In Genesis 49:8-12 Jacob says some amazing things about Judah, his fourth son by Leah, which is surprising because Judah was a mess.
Judah’s list of ‘accomplishments’ up to this point included joining in the looting of the city of Shechem after his brothers Simeon and Levi had killed all the men (34:25-29), marrying a Canaanite woman (38:12) against family tradition (24:3, 28:6), producing a child so awful that God killed him (38:7), sleeping with his daughter-in-law, thinking she was a prostitute (38:12-16), and getting his brothers to sell Joseph to some passing merchants (37:26-28). He was also in on the lie his brothers told their Dad about Joseph being eaten by an animal (37:31-34).
There is nothing in Judah’s sorry life that merited Jacob telling him in Genesis 49:8, “Judah, your brothers will praise you.” But – there had been signs of Judah taking the lead among his brothers, because it was he who tackled his Dad on the touchy subject of Joseph demanding to see Benjamin. Judah was blunt too: “If you send Benjamin along with us, yes (Dad), we’ll go down to Egypt and buy food for you. But if you won’t send him, no, we won’t go down, because the man (Joseph) said to us ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you’” (43:4-5).
And when Jacob did get a little touchy (6), it was Judah again who pushed his Dad to “Send the boy with me and we’ll go at once, so we can all live and not die, and I guarantee his safety. If I don’t bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame all my life. As it is (hint, hint), if we had not delayed, we could have gone to Egypt and returned twice already” (8-10).
Blunt words by Judah, but Jacob relented, despite moaning, “I am bereaved, I am bereaved” (14). Jacob played the victim card, but Judah was having none of it. So off they went to Egypt with Benjamin. But all did not go well for them, because Joseph arranged for his personal silver cup to be hidden in Benjamin’s sack, and now they all had to appear before Joseph, accused of stealing (44:2-15). But it was Judah again, who spoke up boldly to Joseph – non stop for sixteen verses too (44:18-34) – and so convincing was he in his plea that Joseph could contain himself no longer (45:1-2).
Judah was not afraid to speak to power, and he succeeded in saving their lives. No wonder (49:8) his “brothers praised him.” It was the start of “Judah: God’s choice of leader”….(next blog)
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