Numbers 2:3–9

“Those camping on the east side toward the sunrise are to be under the banner of the camp of Y’hudah; they are to camp according to companies; by tribe and leader they are as follows: Y’hudah / Nachshon the son of ‘Amminadav / 74,600, Yissakhar / N’tan’el the son of Tzu’ar / 54,400, Z’vulun / Eli’av the son of Helon / 57,400, Total 186,400. This group is to set out first.”

Would like to point out a few things I find noteworthy:

• The tribe of Judah was the first tribe to go out: “this group is to set out first,” meaning that as the Israelites traveled, the tribe (and banner) of Judah led them.
• Judah, if you will remember from Genesis 44, was the brother of Joseph who, upon Joseph’s command to leave their youngest brother Benjamin in Egypt, laid his life down on Benjamin’s behalf, demanding that Joseph take him instead and spare Benjamin. This was a prophetic moment, in that Judah was a forerunner of Messiah in his actions (Messiah having famously laid down his life for all of us). Moreover,
• Messiah came out of the tribe of Judah! (see Hebrews 7:14)

Let us also remember the blessing Jacob gave to Judah, in Genesis 49:8–10,

“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people”

Note: Shiloh means “one to whom it belongs” and in this case Him = Messiah. Keep in mind that this blessing makes a lot more sense when we consider that this applies to the entire lineage of Judah, with “your father’s children” having the dual meaning of “all the descendants of Jacob” and “all the children of God, the father of Messiah (thus all people).” Likewise “to Him shall be the obedience of the people” reinforces this.

See also: Revelation 5:5,

“One of the elders said to me, “Don’t cry. Look, the Lion of the tribe of Y’hudah, the Root of David, has won the right to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Most of this is common knowledge, I just wanted to point out that even from the earliest days of the Israelites, the people followed the lion of the tribe of Judah (the banner bearing the image of a lion), and someday they will follow the lion of Judah again :)