The Importance of Judah in God’s Purposes - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

In Judah God is known.
Psalm 76:1

The Importance of Judah in God's Purposes
Our scripture text today is very brief, and at first glance we may wonder if it has any value for our daily meditation, or in terms of edification. We should not pass so lightly over God's Word, or quickly dismiss certain portions as irrelevant or unedifying, which perhaps we sometimes do, even if unconsciously. Let us remember, "The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple" (Ps. 119:130).

So it is with today's text, "In Judah God is known." It is a simple but profound statement. God chose a man, a family, a nation, and a tribe, through which His purposes would be unfolded and through which Messiah would come. He called Abraham when he was alone; from his offspring would arise a nation called Israel; and from this nation a tribe, called Judah, would become preeminent (Isa. 51:2). It was through this nation that God raised up prophets while the pagan Gentiles would continue to flounder in darkness. It was through this nation that God gave us the Scriptures: "To them were committed the oracles of God" (Rom. 3:2). They were given the promises, and the temple, the only God-ordained religious service on earth (Rom. 9:4).

More than all of this, as important and necessary to God's purposes these things are, it was through this nation that Christ came: "From whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen" (Rom. 9:5). God preserved the tribe of Judah for this very purpose, while the other tribes were scattered. Christ was prophesied to come from Judah (Gen. 49:10; Ps. 78:67-68; 89:19-27; Isa. 11:1-2). The Lord Jesus confirmed the significant place of Judah in His talk with the poor woman of Samaria, saying, "salvation is of the Jews" (Jn. 4:22). May this encourage us in our meditations on God's Holy Word!

Brian Reynolds