וַתַּהַר עוֹד וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתֹּאמֶר הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה(יָדָה) אֶת־יְהוָה עַל־כֵּן קָרְאָה שְׁמוֹ יְהוּדָה וַתַּעֲמֹד מִלֶּדֶת
And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "This time I will praise the LORD"; therefore she called his name Judah; then she ceased bearing (Genesis 29:35).
When on his dying bed, Jacob called his sons and blessed them. His blessing on Judah was very special and this is the reading today.
Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who dares rouse him up?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Binding his foal to the vine and his ass's colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes;
his eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk (Genesis 49:8-12).
Though he was the fourth son, Judah, instead of Reuben, appears in the genealogy of Jesus.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers (Matthew 1:2).
Therefore, his story is worth studying.
When on his dying bed, Jacob called his sons and blessed them. His blessing on Judah was very special and this is the reading today.
Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as a lioness; who dares rouse him up?
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
Binding his foal to the vine and his ass's colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes;
his eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk (Genesis 49:8-12).
Though he was the fourth son, Judah, instead of Reuben, appears in the genealogy of Jesus.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers (Matthew 1:2).
Therefore, his story is worth studying.
The story of Judah is embedded in the story of Joseph who was the apple of the eye of Jacob because his mother was Rachel whom Jacob loved. The in-fighting between the two sisters continued among their sons. The other sons of Jacob were jealous of Joseph and one day when Joseph was sent to inspect their shepherd work, most of his brothers wanted to kill him. Reuben stopped them.
But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."
And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him" -- that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father (Genesis 37:21-22).
Reuben went away for a while and before he returned, a caravan of merchants passed by. Judah thought up another idea to save Joseph.
Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we slay 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 heeded him (Genesis 37:26-27).
After selling Joseph to the merchants, Judah parted company with his brothers and spent at least 15 years or more to complete his story with Tamar, his daughter-in-law (Genesis 38). Judah appeared to become more mature. He was willing to acknowledge his own mistakes.
In the meantime, Joseph had his share of adventure in Egypt. He was imprisoned for an indefinite period of time and met the butler and baker of Pharaoh. After two years, he interpreted the dream of Pharaoh and became his vizier; managed the seven "fat" years to prepare for the up coming seven "lean" years.
When his brothers were forced to buy grains in Egypt, Joseph tested them and kept Simeon behind as a prisoner so that the next time, his brothers had to bring Benjamin along (Genesis 42:24).
The next time, Joseph tested them again and implanted a silver cup in Benjamin's sack of grains (Genesis 44:2). After the departure of his brothers, Joseph sent his steward to chase them back. This time, Joseph intended to keep Benjamin behind. Here, Judah played a prominent role instead of Reuben. He delivered a touching speech that moved Joseph.
Now therefore, let your servant, I pray you, remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord; and let the lad go back with his brothers.
For how can I go back to my father if the lad is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would come upon my father (Genesis 44:33-34)
Once, Judah saved Rachel's elder son. This time, he tried to save Rachel's younger son. Joseph, the elder son of Rachel, could no longer pretend. Brothers were reconciled. Jacob's family moved and settled in Egypt.
But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."
And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him" -- that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father (Genesis 37:21-22).
Reuben went away for a while and before he returned, a caravan of merchants passed by. Judah thought up another idea to save Joseph.
Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we slay 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 heeded him (Genesis 37:26-27).
After selling Joseph to the merchants, Judah parted company with his brothers and spent at least 15 years or more to complete his story with Tamar, his daughter-in-law (Genesis 38). Judah appeared to become more mature. He was willing to acknowledge his own mistakes.
In the meantime, Joseph had his share of adventure in Egypt. He was imprisoned for an indefinite period of time and met the butler and baker of Pharaoh. After two years, he interpreted the dream of Pharaoh and became his vizier; managed the seven "fat" years to prepare for the up coming seven "lean" years.
When his brothers were forced to buy grains in Egypt, Joseph tested them and kept Simeon behind as a prisoner so that the next time, his brothers had to bring Benjamin along (Genesis 42:24).
The next time, Joseph tested them again and implanted a silver cup in Benjamin's sack of grains (Genesis 44:2). After the departure of his brothers, Joseph sent his steward to chase them back. This time, Joseph intended to keep Benjamin behind. Here, Judah played a prominent role instead of Reuben. He delivered a touching speech that moved Joseph.
Now therefore, let your servant, I pray you, remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord; and let the lad go back with his brothers.
For how can I go back to my father if the lad is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would come upon my father (Genesis 44:33-34)
Once, Judah saved Rachel's elder son. This time, he tried to save Rachel's younger son. Joseph, the elder son of Rachel, could no longer pretend. Brothers were reconciled. Jacob's family moved and settled in Egypt.
After more than 400 years, Moses led the 12 tribes of Israelites out of Egypt. They conquered and settled down in Canaan. After some years of confederation tribal rule, a kingdom was established. The kingdom grew to her zenith under the rule of the third king Solomon. After his death, the kingdom was divided into two. 10 tribes formed the kingdom of Israel in the north. The remaining two, Judah and Benjamin, became the kingdom of Judah in the south. The sovereignty in the north changed hands often while in the south, kings came from Judah the bigger tribe, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis 49:10. Actually, Genesis 49:3-27 is a poem rather than an oracle. Genesis 49:10 may not be a prophecy. However, Judah could not become a kingdom without a reason. The genealogy of Jesus shows that God favours Judah over the other brothers, even over Joseph who, most scholars agree, was a prototype of Jesus. Can we figure out God's reason? The stories in Genesis are fascinating.
Dear Lord, I marvel at Your choices. I thank You for allowing them to work out their destiny. Be with me so that I do not go astray from Your plan. Amen.
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