Free Bible Commentary
“Genesis 38”
Categories: GenesisAn introduction to Genesis chapter 38
This is a good time to take a deeper look into what takes place in chapter 38 in advance of reading and commenting on it. What follows are some excerpts from an article written by Doy Moyer entitled “The Redemption of Judah: Judah’s Role in Genesis” from the website “Searching Daily”. The article explains why the events of chapter 38 are so critical to the story of God's people, and emphasizes the significance of Judah, moving forward, as the main character in the story of the salvation of God's people, and indeed the whole world with his unique connection to Jesus Christ.
Here is a link to the article if you want to read the whole thing. It is quite lengthy but well worth the time spent:
https://searchingdaily.com/…/the-redemption-of-judah-juda…/…
The main character that is so often overlooked in these chapters is, in fact, Judah. We see Judah doing some bad stuff here, so we may think of him more as a side character. We come to Genesis 38, where Judah actually commits a terrible sin by going in to his daughter-in-law thinking she was a harlot. We wonder, why in the world is this chapter here? Why are we reading this about Judah when the main story is supposed to be about Joseph?
I believe the answer is that the main story is supposed to be about Judah. This is not to diminish the major role played by Joseph. We must not overlook what happened to him and how God took care of him. Yet Judah has a larger role than we may at first think, and I believe it sets up perhaps one of the most important features of these chapters. Let’s survey what’s happening with Judah here and see why this is critical to the overarching narrative of God’s people.
As the brothers were eating, apparently without Reuben, a caravan of Ishmaelites passed through on their way to Egypt. “Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers listened to him.” (Gen 37:26-27). What Judah said to the brothers made sense to them. While Judah is not particularly noble here, he does at least persuade the brothers not to kill Joseph, “for he is our brother, our own flesh.” Never mind that he sold his own brother into slavery, but perhaps he at least though that was better than death and the brothers would be appeased. This event helps shape the rest of what happens. Note also that while Joseph is the reason for the family coming down to Egypt, Judah is the reason for Joseph going to Egypt first.
This brings us to Genesis 38, a passage that some see as troubling not only for content, but for placement in the book of Genesis. Why is it here? What is the point? The text first tells us that Judah married a Canaanite woman who conceived and had a son named Er. Then she had other sons. Next, we are told that Judah took a wife, named Tamar, for his son, Er. However, because Er was so wicked in the sight of the Lord, the Lord put him to death. Judah then had his second son, Onan, marry Tamar so they could have children. Onan, however, prevented this from happening, and because of his wickedness, God put him to death, also. One is reminded of Eli and his wicked sons who were put to death by God. God was not being honored.
Tamar, by Judah, had twins, named Perez and Zerah. At this point, the story about Judah seems to disappear for a time, so what is the point of this in the overall story? Remember that God is bringing about the purposes and plans based on His promise to Abraham. What is happening here is that we are being shown, well in advance, the role of Judah in the line of Jesus Christ. When we open up the Gospel of Matthew, we are met with these words in Matthew 1:2-3: “Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron…” Perez, son of Judah and Tamar, are in the lineage of Christ. Matthew traces Joseph’s line to show legal lineage, but we also see Perez’s name in Luke’s account of Jesus’ genealogy (Luke 3:33), which may establish Mary’s side of the family. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, and even though there are immoral people in his lineage, God is able to overcome all of this to carry out His plan of salvation. God’s plan was never dependent upon people being righteous in themselves.
Next, we encounter Judah after Joseph interpreted the various dreams and came to power in Egypt. When a famine hit the land, the sons of Jacob were sent to Egypt to get food, and Joseph was already in place with a plan in place to deal with the famine (Gen 42). When the brothers came to Joseph, they did indeed bow down to him, and Joseph recognized them. Joseph appears to be testing the resolve and character of the brothers as he made it appear that they had stolen grain and demanded that they bring back their youngest brother. The brothers feared greatly, and now they were faced with the idea of taking Benjamin, Joseph’s younger full brother, down to Egypt with them. This is the one thing Jacob did not want. It is here that Judah steps up with an attitude that is a pivotal point in the account. In order to convince Jacob to let them take Benjamin, “Judah said to Israel his father, ‘Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever” (Gen 43:8-9).
They went back to Egypt, with Benjamin, and Joseph used the situation to further test the brothers, making it appear that Benjamin had stolen Joseph’s cup. This would mean that Benjamin would be unable to return home and could face death. Notice here how the narrative proceeds in Genesis 44:14: “When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground.” Judah is put forward as the leading brother. It’s not just the brothers, but “Judah and his brothers.” When Joseph set up the situation to make an accusation against Benjamin, Judah is the one who stepped in, and his speech in Genesis 44:18-34 changes everything.
Judah turns into a savior here. He transformed from an immoral man who failed to keep his word to a man of integrity who is willing to give his life for another. He tells the story of what happened to have them bring Benjamin down to Egypt, which included how grieved their father was over the whole scenario. Here is Judah’s pivotal statement (Gen 44:30-34): “Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life, as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”
This event was the breaking point for Joseph, who could no longer keep up the charade. He revealed himself to his brothers, though they were terrified of what Joseph might do to them. Joseph reassured them that God meant these events for good. Now the family was to come to Egypt along with their father. Judah not only changed himself, but he effected change in others. He was the leader now. According to Genesis 46:28, Judah was the one who led the way to reunite Joseph with Jacob. Judah had become a leader in the family, the one through whom they could find their path to reconciliation. One of the concepts we see here is the interaction between Judah and Joseph, both representatives of what will later become the north and south division of Israel with Judah in the south and Ephraim, a son of Joseph, as the main family of the north. They had been divided, but for a moment they come together. Later, the families of Joseph and Judah will be divided due to the sins of the leaders, and only through Christ will the divisions be made right.
Please read Genesis 38:1-5 for tomorrow.
Have a great day!
-Louie Taylor
