January 22: ETERNAL TITLE (part 1 of 3)

And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:16

This unique name/title for Jesus takes us back to 17:14 which speaks of rebellious humanity: These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings… We are being emphatically reminded that the Creator and Redeemer—the Lamb—is the supreme ruler over all of creation. This title represents, for all time, the eternal reality of His absolute authority and power, including over rebellious humanity. Satan has successfully instilled in the minds of billions that the personal decision to ignore part (or all!) of the Creator’s word can be lived out with impunity. But He is still at work to win them over.

The eternal title is an additional detail to His robe dipped in blood (v.13). It would be woven into the fabric of the robe, as opposed to a name tag that is pinned on.  

This title on His thigh has a significance that requires a careful study to fully understand. We will begin by looking at the passage of Abraham’s request of his most trusted servant, Eleazer, to find a wife for Isaac. The aged Abraham was too old to travel and therefore chose Eleazer to go in his stead. The gravity of this assignment was emphasized with this opening request: “Please put your hand under my thigh…” (Genesis 24:2b)  

In our modern culture, there are three gestures associated with the making of oaths: placing a hand over the heart, raising the right hand, or placing a hand on the Bible. Until recently, the latter two were required for witnesses in any court of law in the United States.

The ancient Hebrew culture had the aforementioned gesture as a way of acknowledging the solemnity of both the request and the agreement to fulfill the request. So the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter (v.9). In the ancient world, both Hebrew and pagan, the thigh was looked upon as the source of posterity. More specifically, the “loins” or testicles. Under the thigh was a genteel expression for on the loins. Scholars believe that there are two reasons that Abraham initiated an oath in this manner. One, he had been promised a seed (Genesis 22:18) from [his] own body (15:4) by God through which the covenantal blessing was to be passed. Two, Abraham had accepted circumcision as a sign of that covenant (17:10). Therefore, the oath initiated by Abraham and accepted by Eleazer was sworn upon the circumcision, the mark of God’s covenant.

There are parallels between Eleazer’s assignment and the mission of Jesus. Both were centered upon a family matter: that of a marriage. Abraham stated that the bride for Isaac must be from my country and my family (24:4). The bride of Christ must be a member of the family of God, meaning that her citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). The personal choice of the proposed bride is honored and respected. No one has ever been forced to be a citizen of heaven, nor will anyone ever be.

And if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be released from this oath. Genesis 24:8a