Last week, we left off at the very strange story of Judah and Tamar, which occupied most of my explanation of Judah’s story. Actually, throughout much of Genesis chapters 37 through 50, it could almost be said to be a tale of two brothers: the afflicted Joseph, and the vacillating Judah. At least that’s how it seems early in those chapters.
But picking up from last time, there is a severe drought in all the known world at this time, as foretold by Joseph who has been in Egypt since being sold by his brothers into slavery. Joseph has been lifted up by Pharaoh out of the prison where he had been sent due to a false accusation. As a matter of fact, it seems to directly parallel Judah in the sense that just as Judah is going after a prostitute in Genesis 38, Joseph rather denies his lusts by running from Potiphar’s wife in Genesis 39, which is the very next chapter after Judah’s incident with Tamar!
But fast forward to Genesis 42, and there is a deep transformation that has taken place. And not only that, but all of Joseph’s brothers are in Egypt attempting to buy grain so that they can survive the harsh and arid climate.
So they all go and in an amazing twist of irony, they appear before Joseph himself! Joseph knows that his brothers do not recognize him, so he accuses them of being spies, and he puts Simeon in prison as collateral before allowing them to return. The reason for this is because Simeon is the second oldest. He is the runner-up from Reuben.
Reuben has always been the wannabe, and he actually goes back to their father Jacob in Canaan and eventually makes a rather stupid suggestion to his father who is only worried about Benjamin. When it comes time for the brothers to go back again, Jacob doesn’t want to part with Benjamin, because he is the only other son (besides Joseph) who is left from his beloved wife Rachel. But Reuben says that if he himself does not bring back Benjamin, then Jacob can kill Reuben’s own two sons, which is stupid because Ruben himself gets off free. And Jacob doesn’t want to kill his own grandsons! So Reuben is just like what Judah used to be as we will see.
I really think that Judah, who has been defamed and exposed for the fraud that he has been in the past, has nothing to lose anymore. He has been broken down and molded by all that’s happened. He steps up and says to his father Jacob that he will take responsibility for Benjamin, and if he doesn’t bring him back, that he himself will bear the blame forever.
This is an honor and shame culture, and what Judah offers up here is worse than death because the only way to regain your honor is to die. However, Judah is saying that he will live in this state of shame, being hated as sin, forever. Judah is now seen in the narrative as profoundly a leader.
So they go back to Egypt, yet while returning to Canaan with the grain, Joseph’s cup is found in Benjamin’s sack, and now Joseph wants to test to see whether they will betray the favorite son like they did the first time, as they had sold Joseph himself into slavery years earlier. Would they do the same to Benjamin?
But Judah steps up. Whereas he was the one whose idea it was to sell Joseph in the first place, now he is willing to give a speech honoring his father Jacob as he has never done before, and he is actually willing to stay as a slave instead of Benjamin. He shows that he is willing to substitute.
This is essentially the power of a king because the king alone has the ability to judicially represent his people, and Judah is saying that he has that authority. He asserts it out of raw selflessness in that pivotal moment. This in fact establishes his line as the kingly line. Judah before was wreckless and defiant and did not speak well to people, and now He is showing that he can abide in a respectful way within the structure of his family and culture. Judah passes the test. God’s purposes have been fulfilled. God is the one in Genesis 50:20 who turns evil in to good.
Joseph tells them that the brother they thought was dead is alive, and there is weeping in the house when they recognize him. Then, the brothers all go to Egypt later together. And while their father Jacob is reluctant to leave the land of promise, he goes because God tells him to go.
In the end, Joseph’s own sons substitute for him as two of the tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Manasseh) because Joseph is now being treated as the oldest who gets a double portion. Joseph is restored to his long lost father and given honor.
Later, it would be written of Joseph and Judah when introducing Rueben’s descendants (sadly):
Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; so he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph)
1 Chronicles 5:1-2 (NASB)
In their father Jacob’s final blessing given to each of his sons, he recognizes Judah in the following passage:
“As for you, Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Genesis 49:8-10
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
Judah is a lion’s cub;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares to stir him up?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
This is a prophecy of the Messiah (seen as Shiloh), and this is why the line of David comes through Judah. The beautiful aspect of Judah’s part in the end of Genesis, is that just like the book of Genesis as a whole, God was turning evil into good more than on the grand scale, he was turning evil into good in individual lives too, and that is the hope we have for our lives as well no matter what we have done.
God is a God who transforms evil into good. If you are in a situation where you doubt that, then look at Judah (especially as seen in the previous week’s blog post). He is able to do abundantly beyond what we ask or think. He knows better what you should pray for than you are even able to verbalize. He can answer the prayers you wish you could pray for, for your sanctification. Remember also that Romans 8:28 is ours: “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God…” Paul also writes, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 1:6
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