What About Judah?

Listen to today’s Passage – Genesis 38 – 40 

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Genesis 38 

(Second Milers also read – Mark 1 – 2; Proverbs 15; Psalms 71 – 75)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 89:1

Read the “0115 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the Charles Spurgeon.

Read previous relevant posts from this passage – “Godly Character,” and “God’s Perfect Plan.“

“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” (Revelation 5:5)

We don’t talk a lot about Judah as a man. We know that Jesus comes from the tribe of Judah, and we know that when Israel split in the time of King Rehoboam that the tribe of Judah alone stood in Jerusalem and demonstrated better adherence to the Law of God than her neighbors to the north did. But what do we know about the man, Judah? I have been guilty of assuming that the reason that God chose the tribe of Judah above all of the other tribes was due to the fact that Judah was a more honorable man than his three older brothers. In fact, I recently posted that thought in “The High Cost of Unbridled Anger and Lust“ post from two days ago. However, after reading today’s passage, I had to give it a little more thought.

Judah’s Early Struggles

In chapter 37, we discover that it was Judah that suggested to his brothers that they sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, and there is nothing in the context to support the fact that he did so for the purpose of sparing Joseph’s life:

“And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites (sometimes spelled Ishmaelites – Jdg 8:24; Ps 83:6), and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.” (Genesis 37:26-27)

It appears that he merely wanted to make a profit from the situation. Killing Joseph would not have benefitted him financially. By the way, we usually don’t think too highly about Reuben, but it was he who tried to save Joseph – not Judah.

Chapter 38 is a parenthetical digression dealing solely with the family of Judah. In it we see that Judah marries a woman from Canaan:

“And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.” (Genesis 38:2)

You may recall that Isaac strictly forbade Jacob (Judah’s father) from taking a wife from the daughters of Canaan (Genesis 28:1, 6).

Later on in chapter 38, we read about Judah purchasing a prostitute, which turns out to be his daughter-in-law:

“When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?” (Genesis 38:15-16)

A Surprising Turn

Now in a couple of days we are going to read a story about Judah where he is doing a good thing. In Genesis 44 he will be interceding with Joseph, pleading with him to allow Benjamin to go home to his father, Jacob. He even offers himself as a substitute. Judah got this one right because by offering himself as the substitute for Benjamin (who he thought was guilty), he perfectly pictured Christ:

“Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. … For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.” (Genesis 44:18, 32-33)

Grace, Not Merit

So, here it is: the bad and the good about Judah, and it seems that there is more bad than good recorded. So why did God choose Judah? Was it because he was a good man as opposed to his evil older brothers? No, I don’t think so. He did, however, demonstrate Christlikeness when he offered himself as a substitute for his brother Benjamin. But I still do not think that is the reason why Christ descends from Judah. Judah was just like you and me. He was a sinner. He did bad things, just like we do at times; and it was only because of God’s grace that He could do anything with Judah at all. By the way, it is only because of God’s grace that He can do anything with you or me. He saves us by His grace, and He can only use us by His grace as well.

The Lion from Judah’s Line

“Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father’s children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.” (Genesis 49:8-12)

Questions for Reflection
  • In what ways do you see God’s grace at work in your own flawed story?
  • How does Judah’s substitution for Benjamin point you afresh to Christ’s substitution for us?

I would love to hear your thoughts – Leave a comment!

 

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The High Cost of Unbridled Anger and Lust

Listen to Today’s Passage – Genesis 33 – 35

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Genesis 33 

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 25 – 26; Proverbs 13; Psalms 61 – 65)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 55:17

Read the “0113 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the Charles Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s reading – “Lead On Softly,” and “Worried Over Nothing“

“And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.” (Genesis 34:25)

“And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard [it]. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:” (Genesis 35:22)

Boys Will Be Boys

Jacob’s household was full of boys—and full of trouble. I grew up in a home with four boys. We were blessed to not have any sisters. Girls have cooties: at least that is what I was told as a boy. In fact, even in my extended family, on my dad’s side, there were only boys. I had six male cousins, but no girls. I remember my grandmother would often get frustrated with our bad behavior. We were always fooling and fighting. We were being boys. She would often go get my dad and tell him: “Those Boys!” I must have heard that phrase come out of her lips a thousand times, and it usually meant that we were in trouble.

Simeon and Levi’s Wrath

Jacob also had a bunch of boys that would often find themselves in trouble. In fact the verses above tell of the shenanigans that three of the sons were involved in. The first involved sons numbers two and three: Simeon and Levi. (I was often referred to by number as a child as well.) It seems that these boys wanted to exact revenge upon a local hooligan that had raped their sister. Now, there is nothing wrong with these boys wanting to see justice done to this guy; but they took it way too far. Without the permission of their father, they go into this man’s village and kill every male. Jacob later recalls the event and says that the boys were instruments of cruelty, and that their anger was fierce (Gen 49:5 – 7). I don’t blame them for the way they felt, and I do not fault them for desiring revenge. I have three daughters of my own now, and I don’t even want to think about what I would do if this happened to one of them. Punishment for Shechem’s actions was justifiable but it needed to be done God’s way and His timing.

There will be many times in life where our passion, and our anger need to be yielded to the will of God.

Reuben’s Lust

If Simeon and Levi represent the danger of uncontrolled anger, the firstborn Reuben shows us the destructiveness of uncontrolled desire. This man also had a big problem with passion, but with him it was a sick lust for a lady related to him by marriage. This man had sex with his father’s concubine (kind of a second-class wife). His fleshly desires were out of control. He was certainly not considering the will of God when he did this. Consider for a moment the depravity of the human heart. Your heart and my heart. We need to yield our members as instruments of righteousness; and we need to walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfill the lusts that are inside each of us.

Long-term Consequences

Unfortunately for these boys there were some severe consequences for their actions. You will recall that the boys involved in these two incidents were boys one through three, right? Reuben, the firstborn, should have received the preeminence and blessing of the birthright, but he lost it. Simeon and Levi were passed over because of their violence. The scepter—the promise of rulership—went to son number four, Judah. And from Judah came the Lion of the tribe of Judah: Jesus Christ. The only thing good that came from Reuben is a tasty sandwich with Pastrami (or Corned Beef), Sauerkraut, and Swiss Cheese. The bottom line is that I want to exhort you to think before you allow your passions to take control. An act of passion takes only a moment, but the consequences are long term. Please, walk with God. Run every decision, every word, every act past His desk. Let Him control your passions.

A Failure in Leadership

One more thought regarding the story of Simeon and Levi. The slaughter in Shechem by Jacob’s sons, though caused initially by Shechem’s actions toward their sister, could have been avoided had Jacob took more decisive action. He was willing to let the rape of his daughter go unpunished and was further willing to yoke up with a bunch of ungodly people. Though what Simeon and Levi did was wrong, it prevented Israel from becoming inundated with godless philosophies. Marriages with godless people has always been a problem for Israel and God will later warn His people strongly against intermarrying unbelievers (Exod 34:15 – 16; Deut 7:3 – 4; 2 Cor 6:14).

Questions for Reflection
  • When have you experienced or witnessed anger that started as a desire for justice but went too far? How does the story of Simeon and Levi challenge the way you handle offense or protect those you love?

  • Reuben’s sin was impulsive and private—yet it carried public, lasting consequences. Where in your life are passions or desires threatening to override God’s authority, even in seemingly “small” decisions?

  • Jacob called Simeon and Levi “instruments of cruelty” because they used God-given strength in their own way rather than God’s. In what areas of your life (anger, sexuality, ambition, words) are you tempted to wield God-given gifts as instruments of cruelty or selfishness instead of righteousness?

  • What is one specific passion, reaction, or decision you need to bring before the Lord today and ask Him to bring under His authority? How will you practically “run it past His desk” this week?

 
I would love to hear your thoughts – Leave a comment


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