Devotionals

Chosen?

by Amelia Avila
06/20/26
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After listening to one of my pastor’s sermons about Peter’s shame after denying Christ three times, I started contemplating Matthew, chapter one, which gives account of the genealogy of Christ, and some of the Old Testament stories reflected within that lineage. The first time I read this chapter, I found it long and boring, filled with names no one could pronounce. I remember asking God why in the world it was in the bible, and why it was important to mention.

Years later, reading through the Old Testament stories, the importance of this heritage began to unfold. Let's begin with these first verses of Matthew, chapter one:

1. This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:

2. Abraham was the father of Isaac.

Isaac was the father of Jacob.

Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.

3. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).

4. Perez was the father of Hezron.

Hezron was the father of Ram.

In Genesis, chapter 38, we learn a little about that lineage. In summary, Judah married his eldest son, Er, to Tamar, but Er was evil in the sight of God, so God took his life. Then Judah married his next son, Onan, to Tamar, so that he could give her a son for his older brother, as was customary in that time. But Onan was also evil in God’s sight; instead of obeying God and allowing his “seed” to impregnate Tamar, he would instead, “spill” it. So God took his life, also. The next son, Shelah, was still too young to marry Tamar, so Judah sent her to live as a widow in her father’s household until Shelah was old enough to marry her. After Shelah had grown up, Tamar realized that her father-in-law had not kept his promise, so she disguised herself as a prostitute and waited for him on the road to Timnah as he traveled there. When he found Tamar on his journey, not recognizing her and thinking she was a prostitute, he propositioned her. He was unable to pay her, so he gave her his seal, cord, and staff as a promise of payment later. From that encounter, Tamar became pregnant with twins, and when it was discovered that she was pregnant, Judah, not knowing he was the father, was furious and was going to have her burned to death. Tamar showed Judah the items, saying that the person who owned those items was the person who had slept with her. Judah, ashamed, realized his sin and left her alone, saying she was more honorable than he was. Later, she gave birth to the twins, Perez and Zerah, and the lineage of Jesus continued with Perez.

We often refer to Jesus as the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” Wait, is that the same Judah in this story!? You mean to tell me that the lineage of Christ was traced back to an illegitimate son of Judah, and that when we refer to Jesus as the Lion of Judah, we are, in part, referring to that union of Judah and Tamar, and the twin son who became one of the ancestors mentioned in that genealogy!? Was I actually reading the Bible, or some soap opera novel…!? 

The more we read scripture, the more we learn that God chooses the lowliest, most unqualified people, to be part of His Kingdom story. An illegitimate son, born of a sinful union, was deliberately chosen to be part of the beautiful Jesus story. He covered Judah’s sin and shame with love and mercy, just as He has done over and over throughout history. These days, when my enemy uses my shame stories to trick me into taking my eyes off of the Lion of Judah, my beautiful redeemer, I remember this and other stories that reveal God’s true heart toward His people - a people who have done shameful things, who are often written off by society or even the church. The true story is that He loves us so very much, that He gave us Jesus, perfect and sin free, to sacrificially cover our shame with His redeeming blood. We have been lovingly and intentionally pursued and chosen…

Chosen? Yes, we are Chosen indeed!