The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/NWAUT1OxhB0
Reading
– Genesis 37:1-36
By
Dan & Brenda Cathcart
This
week’s Torah Portion, called Veyeshev meaning “and he dwelt” is again, like the
last portion, about the animosity among brothers and a promise of restoration. This
Torah portion begins with the story of Joseph. It includes the rising hatred
that Joseph’s brothers had for him culminating in their selling him into
slavery. In the middle of this account of Joseph’s life, the Torah inserts an
account of Joseph’s brother Judah’s life. Why are these stories intermixed? If
Joseph is the favored son, why must he suffer the humiliation and exile
perpetrated by his brothers? Why are these two brothers the central focus of
this portion? How do the lives of Joseph and Judah reveal God’s plan for the
ultimate reconciliation and redemption?
The
Torah Portion begins with Joseph bringing a bad report of his brother’s
behavior to their father.
Genesis 37:1-2 NKJV 1 Now Jacob dwelt
in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 This is
the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock
with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of
Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his
father.
What
are we to make of Joseph’s actions? Is he ratting out his brothers in a deliberate
attempt to get them in trouble with their father? Was this some kind of sibling
rivalry? “He did it! It wasn’t me!” When we put Joseph’s actions in context, however,
it seems that his actions were justified and necessary.
Jacob
could not have been happy with the behavior of his oldest sons. Reuben’s
actions resulted in Jacob disregarding him as the future leader of the family
and making him ineligible in Jacob’s eyes as deserving the inheritance of the
firstborn. Simeon and Levi, the second and third sons of Leah, had devised and
brought about the slaughter of the entire town of Shechem behind Jacob’s back.
Now,
comes word that his sons by Bilhah and Zilpah have behaved no better than those
of Leah’s, and their behavior would reflect negatively upon Jacob just like
Simeon, Levi, and Reuben’s actions did.
The
actions of his older brothers, place Joseph as the son who is favored to
receive the right of the firstborn and the inheritor of God’s promise to
Abraham. He was the firstborn of his mother Rachel.
Genesis 37:3-4 NKJV 3 Now Israel loved
Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also
he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their
father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak
peaceably to him.
Verse
three uses the name of Israel instead of Jacob. This switching back and forth
of the names Jacob and Israel is interesting. It, perhaps, indicates that when
the name Jacob is used, he was acting in accordance with the flesh. And when
the name Israel appears, he is acting in accordance with the spirit.
This
multi-colored tunic that Joseph was given was the symbol of Jacob’s choice of
Joseph to receive the mantel of leadership of the family. Joseph’s ten older
brothers hated Joseph because of the choice of Joseph. Perhaps, they hated him
because the guilt of their own actions contrasted with Joseph’s righteousness.
After
this, Joseph received a dream from God confirming his position of leader of the
family.
Genesis 37:5-8 NKJV 5 Now Joseph had a
dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he
said to them, "Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 "There
we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also
stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my
sheaf." 8 And his brothers said to him, "Shall you indeed reign over
us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?" So they hated him even
more for his dreams and for his words.
It
seems obvious that the literal understanding of Joseph’s dream is that he would
rule over his brothers. But as we look at the context of the dream, we can see
a deeper meaning. In the dream it is the time of the harvest. The time of the
barley harvest is when the children of Israel were to observe a feast day.
Leviticus 23:9-11, 14 NKJV 9 And the
LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say
to them: 'When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its
harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the
priest. 11 'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your
behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it…. 14 'You shall
eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you
have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout
your generations in all your dwellings.
Just
like the Feast of Firstfruits, Joseph’s dream has an underlying theme of
resurrection. This resurrection theme was recognized among the Jewish sages.
First Fruits of Zion in Torah Club Volume 2: Shadows of the Messiah
quote the writings of the Zerah Kodesh:
This [dream about Messiah son of
Joseph] alludes to the prophecy [in Isaiah 52:2], “Shake yourself from the
dust, rise up,” –that he is raised up and made to rule and lifted from the
dust. And the words [in Psalm 118:5], “From my distress I called upon the LORD;
the LORD answered me,” alludes to them that will be saved from the distress of
Messiah son of Joseph, namely that he will not only be slain, but he will also
live at the time of the redemption, and it will be said of them, “Shake
yourself from the dust, rise up.”[i]
In
Joseph’s second dream, not only do his brothers bow down before him but also
his father and mother. His mother, Rachel, had died nine years earlier giving
birth to Benjamin, so this dream must pertain to some future event.
Genesis 37:9 NKJV 9 Then he dreamed
still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, "Look, I have
dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars
bowed down to me."
When
Joseph arrogantly related this second dream to his father and his brothers,
they became quite jealous of him!
Genesis 37:10-11 NAS95 10 He related
it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to
him, "What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and
your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the
ground?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the
saying in mind.
Despite
the jealousy and hatred directed against him, Joseph remained an obedient son. His
obedience is demonstrated when Joseph’s brothers were out with the flocks in
Shechem, Israel asked Joseph to go check on his brothers and the flocks.
Genesis 37:13-14 NKJV 13 And Israel
said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come,
I will send you to them." So he said to him, "Here I am." 14
Then he said to him, "Please go and see if it is well with your brothers
and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me." So he sent him out
of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
Joseph
finally found his brothers in Dothan. When his brothers saw him approaching, they
were overcome with their hatred and their jealousy of him and plotted to kill
him. They took Joseph captive, stripped him of his multi-colored coat, which
was representative of his authority over them, and threw Joseph into an empty
pit.
Genesis 37:23-24 NKJV 23 So it came to
pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his
tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. 24 Then they took him and cast
him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
Wondering
what to next do with Joseph when they sat down to eat, a caravan of Ishmaelite
merchants happened to pass by. Rather than killing Joseph, they ended up
selling Joseph to the merchants as a slave.
Genesis 37:25-27 NKJV 25 And they sat
down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a
company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices,
balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt. 26 So Judah said to
his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his
blood? 27 "Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our
hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers
listened.
To
cover their crime, they took Joseph’s coat, dipped it in goat’s blood, and
presented it to Jacob asking if he recognized it, hoping to deceive Jacob into
thinking Joseph was dead.
Genesis 37:31-33 NKJV 31 So they took
Joseph's tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
32 Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father
and said, "We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic
or not?" 33 And he recognized it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A
wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces."
After
Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, the Torah Portion deviates to the
story of Judah.
With
the disgrace of Judah’s older brothers Reuben, Simeon and Levi, Judah, as the
next son of Leah, is the one in direct line to receive the inheritance of the
firstborn. Instead of the inheritance going to Judah, Israel favored Joseph to
receive this inheritance. Judah was the one who influenced his brothers into
selling Joseph into slavery instead of killing him. Years later it will be
Judah who unknowingly confronts Joseph over the accusations of thievery against
Benjamin.
The
account of Judah begins with his separation from his brothers.
Genesis 38:1 MKJV 1 And it happened at
that time Judah went down from his brothers and turned in to a certain
Adullamite, named Hirah.
The
portion tells us that Judah went down from his brothers probably in response to
the results of selling Joseph into slavery. Jacob’s heartbreak over the
supposed death of Joseph will continue to haunt Judah.
The
division between the brothers is such that Judah virtually leaves the family.
He enters a business arrangement with a merchant and marries his daughter.
Judah’s sons do not please God and judgment falls on them.
Genesis 38:6-7 MKJV 6 And Judah took a
wife for Er his first-born, whose name was Tamar. 7 And Er, Judah's first-born,
was wicked in the sight of the LORD. And the LORD killed him.
Judah
then gave Tamar to his second son Onan to have sons for Er to carry on Er’s
name after his death, but Onan refused, and God killed him too. This left Judah
with only his youngest son. Fearful that God would kill him too, Judah refused
to give him to Tamar to have sons for Er. It seems like God was determined that
Judah’s firstborn son would not continue his line.
In
the culture of the day, Judah’s actions would have shamed his daughter-in-law,
Tamar. She decided to take matters into her own hands. She disguised herself as
a temple prostitute and seduced Judah. Judah was not prepared to pay for the
services of a prostitute, so he was forced to leave a pledge of payment with
Tamar.
Genesis 38:18 NKJV 18 Then he said,
"What pledge shall I give you?" So, she said, "Your signet and
cord, and your staff that is in your hand." Then he gave them to her, and
went in to her, and she conceived by him.
In
our society today, pledges such as these would be equivalent to his giving her
complete power of attorney over his affairs. His signet is the seal used as a
signature. All official correspondence would be sealed with this signet. God
says that his kings bear his signet ring.
Haggai 2:23 NKJV 23 'In that day,'
says the LORD of hosts, 'I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of
Shealtiel,' says the LORD, 'and will make you like a signet ring; for I have
chosen you,' says the LORD of hosts."
The
cord is the distinctive cord woven through the hem of a garment identifying the
wearer of the garment. The tzit-tzit that God commanded the children of Israel
to wear contained a cord of blue. This cord of blue identified the Israelites
as belonging to God.
Finally,
the staff is a symbol of authority. The twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel
each had a staff bearing their names. When they questioned God about His choice
of Aaron as the family of the priesthood, each leader was instructed to present
his staff before God and God would indicate His choice of priesthood through
the staffs.
When
Tamar became pregnant, she presented Judah’s pledge back to him using the same Hebrew
words that Judah used when presenting Joseph’s bloody coat to Jacob asking,
“please determine whose these are.”
Genesis 38:25-26 NKJV 25 When she was
brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man to whom
these belong, I am with child." And she said, "Please determine whose
these are -the signet and cord, and staff." 26 So Judah acknowledged them
and said, "She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her
to Shelah my son." And he never knew her again.
Tamar
bore Judah twin sons named Perez and Zerah. At their birth, it seemed like
Zerah would be born first, but God had other plans.
Genesis 38:28-30 NKJV 28 And so it
was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife
took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, "This one came out
first." 29 Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother
came out unexpectedly; and she said, "How did you break through? This
breach be upon you!" Therefore his name was called Perez. 30 Afterward his
brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was
called Zerah.
It
is physically impossible for a child, once in the birth canal, to retreat and
have the other child, his twin, born first. But in the case of Tamar, God made
it possible. Perez broke out of the womb first.
With
the birth of Perez, the line that would lead to king David begins. The
genealogy of David is given at the end of the book of Ruth and begins with the
birth of Perez.
Ruth 4:18-22 NKJV 18 Now this is the
genealogy of Perez: Perez begot Hezron; 19 Hezron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab;
20 Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon; 21 Salmon begot Boaz, and
Boaz begot Obed; 22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
Joseph
was the firstborn son of Rachel and was to receive the double portion
inheritance. Judah, on the other hand, was the fourth son of Leah. But because
his three older brothers were disqualified, Judah was to receive the promise
first given to Abraham. The blessing and the promise are split between Joseph
and Judah.
The
descendants of Joseph and Judah are forever tied together by the blessing and
promise. When we look at the ten spies Moses sent into look over the Promised
Land, the two who gave the good report were Joshua of the tribe of Joseph’s son
Ephraim and Caleb from the tribe of Judah. When they returned to the camp, they
urged the children of Israel to receive the Land, the promised inheritance! They
were the only two men from their generation allowed to enter the Promised Land
forty years later.
King
Solomon, in his later years, went after other gods forsaking the God of Israel.
In answer, God split the kingdom into two, with ten of the tribes given to
Jeroboam from the tribe of Ephraim. At that time, God gave Jeroboam a promise
similar to that of David.
1 Kings 11:37-38 NKJV 37 'So I will take
you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king
over Israel. 38 'Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in
My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My
commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for
you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.
The
split between the lines of Joseph and Judah continues to this day. Yet there
remains the promise of restoration and reconciliation between brothers. We saw
reconciliation between brothers in the last Torah Portion with Jacob and Esau. But
the restoration of the relationship between the descendants of Joseph and Judah
remains in the future. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied about their ultimate restoration.
Ezekiel 37:19 NKJV 19 "say to
them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I will take the stick of Joseph,
which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and
I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and
they will be one in My hand."'
Joseph
and Judah will receive the blessing and promise of the firstborn. Joseph,
through his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, received and will again receive a
double portion in the Land. Judah received the promise of kingship through David.
And a descendent of David will again reign from the rightful thrown in
Jerusalem. Through each line comes the promise of Messiah. Through Joseph we
see a picture of Messiah as the suffering servant who dies for His people. And through
Judah, we see the Son of David, the conquering king who is victorious over the
grave and comes to reign over His people.
Study
Questions:
2. How do Joseph’s actions contrast with those of Judah in this week’s Torah Portion?
3. In this portion we see the promise and the inheritance split between Joseph and Judah. The Jewish Rabbis have the idea or concept of two Messiahs: Messiah Ben Joseph as the suffering servant, and Messiah Ben David as the conquering king. How does this Jewish concept satisfy the prophecies about Messiah in the Tanach? How does Yeshua satisfy these same prophecies as being both the suffering servant and the conquering king?
General
Portion Questions
4. Once Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, both names are used in the Torah going forward. What are some of the contexts of the uses of each name? How does the use of each name reflect Jacob’s/Israel’s motivation?
5. What sin is at the root of the sibling rivalry between Joseph and his brothers? What other examples are there in scripture of similar rivalry? How are we supposed to act toward our brothers as disciples of Yeshua?
6. What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?
Bonus: What are the similarities between the two sets of twins; Jacob and Esau, and Perez and Zerah?
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