We got Jacob safely back to Canaan, the promised land, in Genesis 33, and we transition to Joseph in Genesis 37. (There are stories in chapters 34 and 35, which we might mention later.) We are shocked again as we read chapters 37 and 38, that the “seed of Abraham,” this people who are blessed to be a blessing, didn’t start off all that well. Here are the highlights (lowlights?), many of them featuring Judah. Judah is the fourth son of the unloved wife, Leah, not the firstborn. But he is the one through whom Jesus comes, the one whose name morphs to “Jews.” Judah wasn’t much of a guy to start with. Here’s what’s recorded:

Genesis 37: these are not nice people!

• Jacob’s sons were sufficiently ill-behaved that Joseph brought back a bad report.
• Jacob practiced favoritism among his sons.
• The brothers hated Joseph and couldn’t even be civil to him.
• Joseph was probably a bit arrogant because of his favored status and then because of his dreams.
• The brothers plotted to kill Joseph.
• Reuben stepped up and talked them into throwing Joseph into a pit.
• Judah instigated selling him into slavery.

Genesis 38: another sordid story just about Judah. Very sordid.

• Judah – in the line of Christ! – marries a Canaanite woman.
• He had three sons. The firstborn married the Canaanite woman Tamar, but he was evil, and God put him to death.
• Then when the second son wouldn’t perform his duty as a brother-in-law, the Lord put him to death, too.
• Then Judah didn’t give Tamar to his third son.
• After his wife’s death, Judah goes into Tamar thinking she’s a prostitute. (This is NOT a good guy!)
• Then Judah wants Tamar burned because she has been sleeping around, so he thinks.
• Finally, Judah at least does the right thing and owns up to what he did.
• Tamar’s older of twin boys is in the line of Christ, and she is mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy.

And Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar… (Matthew 1.3, LSB)

Not a good start. Judah doesn’t do anything worthy until Genesis 44.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are [or what we have done]. (Romans 3.21 – 22, NLT, last clause added)

P.S. If you are following the Pentateuch Reading Plan with us, let me make a suggestion. This is the first year I’ve used it, and guess what? There are chapters in the Old Testament that it’s hard to get anything applicable from. For example, Genesis 36 is a list of Esau’s descendants. Here’s what I’m doing: when I read such a chapter, I will also read ONE STORY from the Gospel of Mark, starting from the beginning.