Judah

Though Judah was not Jacob's first son he became the heir to the line that would eventually bare the Christ. References to David, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Christ throughout the Bible all have the line of Judah in common. There is little written of the person Judah but his story is a good record of triumph over many failings.

In Jacob’s family there were long standing tensions between Jacob’s two wives Rachel and Leah, each competing for Jacob’s attention. We read the Lord opened Leah’s womb because she was hated. Jacob never intended to marry Leah, but in the Lord’s providence Leah became his first wife. The problems between Leah and Rachel may have passed down to Jacob’s sons and may have come to play in the jealousy the older brothers had for Joseph, Rachel’s first son. After years working in a distant land for his uncle Laban, Jacob returned home, when nearing Canaan Jacob learned of Esau’s approach. Not knowing Esau’s intensions Jacob set his family in a defensive order, placing his wives and children of the handmaids in front next Leah and her children and last Rachel and her son Joseph, Benjamin was not born at this time. Placing Rachel and Joseph last may have fueled problems between the sons. We read that Jacob loved Joseph more that all his children because he was the child of his old age. As the story continues it becomes clear Joseph received his father’s faith at an early age, when later separated from his family, Joseph held to the convictions he received from his father. Joseph’s faith was a factor in the hatred his brothers had for him. His dreams became a trademark to his brothers “behold this dreamer cometh” and it was by his dreams God would set in motion events which would lead to the deliverance of Jacob’s family by Joseph during a great famine.

We are introduced to Judah as one of Joseph's brother’s who plotted against Joseph. Reuben the firstborn was the voice of restraint. He shows no animosity toward Joseph. At Reuben’s request Joseph was cast into a pit, Reuben thinking he would release Joseph on his return. In Reuben's absence Judah had the idea of selling Joseph as a slave to a caravan.

We next read of Judah when his oldest son takes Tamar as wife. This son is slain by the Lord for some evil. Judah asks the next oldest to raise seed to his deceased brother. This son chooses a selfish course and was smitten by the Lord as well. Judah then promises Tamar to his youngest son when grown, this never happens. Lastly after the death of Judah’s wife, Tamar disguised herself as a harlot by a road that Judah would normally take. Judah thinking Tamar a harlot gave her conception. Judah may have believed her unable to bear children and felt suffice to give her a lamb in payment. Later when it was said Tamar played the harlot and was with child Judah says “bring her forth and burn her”. This confrontation was likely in public before Judah’s kin. There is every reason to believe Judah was in anger when he spoken. Tamar then produced evidence showing Judah to be the father. Judah’s sin was not only his immorality but his pretense of propriety when making judgment. How could he pronounce judgment for immorality that he accepted of himself? Judah was convicted by his own word’s and he acknowledged this saying, “She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son”. Judah’s harsh pronouncement was not unlike that of his descendent David who in public spoke similar words in 2 Sam. 12:5 “David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die” and as we know David himself was that man. Both David and Judah when exposed acknowledged their sin. In David’s case there was not only his immorality but also the murder of Uriah, and this fits Judah as well. Judah said of Joseph to his brother “What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him”. David chose a similar method by not directly killing Uriah but rather slaying him “with the sword of the children of Ammon”.

After these events Judah had much to consider. He had participated in the selling of his younger brother as a slave then had seen the anguish it brought to his father. He had two sons smitten by the Lord for evil and now his own hypocrisy revealed in front of his own family. There must have been many a hard night of tears and prayer. Where could he go from here? Many would see their life a ruin at this point. This is the truly amazing thing about Judah he made a choice to seek better and from his failures God forms an exceptional character.

By now Jacob and family believed Joseph long gone. His brothers may have wondered if he was alive, where he might be. Some may have blocked the memory. Jacob may have wrestled with his thoughts from time to time trying to understand. In time a famine came. The Canaanites long after the destruction of Sodom continued their downward course. The famine may have stifled this decline to some degree. Jacob heard there was food in Egypt, the brothers, except Benjamin came to buy grain. Joseph now the governor of Egypt saw his brothers and accused them of being spies; the brothers did not recognize Joseph who spoke through an interpreter. After placing his brothers in prison for three days, Joseph brought them before him. At this time the brothers spoke not knowing Joseph could understand. Gen 42:21,22 . . .We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. Once again we see Reuben was not consenting. Then Joseph charged that they should not see his face unless they brought the youngest brother. Simeon was bound and remained in prison.

After returning each found their money in their sacks and was greatly afraid. In time their food ran out, Reuben offered to return with Benjamin saying “if I return not with him (Benjamin) slay my two sons”. Jacob does not accept. Later Judah makes a similar offer “I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever”. In this statement I believe we have the first evidence that there has been a change in Judah. It may be hard to determine why Jacob gave consent, was it because of the hopelessness of the situation or did Jacob have greater regard for Judah then Reuben?

Upon their return to Egypt the brothers with the youngest are reconciled to the Egyptian. Simeon was restored to his brothers, they acquired more grain and start for home. Shortly after leaving, Joseph instructs his steward to pursue his brothers to find the cup which Joseph had placed in Benjamin’s sack. Once found the brother’s return to Joseph’s home where they fell to the ground before Joseph, just as Joseph's dreams predicted. At this time Judah’s good character is clearly seen. Gen 44:15-34 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? Don’t you know that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

The Egyptian ruler shows them no ill they have done no wrong only the one found with the cup. Benjamin would become a servant to the Egyptian. What did they think as they looked at Benjamin? Did they remember Joseph pleading? It’s hard to imagine in God's providence, they would relive the experience, this time with Joseph's younger brother. Now in weakness and fear what will the brothers do with Benjamin? What would this do to their father? Judah draws near the Egyptian and speaks “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. My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food. And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 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. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

Notice the simple and straight forward manner in which Judah speaks, laying everything out, not stretching or exaggerating his words. It’s so common in our frailty to not give a straight story, Judah stands firm. Judah has told Jacob he would take responsibility for his brother, he holds to his word giving himself in Benjamin’s place: “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”. With these words Judah proves himself. What would have happened if Judah had not spoken? Would Judah have been worthy of the blessing Jacob gave him near his death? With this experience Judah cleared the way for Jacob’s words. Gen. 49:8-10 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 scepter 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.

In Jacob’s blessing to Judah he says “the lawgiver will not pass from between his feet until Shiloh come”. Moses was noted as the lawgiver and was from the tribe of Levi, the Levites were the priestly tribe who were teachers and caretakers of the Law. But in the Psalms we have confirmation of Jacobs’s statement “Judah is my Lawgiver” in Psa 60:7. We might find a partial fulfillment in that the center for the law and its teaching was the temple which was located on land taken from the Canaanites by the tribe of Judah as the land was settled. Isa 2:3 …for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. From Jacobs’s statement in Gen 49:10 we might think it understood from Jacob's time that the temple would be associated with the tribe of Judah, but Moses in Deuteronomy suggests otherwise, Moses indicated that its location was not known. Deu 12:5,6 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: 6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: Deu 12:10,11 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; 11 Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD.

If we consider the circumstance under which the location of the temple was revealed we find another parallel between Judah and David. In Chronicles we read of the three days pestilence which came upon Israel after David numbered the army of Israel. Near the end of the plague, after many people in Israel had died David fell on his face and said “let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house”. These words are much like those of Judah who offered to remain in Benjamin’s place, both Judah and David were willing to put aside themselves for others. After David spoke these words the Lord told David to build an alter and offer a sacrifice, then by accepting David’s sacrifice by fire, the Lord reveals the location of the temple. 1 Chron 21:28 At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. 29 For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon. 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD. 22:1 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. 2 And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God. It is interesting to see the progression in each story. Judah by his selfless act secures the tribe of Judah as the line through which the messiah would come and that the lawgiver would come from Judah. Generations later David, also from the tribe of Judah by a selfless act secures the location of the temple within the territory the tribe of Judah settled. It is hard to understand how both men of the same family but generations apart have their lives follow a similar path. We might wonder if David in later years ever looked back at the account of Judah’s life and saw the parallel. The complete fulfillment of the blessing given to Judah is found in Jesus who was of the tribe of Judah and who was the lawgiver who like Judah and David gave his own life to redeem mankind. Moses said the Lord would raise up one like himself this was Jesus who was made a priest after the order of Melchisedec and was also the king who would sit on David’s throne for ever.

If we look back at Judah’s life we cannot help but believe that Judah was tempered and softened by a few key trials. He was touched by the great grief his father endured after losing Joseph. This would undoubtedly mean even more after Judah lost his own two sons. Judah may have been touched by the memory of Joseph's pleading before he was sold, and also Judah faces another failing when confronted by Tamar with his own signet, bracelets, and staff.

Judah had come a long way in his life by the time Joseph came to power in Egypt. It seems change for good comes when we choose the course which God has chosen, Judah did this. There is one more favorable point in the close of this story: it was Judah we find leading the family of Jacob to Egypt during the time of famine where the fledgling nation would reside until the days of Moses.