Something About Judah

By Elizabeth Etta

There is something about Judah that fascinates me. Judah is a minor character in the Patriarch story when compared to the major characters Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Yet his role in history and in the bible is significant which is why his story is mentioned. 

Judah is the one who instigated that his brothers sell Joseph into slavery for thirty pieces of silver instead of killing him. He and his brothers then lie to their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast.

The next chapter says that Judah left home and moved to Adullam. I see a guilt pattern here. He knew what he and his brothers had done was wrong and instead of owning up, perhaps confessing to his father the truth, he runs away and leads a different path. Perhaps also he feels sorry for what he has done and can't stand to see his father's pain and decides to move away.

Judah chose to run and took his own path at this point rather than let God direct his path. There are  times in our lives when we let the shame and guilt continue to nag at us and our lives are not the same because we haven't addressed those issues.

Judah lives a rebellious life. Unlike his father Jacob and his grandfather Isaac, he marries a cananite woman. He has 3 children who did evil in the sight of the lord. Perhaps they were evil because as a father he was relaxed in his worship and his responsibility to ensure that they knew God, but this is my speculation.

Anyway, he got his first son a wife called Tamar and then when his son died without any child, his second son had to fulfill the responsibility but because his second son failed to do his duty, he too also died and Judah was afraid to give the youngest son, fearing that he too would die so he sent Tamar back home to her parents. Even though the youngest son had grown up to marry Tamar, Judah did not send for her and so she took matters into her own hands, pretended to be a prostitute, Judah slept with her and she became pregnant.

Three months later when Judah finds out that Tamar is pregnant, he orders that she be burnt to death. He must have thought this would free him from his promise and his responsibility.

Are we quick to judge others, point out their mistakes, look for someone to blame? We must examine ourselves first.

Meanwhile, Tamar in order to save her life, sends a message to her father-in-law saying whoever owns the cord and stick is the father of her child. Judah then at that point admits his guilt and realizes that he is in the wrong.

I think this moment is significant, because Judah for the first time has admitted his guilt for wrongdoing. He agrees that the seal and stick are his and that is when change and breakthrough come in.

It is at the point that we acknowledge our guilt and confess our sin that God can meet us and work out His good purpose in our lives.

We also see God's blessing in Tamar, not only does she have one child but God blesses her with twin sons.

The end of Judah's story takes place when Judah and his brothers now appear before Joseph in egypt. Joseph recognizes his brothers and decides to put them to the test to see whether they had changed.

When Joseph puts the silver cup in Benjamin's sack and it is found and he decides to keep Benjamin. Judah is the first to speak up and he says that God has found out their guilt. Judah pleads with Joseph for his brother. He wants to be taken instead of Benjamin as he feared what would happen to his father if he did not return with Benjamin and he did not wish to see his father's sorrow and be the cause of it.

I see a changed man in Judah. He knew his father loved Benjamin but this time he cared about what happened to his father. He still lived with the guilt of what he had done to Joseph previously and did not want to repeat the same mistake.

God knew Judah's heart. It was repentant. God used Joseph to not only make a provision for the entire family but also to change Judah and to bring about restoration to Judah and his brothers.

God knew  Judah's heart, that it was repentant. God used Jacob to declare a blessing on Judah and I quote "Judah your brothers will praise you, you will defeat your enemies, the scepter will not depart Judah nor the ruler's staff from his descendants until the coming of the one to whom it belongs. The one whom all nations obey."

Ultimately, God used the line of Judah and Tamar to give the world the messiah. This is why Jesus is referred to as the "Lion Of Judah."