Radical Faith – 1 | Solid Rock Centre Dublin

The New Testament opens on this note in the Gospel according to Matthew:

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.” Matthew‬ ‭1:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In this short portion of the Gospel we see the intent of the Holy Spirit in revealing those Kingdom Gems that are hidden in the stories and prophecies of the Old Testament. From before the foundation of the world God was speaking about his Son. In the stories of creation and all that happened until the incarnation of Christ, God was still speaking about his Son. Right now, this very moment in our day, God still speaks about his Son. Day after day he utters speech and night after night he teaches us the knowledge of his Son. As the Psalmist says, there is no speech nor language where God’s voice is not heard. The pleasure of the Father is in the Son.

God is very intentional about what he chooses to say concerning the Son; he is also intentional about how he conveys that message. Notice how in this account, Matthew was writing mainly to the Jews about Jesus the Messiah, who also happened to be a Jew in the flesh. God takes care to start by mentioning Jesus as the promised heir to the throne of David and also as the promised seed of Abraham. This in fulfilment of the Davidic and Abrahamic covenants, respectively.

Of the twelve sons of Jacob the patriarch, only Judah is mentioned in this genealogy. And this because Judah was the one through whom the Messiah, the Prince was to be born; “The 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.” Genesis‬ ‭49:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Judah, whose name means ‘Praise’, was chosen among his brothers to be honoured and praised in this way. Jacob his father blessed him this way, “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.” Genesis‬ ‭49:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Judah is the exalted one, to him belongs all praise, glory and honour, to him belongs the Kingdom and the power; and God commands all the angels, the hosts of heaven to worship him. He is the one who led the battle at Calvary and crushed Satan the enemy under his feet. And because of his perfect work of salvation, by obedience to the command of God, he is promoted to glory and rewarded with a place at the right hand of the Father. He is the head of all principality and power, head of the church, and all thrones and dominions are under his feet. At the sight of his glory every knee bows and every tongue confesses his lordship. It is by him that the inheritance of eternal life comes to those that believe in his finished work. Judah is a reference to Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Rev 5:5

Against this glorious backdrop, we are introduced to a woman called Tamar. In the same breath as this great and glorious Judah is mentioned, the Holy Spirit purposefully drops a bombshell. Tamar is one of five women mentioned in the above genealogy, along with Rahab the harlot of Jericho and Bathsheba the wife of Uriah. The question to be asked is; Does God delight in scandal or the washing of people’s dirty linen in public? Certainly not. The plot of the Gospel is always the use of imperfect subjects in telling the story of the only perfect and righteous one, Jesus Christ. So that no one may boast; “As it is written “ there is none righteous , no not one, there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God…… For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Romans 3:10-11, 23

What touched God in these women was their radical faith in bringing the promise of the Messiah to pass. Had they lived in our day, many might have dismissed them on the basis of their history. Praise be to God who justifies, whose ways are far higher than our ways and whose thoughts are diametrically removed from our own. Tamar’s act of faith placed her right in God’s spotlight. Read her story, or more ‘correctly’ rather, “The Gospel according to Tamar” in Genesis 38.