promised instead that his words would set father against son, and would make a man’s enemies those of his own house.) But Christ did offer the peace of mind which comes from a sure hope and a patient faith, in the midst of an evil and misguided world. He offered the peace of forgiveness, of God’s mercy, and the security of being joined to the Father in spirit and in truth:

“Come unto me, ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

And at the same time Christ preached the gospel, or good tidings of peace in a future kingdom “not of this age,” a peace which would eventually encompass the whole world and all peoples.

Shiloah

In Isa. 8:6 a stiff-necked people are seen refusing “the waters of Shiloah that go softly.” They were refusing God’s offer of “peace” (and rejoicing instead in the favor of Gentile kings), just as their descendants were to refuse the gospel of peace preached by the “Shiloh,” saying “We have no king but Caesar !” Because of this, destruction was measured out upon them, and the king of Assyria stretched out his wings and overflowed their land.

Shall we make the same mistake that these Jews did? Jesus offers us the “waters of Shiloah:” the knowledge of the Truth, and guidance and mercy from God, leading us to the time when we never will thirst again. Let us take heed to the past examples of failure. Shall we also refuse the “waters of Shiloah that go softly?”

Shiloh the Village

The name “Shiloh” is used most frequently in the Bible as the name of a small village located in the land of Canaan, where God’s tabernacle resided for a time after Joshua and his followers had entered the Promised Land. Very little else is known of the village except this (its location is even uncertain), but even this little is worthy of mention, as a type of Christ and us, the saints of God.

We are the ark of God, for God has placed in us His law, and we are His memorial and dwelling place in the earth. We are the anti type: the “true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Heb. 8:2).

The ark rested at Shiloh when the children of Israel at last reached the promised land. And there is a great lesson for us in this fact: If we receive an inheritance in God’s kingdom, then — just as the ark — we will rest at “Shiloh” (or at peace) in the land, the companions of Christ, the personal “Shiloh.”

Shalom

The word “Shiloh” bears a close resemblance to the Hebrew greeting “Shalom,” which also signifies peace. This word is found in the name “Jerusa­lem” — God’s city, the city of peace — yet to become the eternal city, the city of “Shiloh,” which reigns over the kingdoms of the earth.

The word “Shalom” is also found in the name of Solomon; Solomon is seen in Scripture as a type of Christ in his reign of peace. Solomon was a son of David who ruled over a kingdom known far and wide for its great wealth. Kings and princes (and queens) came to Jerusalem to marvel at his great wisdom and to offer tribute. Solomon’s reign was the most peaceful and prosperous of any of the kings of Israel. And yet, all of this is only a shadow, only a feeble representation, of the glorious kingdom of Christ, the “greater Solomon.”

The One Sent

The name “Shiloh” is very similar to the word mentioned previously “the waters of Shiloah” (Isa. 8:6). There is only one letter’s difference in the Hebrew between these two words, although they seem to come from different roots.

The “Waters of Shiloah” were the pool of Siloam, a pool near Jerusalem. This pool is mentioned twice in the Old Testament and once in the New Testa­ment:

”The pool of Siloam (which is by interpretation, Sent) . . (John 9:7).

This offers an interesting alternative to the meaning of Shiloh, or peace, although we should not attach too much weight to such secondary definitions: Christ is the “Shiloh” — the “Prince of Peace” — as we have shown before. But he is also called, by the authority of John, the “Shiloah,” or the One who is sent. Jesus of Nazareth was the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, the one chosen and sent to redeem man from his slavery to sin, and offer him peace. How often the various parts of the Scriptures support one another, and offer us deeper revelations of God’s will in Christ!