Genesis 49
There are things in the Bible that I just don’t understand. God elevates the most unlikely people into positions of authority, but they may or may not be in the lineage of the Messiah. Take the line from Abraham through Joseph. Abraham’s faith was credited to him, in spite of his many failings, including impregnating his wife’s servant (Genesis 16) when he got impatient for God to fulfil his promise of an heir. Isaac, like his father, told a king that his wife was his sister. Jacob was a conniving second-born who managed to steal his older brother’s birthright and blessing (Genesis 25, 27). And then Jacob’s sons, who became the twelve tribes of Israel were all kinds of trouble, especially the sons of Leah, Biljah, and Zilpah (an unloved wife and two servant concubines: Genesis 29-30). Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Jacob’s beloved, Rachel, were pampered and spoiled. Joseph was so cocky that he bragged about his dreams while parading around in a “coat of many colors” until his brothers had enough and sold him off as a slave, telling their father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (Genesis 37). Of all the brothers, Joseph found success in spite of his arrogance in youth and his servitude. Over time, he matured into a God-fearing man, trusted by the king of Egypt and made Prime Minister (Genesis 39-41).
That’s a really brief summary of three generations, but the idea is this: God chooses the most ill-equipped, stubborn, and arrogant people to do his work. There is no doubt that only God could make good from men (and women) like these. Which brings me to my pondering today.
When Jacob blessed his sons while he was dying, he set out two of his sons for special blessings. Not the firstborn (Reuben) whom Jacob called “uncontrolled as water” for an egregious sin. Simeon and Levi were cursed and dispersed for their anger. Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali shared a blessing of beauty and abundance in trade, food, and words. Issachar, Gad, and Benjamin’s blessings sound more like curses (strong donkey, ravenous wolf, raider), while Dan’s blessing is a mixed bag as a father of judges but also a snake.
Joseph, as the reader might expect, receives beautiful blessings: a fruitful bough, a firm bow, connection to God the Almighty, and distinguished among his brothers. However, earlier (Genesis 48), Jacob gave Joseph’s sons blessings, placing the younger over the older, to Joseph’s chagrin. And, while Joseph’s faith is recognized by the author of Hebrews (Hebrews 11:21-22), the lineage of the Messiah does not run through Joseph.
The son of Jacob in the direct line of Jesus is Judah, whose blessing from Jacob includes the praise of his brothers, a permanent scepter, and a lineage of authority. Oh, and good looks, too (Genesis 49:12). Why Judah and not Joseph? Fourth born son of Leah, he had no position of power in the family, he was part of the crew that sold Joseph to the caravan heading to Egypt, his parenting skills were questionable at best (Genesis 38), and his personal morality was revealed by a smart daughter-in-law that he took for a prostitute. Not exactly an upstanding man of faith and obedience. Yet it was he who inadvertently fathered Perez (another twin usurping his brother at the time of delivery) and the line leading to Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and King David (another inexplicable, sinful man in the direct line of the Messiah (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38).
As the tribes divided the promised land, Judah and the two sons of Joseph held the largest portions, but both Ephraim and Manasseh stayed within the Northern Kingdom when the land unified under King David divided after Solomon’s death. Once the Kingdom of Israel was captured and its people dispersed, the sons of Joseph vanished, leaving only Judah as the inheritor of Jacob’s blessing. The tiny tribe of Benjamin stayed loyal to Judah, and remained in the South. Benjamin as a tribe remained, as did Levi (who had no land). The apostle Paul was a Benjamite (Philippians 3).
So, my question remains, how did God decide that Judah was a better choice as ancestor of Jesus than Joseph, who demonstrated faith, loyalty, and obedience in his life? The answer is: God only knows. And that is enough. Some things are meant to be mysteries; that’s why and how we walk in faith.
Resources
The Holy Bible, New American Standard Bible. 1995. The Lockman Foundation, www.lockman.org.
Barry, Mark. Map of the 12 Tribes. Visual Unit, 25 Dec. 2013, https://visualunit.me/2013/12/25/map-of-the-12-tribes/.
“Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Last Updated 17 Dec. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ten-Lost-Tribes-of-Israel.
Defaulting to Grace 