Genesis 37 has left us expecting to hear about Joseph in Egypt. But instead we are told about Judah in Canaan. Why?
Genesis 38-39 are stories told in parallel. They probably occur roughly at the same time – and they certainly have a lot of parallels in the way that they are told. So let's look at these two chapters together.
Many of the parallels between Joseph and Judah are contrasts:
Judah descends to the Canaanites and intermarries with them – that sounds good at first – until you remember that intermarrying with Canaanites is to come under the curse of God!
Joseph descends to Egypt and becomes a slave – and that at first sounds bad – until you learn that the LORD blessed Joseph.
At first this sounds somewhat confusing. Judah is in the promised land, the land of blessing – yet he is cursed. Joseph is in Egypt, the land of cursing – yet he is blessed.
What God is teaching his people – and what God is teaching you! – is that it really does not matter where you are, it matters who you are!
The land is not holy and blessed in itself. The land is only holy and blessed because of who you are. If you are the holy seed, then your presence makes the land holy. If you are not the holy seed, then your presence makes the land unholy.
And – to Israel's surprise and ours – Judah is not the holy seed! at least not yet!
As we keep seeing over and over again, before the seed can be holy, the seed must die. Isaac passed through death on Mt. Moriah. Jacob passed through death in his exile from the land.
And Judah, before he is ready to become the royal heir, must first pass through death – and in this case, a death of his own making...
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