Ireland – A jewel in God’s Crown

Ireland is known across the world as the ‘Emerald Isle’. The emerald is the birthstone of the tribe of Judah. The following is an exploration of some of the qualities and call of Ireland presented through the lens of the emerald tribe.

When Leah gave birth to Judah her fourth son, she exclaimed, ‘This time I will praise the Lord.’ Judah comes from the Hebrew word Yehudah. The root Yehudah comes from the word Yadah which has a variety of interpretations. These include –

1. ‘To use the hand to throw’ (E.g. a stone or an arrow)

2. ‘To revere or to worship’ (with extended hands)

3. ‘To bemoan’ (by the ringing of hands)

4. ‘To make confession’

5. ‘Praise’

6. ‘Give thanks’

7. ‘Thankful’

8. ‘Thanksgiving’

9. ‘Consecrate’

10. ‘Ministry’

11. ‘Power’

12. ‘Presumptuous’

Ireland is known for her music and song, we are a worshipping people. We have a touch of presumption in our psyche! We are that glorious contradiction of being easy going and thankful and yet at the same time we are well capable of bemoaning our circumstances. We certainly love to use our hands for war; there have been more than a few stones, arrows and Molotov cocktails thrown over the years! Ireland exerts much more power in proportion to its size! Ireland is a ministering nation, giving and sending more aid per head of population than any other nation in Europe to relieve the plight of suffering people all over the world.

God wants to use all these traits that He has given this people
for His glory; He wants us to be real with Him telling Him what we really think. He wants us to be expectant and be full of faith, living on the danger line of presumption but not crossing over. He wants is to be militant for His purposes and not be afraid of a little confrontation. He longs for our devotion in worship, praise, thanksgiving.

Judah played an important role within family dynamics and relationships. He seemed to hold the position of ‘influencer’ when it came to family politics. Judah uses this positively on two occasions. It was he who influenced his other brothers not to murder Joseph, saving his life and fulfilling the purpose of God in bringing Joseph to Egypt. He also seemed to exert unusual influence over his father as he was the one to persuade Jacob to release Benjamin for the trip to Egypt despite his real fears. He wasn’t afraid of responsibility and its consequences offering his life as a guarantee for Benjamin. Judah was confident in his ability. He was skilful in the art of persuasion, tinged with the ability of making an opposite proposal seem the most attractive and reasonable. He had unusual favour in key situations among his peers and those in authority. Judah was to become the largest tribe and play a key role in the life of the nation.

Has God has given similar grace to Ireland? For one country to be known as Ireland is throughout the world is amazing. For a small island to have the influence that Ireland has is a miracle. With some seventy million people worldwide claiming Irish ancestry dispersed in many countries, the might of the Irish tribe is still noteworthy. The Irish seem to carry a grace and favour that extends far beyond that which you would expect. We have an inherent confidence within us, sometimes displayed as pride as has been said, but when used in its God given intention is powerful. We have a grace to persuade, just listen to our accents!! While we seem to possess little, we exert huge influence and we are heeded.

Just as the inclination of Judah was to deliver his brother and ally the fears of his father I believe that there is a similar call to Ireland and her people everywhere. We are called to be a people who bring deliverance to those who are being oppressed, those who are being exploited, those without a voice or whose voice is being ignored. A great example of this is the role that Bono from U2 has taken in the Jubilee campaign drawing attention to Third World Debt. We are called to walk into unknown and risky territory with a divine confidence and trust allaying the fears of those around us. Our experiences as a nation of terror and instability over the last thirty years places us in a position where we can be used to bring peace and hope to other conflict zones and to many who are fearful.

Judah’s willingness to become a servant, also helps Ireland understand who she is and what she is to others. The antidote to pride is humility, and humility comes through serving others. Perhaps this is the unwritten attitude that Judah had, he was a man of humility.

Can we pray that this island of saints and scholars would serve each other and all around them with the same depth of humility?