1. This Congregation meets at: Sunday Bible Class at 10:00 am. Sunday Worship Service at 11:00 am. Sunday Night Worship service at 6:00 pm. Wednesday Night Bible Class at 7:00 pm. Please be so kind to turn off your cell phone. Let’s be reverent we are worshipping God.

4. Getting to know the Of the October 15 /2006 Lesson # 12.

5. 1.Adam 7. Isaac. 2. Cain 8. Jacob. 3. Abel 9. Esau. 4. Enoch 10. Reuben. 5. Noah 11. Simeon. 6. Abraham 12. We already studied:

6. Let’s Talk about Judah “Praise of God”

7. Do we have something to say about Jacobs descendants? Ignoring the sons of Jacob means to ignore the story of the nation of Israel. Jacob. Leah- Leah------------Rachel--------Bilhah----------Zilpah. Judah Reuben Joseph Dan Gad Simeon Benjamin Naphtali Asher Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun Dinah

8. This evening it’s Judah’s turn. I have decided to not leave out the sons of Jacob out of the line of men of the Bible. I was saying sometime ago that to ignore the sons of Jacob is to ignore the history of Israel. From Birth, we read in the Bible that Judah was Jacobs fourth born son. Genesis 29:35… 35And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

9. What really happened in that family?Jacob. Leah- Leah---------------Rachel--------Bilhah---------------Zilpah. Reuben Joseph Dan Gad Simeon Benjamin Naphtali Asher Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun Dinah 35And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing. Genesis 29:35… 35And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing.

10. 1. Who was Judah? a. The fourth born son of Jacob and Leah. 2. What is the meaning of his name? a. “Praise of the Lord" 3. Where was he born? a. Maybe Padam-Adam, the desert for sure. 4. Key word in his life. a. Humble and Eloquent.

11. What is it that we are not to copy this evening from Judah? The Bible says that this man was envious with the rest of his brothers and that they would all pay the price for this.

12. Even though they did not like the idea that Joseph would reign among them one day, that day came sooner than they expected. Genesis 42:1, 2… 1When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt; Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.” 3So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.”

13. This is the first time when they decide to go and buy food. How was the trip? Well this time, it wasn’t too bad. Simeon is in jail, Joseph is waiting for Benjamin and in the meantime, in Canaan, they are all worried about the famine and the sons of Jacob are worried about the man “who spoke roughly unto them”. Simeon is in jail, the days are going by and they are afraid to go back to Egypt for more food. Genesis 43:1-4… “1Now the famine was severe in the land. 2And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.” 3But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ” 4“If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5“But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ”

14. Judah is ready and willing to fix his many mistakes. We can see the beginning of his repentance when he spoke to his father and said: Genesis 43:8-9… “8Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 “I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

15. So far, the guiltiness for what they did to Joseph is killing many of them. They feel guilty and they know that all that is happening is so that the Word of the Lord may be fulfilled. 1.Joseph is the second in command in Egypt, let’s not forget that. There is nobody greater than Joseph except for the Pharaoh. 2.Humbleness is the best remedy when we know we have done evil. Arguing and denying our wrong doing will not take us any where. Confessing is better than hiding our sin. This time the brothers will not hide what they have done. They will confess it all to a stranger (according to them). 3.The money was found in the sack of Benjamin… remember what Judah told his father?

16. Genesis 43:8-9… “8Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 “I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

17. Genesis 44:14-34… “14So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. 15And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?” 16Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.” 17But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.” 18Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. 19“My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20“And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ 21“Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22“And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 23“But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’

18. 24“So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. 25“And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 26“But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27“Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28‘and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. 29‘But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’ 30“Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, 31“it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32“For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33“Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34“For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

19. This appeal made by Judah has been described as “one of the noblest pieces of natural eloquence in any literature, sacred or profane.” The appeal made by Judah has the power to break the heart of even the hardest man on earth. His appeal is made with humbleness and also with eloquence. His appeal is not for him but for his father, his little brother and also for the rest of his family. Can you see Jesus in those actions? Remember Jesus praying for others and not for himself?

20. During Jacob’s last words, much is said of Judah. Genesis 49:8… “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. 9Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? 10The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

21. What did Judah receive in this blessing? Let’s see: 1.HIS PRAISE. a. “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; a. “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; 1) The meaning of his name is: “praise of the Lord”. Remember that another distinguished mother praised the Lord for the greatest Son, who came from the tribe of Judah. 1) The meaning of his name is: “praise of the Lord”. Remember that another distinguished mother praised the Lord for the greatest Son, who came from the tribe of Judah. 2) Luke 1:46, 47… “46And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 2) Luke 1:46, 47… “46And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

22. What did Judah receive in this blessing? Let’s see: 2. HIS CONQUEST. a. “You shall be on the neck of your enemies”; a. “You shall be on the neck of your enemies”; 1) Here we have a prophecy of a conqueror. The anticipation of the figure of the Lion. This symbol of the lion was emblazoned in the flag of Judah. 1) Here we have a prophecy of a conqueror. The anticipation of the figure of the Lion. This symbol of the lion was emblazoned in the flag of Judah. 2) Judges 1:1-4… 2) Judges 1:1-4…

23. What did Judah receive in this blessing? Let’s see: 3. HIS PREEMENECE. a. “Your father’s children shall bow down before you” a. “Your father’s children shall bow down before you” 1) The superiority of the tribe of Judah continued almost to the end of the Old Testament and passed on to Him who has the Preeminence of all things. 1) The superiority of the tribe of Judah continued almost to the end of the Old Testament and passed on to Him who has the Preeminence of all things. 2) Colossians 1:18… “18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 2) Colossians 1:18… “18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 3) Judah was the first in number, first in territory, first in marching order, first in skills, and first in war. 3) Judah was the first in number, first in territory, first in marching order, first in skills, and first in war.

24. What did Judah receive in this blessing? Let’s see: 4 HIS REGAL DIGNITY. a. “Your father’s children shall bow down before you” a. “Your father’s children shall bow down before you” 1) The lion- king of the forest became the symbol of Judah, as the King of the tribes. 1) The lion- king of the forest became the symbol of Judah, as the King of the tribes. 2) Numbers 2:2-,4.. “Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting. 3“On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah.” 4And his army was numbered at seventy-four thousand six hundred. 2) Numbers 2:2-,4.. “Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting. 3“On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah.” 4And his army was numbered at seventy-four thousand six hundred.

25. What did Judah receive in this blessing? Let’s see: 5 HIS DESCENDANT. a. In Judah, we have the most Powerful descendant that any tribe could have left. a. In Judah, we have the most Powerful descendant that any tribe could have left. Matthew 1:1-2… “1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Matthew 2:6… “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Revelations 5:5… 5But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

26. For us this evening: This story is beautiful, but what is even more beautiful is if we learn to be sincere with God, our neighbors and also with our own selves, the way Judah was. The Lord listens to our prayers when we humble ourselves in the same ways that Judah did. He pleaded for his family and God and Joseph listened to his plea. In the exact same manner, God can listen to us and He will be willing to answer whatever thing that we might ask from Him.

27. Isaiah 1:17-20… “17Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.18“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

28. 1 John 1:5-9… “5This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

29. What a blessing it was for Judah, to be a part of the tribe from which the Lord Jesus came from. But I would say this evening that the blessing is even greater for each and everyone this evening to know that we are children of God and that we can learn from His Word and know how to do good…. We have learned from Judah that the Lord can give us a second chance to redeem ourselves if we really want to do things right. MAY THE LORD BLESS US ALL THIS EVENING!