“At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.” — Genesis 38:1 NIV
We live in a world littered with problems everywhere. Coming to Christ doesn’t mean you’ll have a problem-free life. Instead, your life becomes anchored in God because you’ll live in God’s presence.
When Jacob was old, his sons deceived him by making him believe Joseph was dead. So many bad things were going on in the family. So Judah, one of the sons, left his brothers to stay with an Adullamite man called Hirah.
In Adullam, Judah met a Canaanite woman named Shua, married her, and had three sons with her. Two of the sons died because of their wickedness. Later on, Shua also died. Judah, his last born son, called Shelah, and his daughter-in-law called Tamar, were the only ones in the family left.
You may have wondered why Genesis 38 is dedicated entirely to the narration of a part of Judah’s life. Well, here is the answer.
Judah thought leaving his father’s abode (which signified the presence of God) would make him escape the problems of life just because of bad behaviour by his brothers (selling Joseph for thirty pieces of silver). In fact, life got worse for him.
By Judah marrying a Canaanite woman, he became subject to the devil’s plan to corrupt the holy Seed of God, Christ, that was being preserved in the family line of Abraham. Why do I say this? Because Noah cursed Canaan. So all his descendants were cursed people. And any marriage between an Israelite and a Canaanite would affect the preservation of the Holy Seed. (This also explains why Abraham and Isaac never liked any of their children to marry any descendant from Canaan.)
Eventually, Judah returned home [since during the famine in Genesis 42, Judah was part of the ten sons sent to buy food in Egypt (Genesis 42:2-3)].
Abandoning the gathering of the brethren because of offences never guarantees you a better life in the world. In fact, doing that will end you in more chaos than you ever think.
Don’t be deceived by the nice things worldly people show to people to make them think they are doing well. It’s a fallacy. Remain in Christ despite life crises because your life is anchored in God.
You’re a blessing.
Prayer
In the name of Jesus, I refuse to lose hope in Christ just because fellow brethren aren’t living like Him. I stick to the faith of Christ. Despite life’s crises, Lord, I choose to remain anchored in You. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD // 2022 – 148
Also read: Don’t leave the presence of God.
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