Ornaments of Grace - Judah

Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob, listen to Israel, your father. You, Judah, shall your brothers praise – your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Judah, like a lion’s whelp, you have grown up on prey, my son…The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people’s homage. Genesis 49:2, 8-10 Judah, whose name means “praise,” was by no means perfect, but he did prevent his brother Joseph from being killed outright, though he hoped he would die in slavery. Judah and his brothers, jealous of Jacob’s special love for Joseph, his many-colored coat and strange dreams, tossed him into an empty cistern one day while they were tending the flocks far from home. They were going to leave Joseph there to die until Judah, seeing a caravan heading toward Egypt, talked his brothers into selling Joseph into slavery rather than leaving him in the cistern. Not a particularly brave move, but maybe better than nothing. Judah was not only jealous of the way Jacob obviously loved his half-brothers Joseph and Benjamin more than himself. He was also bitter about the cold way Jacob had treated his mother Leah. Jacob had wanted to marry Rachel but had to marry Leah first as she was the eldest, and he did not like having to do that. Anyway, Judah was an angry young man. He did not care about what God wanted above what he wanted. Judah married a Canaanite woman, something that God had directed the people not to do since the Canaanites worshiped idols. Still, Judah had three sons from that marriage, and God used the wife of the eldest son, Tamar, to help bring Judah to repentance. It was the custom of the times that, if the husband died and the wife was childless, she was to be given to another son so she could have a child. So, Judah’s first son died, and he was going to give her to the second son. The second son also died, so he should have given her to the third son so she could have a child and his protection. Instead, he sent her back to her father. But Tamar was smart. She dressed as a prostitute, lured Judah to her, and became pregnant. When Judah heard she was pregnant, he was very angry and demanded to know who the father was. Tamar proved it was Judah himself. Then he realized his sin in not providing for her. Tamar gave birth to twins, and Judah cared for them. In realizing and repenting for his sin, he grew into a holier man. When Judah and his brothers took a second trip to Egypt to get grain during a time of famine, Joseph, whom they did not realize was their brother from long ago, demanded that they bring the youngest brother Benjamin with them. Jacob did not want to lose another son as he had lost Joseph twenty years before. So, Reuben, the eldest son, told Jacob he could kill his children if they did not return with Benjamin. Judah, on the other hand, said he would give his own life if they did not return with Benjamin. In this sense, he foreshadows Jesus paying for our sins with his own life. Judah, at Jacob’s death, is given the birthright instead of Reuben, the eldest son, as was the custom. It is from Judah that King David descended and, eventually, Jesus. What wonderful promises and prophecies – amidst twists and turns - have brought us grace! Twists and turns in our lives, too, can bring us to Jesus. Let us kneel in homage to Him alone! Judah is today’s Ornament of Grace. OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS How can repentance for even a serious sin change a person’s life forever? How can you give thanks to God for all those in the past who have turned from sin and done what is right in order to bring everyone closer to salvation?