The Tribe of Judah Jacob declared, “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk” (Gen.49:8-12). The tribe of Judah was an outstanding tribe, showing leadership and boldness, courage and sagacity. It was Judah who pled with Joseph to release Benjamin, lest Jacob die from heartbreak, even though Judah did not know that Joseph was testing the brothers, by placing money in Benjamin’s sack, and then accusing him of theft. Judah laid his life on the line for his brother Benjamin, moving Joseph to tears, and to reveal to his brothers his true identity (Gen.44, 45:1-3). Moses prophesied of Judah, “Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies” (Deut.33:7). Judah was swift in his youth, obedient to his father in everything (Testament of Judah 1:4), and honored his mother and her sister Rachel. He relates in his testament, “my father blessed me, saying, Thou shalt be a king, prospering in all things” (v.6). Judah became a fearsome warrior. His counsel to his children was, “hearken to Judah your father, and keep my sayings to perform all the ordinances of the Lord, and to obey the commands of God” (3:1). He warned them to avoid drunkenness, which leads to filthy thoughts and fornication, “for wine turneth the mind away from the truth, and inspires the passion of lust, and leadeth the eyes into error” (v.10). It is well known who the sons of Judah, the Jewish people, are today, for they have preserved the oracles of God, the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and the Torah – even though they have not always obeyed them (Rom.3:1-3). Ed Gonzales Stephanie Gonzales
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 02:33:51 +0000
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