DEVOTIONAL

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we serve an omniscient God who knew us from the foundation of the world. Though we were enemies of the most high, children of wrath, cloaked in formalities of religion, His divine elections stands true, for he called us forth from the dungeon of sin to eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ. He spoke to our hearts with great love commanding, “Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead; Arise, shine forth, for your light has come, for the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” At that moment eternal love entered into our hearts. His divine grace shattered the power of darkness that held us tightly in its grips and unshakable faith flooded our souls. He give us a new heart that could never deny our Master, Jesus Christ, and a longing desire to keep his commands. Then a new song broke forth within us, “Saved by His pow’r divine, Saved to new life sublime! Life now is sweet and my joy is complete, For I’m saved, saved, saved! He saves me from every sin and harm, Secures my soul each day; I’m leaning strong on His mighty arm; I know He’ll guide me all the way.” As we look briefly at Judah’s life we

As we look briefly at Judah’s life we see the hand of God’s providence governing his footsteps and it was through his lineage the Messiah would come into the world. Judah was the fourth son born to Leah in whom his father, Jacob, was never truly committed to, for it was a great deception that he took her hand in marriage. The favor that Jacob showed to his sons from Rachael caused contention and rivalry to develop within his life. Although Judah was taught about the greatness of the Lord and the blessings upon his family, he continually burned with anger in his heart towards his younger brother Joseph, who was favored by his father. When the right time came, we see

this anger in his heart rise up within him suppressing his godly conviction. One day Joseph was sent by his father to check on his brother who were in Dothan. When they saw him from a distance they plotted against him to put him to death. When Joseph came to them they stripped him of his varicolored tunic; and they took him and threw him into the pit and then they set down to eat. As they were conspiring to kill him, Judah said to his brothers as they were enjoying a meal, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” Joseph’s life was saved that day by Judah, but nevertheless he was responsible for selling him into slavery. Judah also took part in stripping off his tunic, and then he lied to his father seeking to cover up his sin.

There is no doubt this was the Lord’s doing. Because of these events many years later Joseph was made the Prime Minister over Egypt, providentially saving his entire family from a severe famine. Judah’s sin was brought to light and later this man who sold one of his brothers into slavery was now willing to lay his life down for another. By God’s providence Judah is selected to be the mediator in the reuniting of a long-separated father and son, whom he earlier had played the lead role in separating. The electing love of God stands, for these events are a foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who would lead God’s children back to Him from sin, as a mediator, through His death on a cross. Today, may the providence of God lead you to salvation through the effectual love of Jesus Christ, by believing in His redemptive work on the cross.