3. “ And I wept because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book"--5:4. The inspired seer wept in the awesome realization that the things within the book were beyond human disclosure. 4. “ Weep not: behold the Lion of Judah, the root of David hath prevailed"--5:5. The comforting counsel to weep not shows that the anxiety was premature and the fear was unfounded; they were only tears of interruption; hence they were to withhold the weeping and wait to see the full procession. The title, Lion of Judah was symbolic of power. The lion is the most courageous beast, the king of the forest, an emblem of strength and valor. It was used here with prevailed to designate the invincible Christ who would conquer his own and his people’ s enemies. The symbol of the tribe of Judah connects with the prophetic blessing of Gen 49:8-12. The capital of the tribe was Ariel, meaning “ lion of God” (Isaiah 29:1) . Hence, the lion of the tribe of Judah was descriptive of the lineage and character of the divine descendant of the tribe. Judah, under divine favor, was a nation in itself, typical and prophetic, in such biblical phrases as the “ house of Judah, the kindred, stock, and lineage” as in Genesis 12:17; 1 Timothy 5:8; Luke 2:4; 2 Samuel 7:18. The prophecies pointed to Christ, the spiritual head of the house of Judah -- Isaiah 22:21-22 --having the ruler-ship--the divine government, which Judah typified. And he was the minister of the new covenant which God made with the “ house of Judah,” as stated in Hebrews 8:1-13, verses 8 to 10. The limited phrase “ with the house of Israel,” in verse 10, indicated that in the new covenant there would be no distinction--Israel was Judah, the whole. Thus the Lord sprang out of Judah. (Hebrews 7:14) The root of David: By metonymy the Christ is called the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:10) and of David (Revelation 5:5). The plant or branch springs from and grows out of the root. Christ is the root, instead of the branch, which springs from the root of the spiritual people of David. (Romans 15:12) Isaiah uses the words, rod, stem and branch (Isaiah 11:1); and Zechariah gives him the title of “ The Branch” (Zechariah 3:8); also in 6:12, the title Branch is used to show that He was to be the plant itself, the stem (source), and rod (on which branches grow) as on the vine of Joh 15:1. The name of David in prophetical office and regal character was the most eminent type of the Christ. (1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 2:4; 2 Samuel 5:3). As ruler over the temporal kingdom of Israel, he was the forerunner to the Son of David who should be ruler of the spiritual Israel forever. (Isaiah 9:7; Matthew 1:1; Matthew 9:27; Matthew 12:23; Luke 1:32-33) In the prophecy of Eze 34:23-24 Christ is the new David of the new Israel; the one shepherd of the one flock. The distinction between Judah and Israel would be lost, and would no longer exist. Further references to the tabernacle, the throne, the mercies, the blessings, and the key of David were all applied and ascribed to Jesus Christ.