Getting Job-ed
Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Genesis 49:9-10 ESV
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 ESV
This article will be a little different than the other Advent articles we’re posting. Most folks within the Christian realm have heard that Jesus came from the lineage of David, which came from the Tribe of Judah (one of the 12 tribes of Israel). What most people don’t know is the background of what that entails and some of the implications this has for us.
Judah, the unlikely lineage of kings
In Genesis 49:9-10, we see that Jacob is giving his sons a blessing before he dies, and turns to Judah and gives him the blessing of a lineage of kings that will come through him and will not depart from them. It’s important to note the context of what this means. In Genesis 38, we see that Judah misunderstands his daughter-in-law (Tamar) for a cult prostitute (which is a whole big issue on its own!), has sexual relations with her, and she becomes pregnant. In the narrative, he learns that Tamar is immorally pregnant, and demands that she be brought out and burned not knowing that she was in fact the one he slept with (Easily forgetting his own sin and rebellion!). She then reveals that the child is actually Judah’s and Judah rightfully states, “…She is more righteous than I…” (Genesis 38:26 ESV) and she is set free.
If someone knew that Jesus is the Messiah that was spoken of throughout the Old Testament and they were reading Genesis, one wouldn’t feel the lineage of Jesus would include Judah who did something like that. In the natural progression of Genesis, it’s surprising to the reader that Jesus didn’t come from someone like Joseph (one of the other brothers that make up the 12 tribes of Israel). But nonetheless, this is the lineage of Jesus. And God has a purpose for it.
Family Ties
In the last article, we mentioned genealogies. Most people blow through the genealogies of Jesus in both Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38. I encourage you, to take the time and read through them and learn who some of these folks are and what that entails for Jesus’ lineage. You’ll find: Adam and Even (the first ones to rebel against God), Judah (as discussed above), Rahab (a pagan prostitute), Ruth (a Moabite woman, outside of the Jewish family line), King David (a murderous, adulterous, borderline rapist), and a lot of other rough/unlikely characters in the lineage of the promised Messiah. The Bible also explicitly calls them out at times in those two passages. Why would Scripture do that? You would think that the writers would want to cover up all of those mistakes to prove the point of Jesus’ authority as the rightful King. But it doesn’t, instead, Scripture wants the reader to understand these characters in His lineage based on how explicitly it reveals the content in the genealogies.
So what am I getting at with all of this? This is supposed to be about Christmas! Here’s the point: Families get messy. Our lineage gets messy. Relationships get messy. What brings it out the worst sometimes is the holiday season. Jesus came, amid all the unlikely lineage He had, and was (and is) the King of the Universe. You too can be the one that breaks a familial cycle this Christmas. Your family’s past doesn’t have to be you or your family’s future. Look to Christ. Look to His Word. Turn and change the future this Christmas season.
-Austin
