Day 7
You, Judah, shall your brothers praise—your hand on the neck of your enemies; the sons of your father shall bow down to you. Genesis 49:8
Judah was the 4th son of Jacob (Israel) and the father of the Tribe of Judah, one of the 12 Tribes of Israel. This means he was one of Joseph’s naughty brothers who we read about yesterday. To his credit, it was Judah who stood up to his brothers when they wanted to kill Joseph; however, it was his idea to sell Joseph into slavery, which was still a pretty nasty plan. The mercy and faithfulness of Joseph were gifts to Judah and the Tribes of Israel.
Throughout Israel’s history, there was much unrest and war. The Tribe of Judah settled in southern Canaan with the city of Jerusalem as its capital. From Judah’s line of descendants comes David and, eventually, Jesus!
Judah did not choose to love Joseph the way a good sibling should, but after time, Judah saw that what he did was wrong and humbly received the mercy of God through Joseph's outstretched arms. Judah's story reminds us that even when we get off to a rocky start, God still loves us and desires to make our hearts whole through His love. God had BIG plans for the Tribe of Judah; through His grace, we can always get "back on track!"
I pledge to joyfully reawaken a culture of life in my domestic church!
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