There are a lot of figures in the Bible whose actions spoke well of their Godly brand. However, along the way, they all struggled with sin. Some of them fell hard. One of the most interesting examples in Scriptures of someone whose actions throughout most of his life reflected a poor Godly brand then he rallied late in life is Judah, the fourth of Jacob’s sons.
Besides a listing of Jacob’s sons in Genesis 35, the first mentions of Judah are indirect, as he and his brothers killed all the male Shechemites after his sister Dinah was raped, then they looted the city (Genesis 34). That act threatened the entire family, and God told Jacob to move the family to Bethel. In Genesis 37, the envious sons of Jacob plotted to kill Joseph, who recounted a God‑given dream where they bowed down to him. Since Reuben, the eldest son, was the only one who had a mind to save Joseph after he was cast into a cistern, we can presume that Judah was complicit in wanting to kill Joseph, then eventually selling him into slavery with the Midianites. Our first impressions of Judah and his brothers are not positive at this point. In fact, they are a discontented, murderous lot.
In the very next chapter (38), the Scriptures tell of Judah’s leaving the family and going down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. Judah found a Canaanite wife, who bore him three sons. For the firstborn son, Judah got him a wife named Tamar. But that son was “wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death” (v7). As was the custom, Judah commanded his second-born son to take Tamar as his wife to “fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” That son deliberately refused to carry out that command, acting wickedly. “So the Lord put him to death also.” (v10)
Fearing his third son may die if he pledged Tamar to him as a wife, Judah sent her back to her father’s house to live as a widow until the youngest son grew of age. Judah never followed through, though. The third son grew up, and Tamar remained a widow. During this time, Judah’s wife died, and he grieved for her.
The time came for Tamar to take matters into her own hands. She heard Judah was returning to her town of Timnah to shear his sheep. She took off her widow’s clothes and disguised herself at the front gate. Thinking she was a prostitute, Judah asked her to sleep with him. Before she did, she asked for his seal and its cord to ensure that he would follow through on his payment of a young goat. The transaction was consummated.
After Judah returned to his shepherding, he heard that Tamar had prostituted herself and became pregnant. Judah’s reaction? “Bring her out and have her burned to death!” In verse 25, Tamar sends a message to her father-in-law, saying “I am pregnant by the man who owns these. See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”
Of course, Judah recognized the articles. More importantly, he understood why she acted the way she did. In verse 26, he says, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” What’s the point of this story, besides addressing the birth of Perez, who is part of the lineage of Christ? It is the beginning of Judah’s redemption story.
A quick recap, Judah lost his wife and two sons, slept with his daughter-in-law, then realized his failure and disgrace with Tamar. This situation feels like rock bottom or near it. We don’t hear about Judah again until chapter 42 when he and his brothers go down to Egypt to buy grain during a famine in the land of Canaan. Here again is more evidence of Judah hitting rock bottom, as he, his brothers, and their families suffered from famine to the point where Jacob/Israel implored his sons to go to Egypt for grain “so that we may live and not die.” (v2)
The 10 brothers go to Egypt. There, they meet Joseph, their estranged brother, but they do not recognize him. He has ascended to the position of Pharaoh’s right hand, in charge of distributing grain to those who wish to buy it. Wanting to see his brother Benjamin who was left behind in Canaan and to test his brothers, Joseph accuses them of being spies. He has Simeon bound and taken away, then sends the nine brothers back to get Benjamin.
The brothers return to their father and tell him to story of their trip to Egypt and Joseph’s request to bring Benjamin. Israel refuses. Reuben even offers his two sons as a sacrifice, but Israel still refuses. Time passes. When they use up all the food they bought in Egypt, Israel tells his sons to go back to Egypt and buy more grain. Judah explained what would happen to them if they returned without Benjamin. Israel still hesitates to send him. Finally, it takes Judah guaranteeing his safety, telling his father “you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.”
At this point in the story, Judah becomes the leader of the family, assuming the responsibility and accountability of the role. Israel finally relented, allowing the brothers to take Benjamin to Egypt. They met Joseph, but still do not recognize him. They ate a meal. The next morning, the brothers returned to Canaan with more grain. But Joseph had his steward place a silver cup in Benjamin’s bag for the purpose of stopping him and accusing him of theft. And that’s what happened. Joseph had all his brothers brought back to the city. Back at his home, Joseph asks the brothers, “what have you done,” referring to the theft of the silver cup.
Judah steps up for the brothers, replying “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.” But Joseph toyed with them, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”
Desperate, Judah “went up to” Joseph to plead his case. Judah explains the significance of Benjamin in his father’s life, the loss of Joseph, and the fact that the loss of Benjamin would end his father’s life. He concludes with a proposition to Joseph: let him take Benjamin’s place as the slave. “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.” (v33-34)
This willingness of Judah to sacrifice his freedom for Benjamin’s and take responsibility for his family so moves Joseph that he finally breaks down, commands his servants to leave, then reveals himself to his brothers in one of the most emotionally packed moments in all of Scriptures. How did Judah go from the brash brother who sold Joseph into slavery to someone willing to sacrifice everything for another brother who his father clearly favored? Suffering, loss, desperation, humiliation, and the recognition that God’s hand is on their lives (44:16 — “God has uncovered your servants’ guilt.”) all played a part in his growth. He learned from his failures and was redeemed. Judah’s actions depict a man who became the leader of the tribes of Israel and part of the lineage of Christ.
How do you think about the effects of your actions will impact your Godly brand? How do you respond?