365 Reflections

In Genesis 49, the Patriarch Jacob pronounces his final "blessings" on his sons who would form the 12 tribes of Israel. He begins with the oldest four: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. What is quite notable in this chapter of fatherly blessing is the LACK of blessing anyone receives until Judah is mentioned. Look at it: Genesis 49:3–7 (ESV) “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch! 5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. 6 Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. Jacob...

Genesis 38:1 (ESV) It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. Genesis 38 is the chapter that appears to be out of place. We just started to get into the story of Joseph. He's on the way to Egypt and our minds are thinking about what may happen to him. Suddenly, we are encountered with this long narrative of sexual dalliance in Judah. Judah goes to the Canaanites and intermarries. He has children, two of which died, and after his wife passes, he ends up sleeping with his son's daughter because she thought she was a cult prostitute. The reality was she positioned herself perfectly to bait him into this action and then turned the tables on his hypocrisy when he found out she was pregnant. Meanwhile, as Judah is the slave of his own desires and deceit, Joseph's life will take the opposite track in the next chapter. Potiphar's wife will pursue Joseph and he will reject her citing such...

Genesis 37:26–28 (ESV) Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 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. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. The patriarch from whom Jesus will come is infamously known here as Judah. Appropriately, his namesake in the New Testament is the one who sells Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Joseph sold for twenty.  Judah masks his greed with sanctimony. "he is our brother" he proclaims upon the bright idea conceived to make a little money off getting rid of Joseph. Only a truly cruel human would rather sell his brother to slavery than kill him simply for the share in a measly profit. Yet that is what Judah does.  The scriptures move...