Why Judah?

Genesis 46:28 NMV
[28] And he sent Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) before him unto Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]), to direct his face unto Goshen [Drawing Near] (approaching; drawing near); and they came into the land of Goshen [Drawing Near].

Just like the popular saying, "When the praises go up, His glory comes down," Genesis 46:28 reveals a cryptic message about how to get God's attention. From the anchor verse, Jacob could have sent any of his sons to Joseph. Personally, I believe that if he had wanted a quicker response, he should have sent Benjamin. However, he did otherwise: he sent Judah — one of the very conspirators who had plotted against Joseph — to guide them to Goshen.

To fully understand why this is significant, we must look at the meanings of these three names:

• Judah means "Let the Powerful God be Praised." (In short, Praise.). 
• Joseph means "May God Add." (In short, Increaser.). 
• Goshen means "Drawing Near."

In summary, what this Bible verse reminds you and me is that — according to the meaning of Goshen — if you want to draw near to God, and you want God to draw near to you, praise must lead your actions. Secondly, according to the meaning of Joseph and its use in this verse, if you want your petitions or requests to be answered, praise must lead your petitions as well. Praise is no joke; it is a weapon of faith to get God's attention and prompt response.

If merit were the measure, one could argue that Jesus should have come from the tribe of Joseph rather than the tribe of Judah, because Joseph was arguably the only one among Jacob’s sons who could be considered truly righteous — especially given the cruelty he endured, much of which Judah helped mastermind. So why did God choose that Jesus Christ would descend from the tribe of Judah and not Joseph? Why did He not allow David to come from Joseph’s line as a form of compensation for Joseph's faithfulness?

Yet, God deliberately chose Judah, meaning Praise.

We don't have to dig deep before finding other passages that point to the significance of praise. For example, in Judges 1:1–2 and Judges 20:18, when the Israelites sought God's guidance at Bethel, they asked, "Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?" And the Lord replied, "Judah shall go first."

Interestingly, although the Bible does not record much about Judah's worship life — and considering his actions during Joseph’s ordeal, one could easily think he was not a true worshipper — despite that praise remained significant to God, because it's not about the person, but about the act.

Why is praise important to God?

1. Praise is important because it is God's "food," as expressed in a popular Yoruba song which says that God does not eat rice or pounded yam; He feeds on praise. It is a spiritual delicacy. 
2. Praise releases an irresistible aroma to the Lord.
3. Praise is an act of total surrender, expressing one’s love, faith, and trust in YHWH Sabaoth Jireh (2 Kings 19).
4. Praise disregards your sinful past and its consequences, enabling Elohim to intervene on your behalf as if you had never sinned.
5. Praise is an eternal, infinite activity in God’s domain.

Think about how you feel when someone expresses heartfelt gratitude or commendation — even exaggerated praise — toward you. You feel elated, right? This is because praise resonates deeply, even more so with God. This is why the Bible says, "God inhabits the praises of His people."

Consider why David was called a man after God's own heart. He understood the power of praise. David subdued Goliath because he lived in the atmosphere of praise — it was his dwelling place, his passion, and the reason for his existence. Even more, David invented musical instruments solely to worship Elohim.

Based on the points listed above, let me ask you to reason with me:

How do you think you would fare in heaven?
If you truly want to gauge your readiness for eternity, examine your attitude toward praise and worship here on Earth and during a church service. Are you happy or bored during worship session?
This is not to say that you won’t make it to heaven, but imagine someone yawning or checking the time in heaven because the praise session has lasted a "mere" thousand millennia out of eternity! Do you think there would be a place for such a person there?

May God grant us the grace and desire to truly enter His presence with praise.

Shalom aleichem brothers and sisters.

Babasile Daniel I