“The scepter shall not depart from Judah…”
The story of Judah is very interesting to say the least. He was one of the twelve sons of Jacob (or Israel) and he, along with his brothers, sold Joseph as a slave to the Midianites.
Later on, Judah separated himself from his family, and was involved in a few incidents, including having a sexual affair with a “prostitute,” which turned out to be his daughter in-law Tamar.
As you can appreciate, Judah was not a saint in his younger years. Nevertheless he reappears later on the biblical account, as he and his brothers go down to Egypt searching for food. This time Judah was a new man, a changed man.
It was Judah, the one who offered himself to remain as a prisoner, until Benjamin was brought back to Egypt. It was also Judah, the man who remembered (with sincere sadness and repentance) how they had betrayed Joseph and how much grief they had brought to their father.
This was perhaps the main reason why the tribe of Judah became so prominent. God rewarded Judah’s repentance, with the promise of a perpetual kingdom.
Judah’s story reminds us about our own life. We were sinners, but one day we repented and Jesus came into our hearts to reign as King. Jesus was born from the tribe of Judah, and he was the fulfillment of this prophecy. He too was betrayed and sold out by his brothers. He died as king in Jerusalem, and he is our eternal King.
Glory to the Lion of Judah!
A. G.
