1adb411c350deb940234350eb861e1c3

I have always wondered why Judah’s house was chosen for the birth of the Saviour rather than Joseph’s. We all know Judah – one of the 12 sons of Jacob who suggested to his brothers that Joseph, their brother, should be sold as a slave to the Ishmaelites going to Egypt, just because they were envious of him. This means Judah must have been, at least at the time, somewhat wicked and cunning, as he suggested his own brother be made a slave, when they shared in the inheritance of the Most High. So, why then will the Lord choose Judah’s house to build His church and not that of Joseph, who was the victim, and had proved himself loyal? Well, the answer to the question is rather simple. The ways of the Lord are not our ways, and God does not mind using the one that everyone has no hope in, to fulfill His purpose. [1 Corinthians 1:27]

The Lord loves a repentant heart [Psalm 51:17], and if God chose to use Judah, then He chose him because of his repentant heart [Genesis 38:26]. Further, in Genesis 44, we see that when Joseph (as the second in command of Egypt) planted a silver cup in Benjamin’s sack and arrested him for theft, Judah stepped in and asked Joseph to take him rather than Benjamin, since his father would die if Benjamin is not sent back to him. Only a man who had truly repented would act as he did.

When we sin against the Lord, and we allow guilt and fear of exposure to override the need for us to turn back, our hearts are hardened as some form of defense mechanism against the gift of conscience, and that is when you tend to justify your actions. Before long, when we keep refusing to allow our hearts to be broken by the kind of remorse that leads to repentance, our consciences are seared [1 Timothy 4:2]. Admitting your mistakes, seeking forgiveness, and purposing in your heart never to turn back, as God is your help, unites you with the Lord and gets you right back on track. The Lord has promised this [1 John 1:9], and so when we seek forgiveness genuinely, we believe that the Lord has forgiven us. Sometimes guilt lingers, and regrets make us feel that we were too far gone to have been forgiven of all, so we keep going back to seek forgiveness for what He has already forgiven us for. We make His word a lie when we do this. The enemy knows this, and uses our past to accuse us continually, hence the need to keep standing on God’s promises, as our Memory Verse For February reminds us of. What we need to do is not go back to our sins, like the dog going back to his vomit [Proverbs 26:11]. When Jesus Christ, in John chapter 8, stopped the people from stoning the adulterous woman, His word to her after He told her she was forgiven, was to go and sin no more [verse 11]. That part, is crucial, and the Holy Spirit is our help. 

There is no wrong too grave that it cannot be forgiven, except that against the Holy Spirit, and as many of God’s people (Spurgeon, Tozer, Lewis, Piper…) have noted before, if you are worried that you have committed that sin, then be sure you have not committed it. Look at Tamar, who tricked her Father-in-law Judah so she could get pregnant. The Lord gave her twins and she was the woman to build the house of Judah. That is the favour of the Lord – only a repentant heart can provoke this!

Then there is Rahab, a prostitute who had no inheritance in God’s Kingdom, who was given the right to be the great great great…grandmother of the Messiah because of a repentant heart. She saw the salvation of the Lord and wanted to be a part of it. God even went on further to give her a young Israelite husband – Salmon.

Then there is David who is also from the tribe of Judah. David committed adultery with Bathsheba – wife of Uriah his friend. He then went ahead to commit murder when he killed Uriah, after he found out Bathsheba was pregnant. But God still called him a man after His heart, because David had a heart of repentance. Psalm 51 is enough evidence of this. The minute Nathan called to attention his mistakes, David went on his knees and prayed for forgiveness and letting the Lord know that He was in the right to punish him. God favoured David once more, making the son of Bathsheba, Solomon, king. 

This is the extent of the mercies of the Lord. This…the height…the depth!

So why don’t you let go of the mistakes you have made, seek forgiveness, and let the Lord use you for His good works? He delights in it! 

May God help us all.

By; Naana Joa Braso