God chooses Judah to be the one through whom the Messiah would come. Looking at the brothers, the most upstanding one is Joseph. He is the one that perhaps we would have chosen for the line of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. However, God chooses Judah.
Why does God choose this imperfect man, Judah?
God chooses Judah because God uses anyone. God will do great things through many or through few; He can bring glory to His name through a person who makes a few mistakes, or many mistakes. God uses anyone for His purposes. Bible characters were not perfect, but God will use anyone for His glory.
Judah marries Canaanite woman against the intentions and directions of God. Judah is a man like Esau who has been driven by his flesh, rather than his desire to serve and follow God. When Judah’s son dies, his daughter-in-law, Tamar, is left without an heir and a widow. After his second son Onan dies, Judah does not act in integrity and provide his son, Selah for Tamar. Desperate, Tamar deceives Judah by dressing as a harlot. In his fleshly desire, Judah conceives twins thinking that she is a harlot. This is really a discouraging chapter in the Bible that shows the destructive nature of sin.
Judah was living in the world. Rather than living in integrity, he gives into the temptation of the world. This bears grave consequences. Sin is deceptive, destructive and deadly. When Judah learns that Tamar is pregnant, he wants her to be burned. However, God does deliver her life. Had Judah just lived in integrity and given Shelah to Tamar to provide for his daughter-in-law, none of this mess would have taken place.
When we sin, it deceives us. Our own sin always looks worse on another person. We often pick on others’ sins which are actually the sins with which we are struggling. Sin destroys relationships. Sin bring death, sometimes physically and spiritually.
The Bible displays the principle that the first will be last and the last will be first. This is a strong principle to learn as Christians. God chooses and God calls. When we take the last place, we actually take the best place. When we are servants, we become like Jesus. In Matthew 1, the genealogy of Christ, Tamar is mentioned in the line of Christ. God’s great power can redeem a hopeless situation:
“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron” ~ Matthew 1: 1-2
The genealogy of Jesus is full of imperfect men and women whom God has redeemed. You may think that you do not deserve the Lord. This is true. No one is righteous or worthy of God. This humility brings you to God. God in His great power can redeem your life and make it new through Christ. We have nothing of ourselves, only through Christ are we redeemed.
“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” ~ Galatians 6:14
Yes, Jesus wants you. Nothing can make you worthy of God, but the blood of Jesus. Receive His love and transforming power and watch what God will do through any life, great or small.
Blessings,
Robert Furro
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