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BEING A JUDAH IN A JOSEPH WORLD
My
brother and I received a call to ministry at a young age. I remember once
speaking with him about what we envisioned for our lives in ministry. We both
discussed our hopes and dreams (e.g., playing music in front of hundreds and
even thousands of people, preaching before large crowds and seeing God move
mightily through the work to which he called us, and living within the context
of a successful occupation). We both agreed that we desired to be used of God
tremendously and we would go anywhere the Lord sent us; we were willing to do
anything, but it became clear that it was not acceptable to us to do so unseen.
Paul
teaches that the gifts and callings of God are without repentance or
irrevocable (Rom 11:29). Nonetheless, human nature holds a propensity to forget
or even neglect such truth, especially when one’s call from the Lord goes
unseen. Christians should take care in approaching tasks to which God has
called them, for his plans are higher than the plans of humankind and his ways
are unsearchable (Isa 55:8-9). The narrative in the final third of Genesis
presents an often unseen and (assuredly) misunderstood focus, for the primary
character, Joseph, does not hold the most important role. The aim here is for
believers to perceive and understand their own task and calling as 1) for the
glory of God alone rather than self and 2) meaningful despite the possibility
of being unseen, rewarded, or praised.
To
properly comprehend Genesis 45, background of the book to such a point must be
conveyed. Mindful of the fact that Joseph seemingly satiates the final fourteen
chapters of the book of Genesis (chapters 37-50), a reader could
straightforwardly miss the point of the story, which is precisely what occurs
when believers make feeble attempts to turn the Bible into compartmentalized
individual stories with the aim of moralistic therapeutic deism. One, for
example, might interpret the story of Daniel refusing to eat anything but
fruits and vegetables as a comprehensive approach to diet rather than a purpose
for a specific time and a specific people and then proceed to imitate Daniel’s
diet with a belief that it is the only appropriate diet for the people of God
when such a viewpoint would be a gross misinterpretation. In the book of
Genesis, Joseph takes considerable space because he is a tool to preserve the
chosen seed, which ultimately would be Jesus.
The Apostle Paul
referred to Adam as a type of the one to come (Rom 5:14). The doctrine of
original sin infers that through Adam, the human race has been infected with
the disease of sin; we are, therefore, sinners by nature. Just as humankind is
dead in sin through Adam, so also are we, the church, made alive through Jesus
Christ. Adam then was a type of what was to come, but the abundantly apparent
truth is that Jesus is better than original sin. The gospel centers around
Christ and his fulfillment of the law and of the covenant God made with his
people. From the beginning of the Bible, God told the serpent, “I will put
enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will
crush your head, and you will strike his heal” (Gen 3:15). This tells of the
miraculous virgin birth that was to come, for Jesus had to be born of the Holy
Spirit so as not to be conceived in sin. From the beginning of time, a promised
seed was established to save God’s people in the covenant, and while Satan
continued to try to thwart the line of seed, God continued it. Cain killed
Abel, but the covenant continued because then Seth was born. Then in Genesis 5,
there is a genealogy of ten generations from Seth to Noah so that the promised
seed is preserved. Seth and Noah are both promised seeds but not the ultimate
promised seed; they would preserve the promised seed that is to come. Noah has
three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), and while the world is judged in a flood,
they preserved the seed. Shem then preserves the seed later through Zerah who
has a son named Abraham, the next link in the seed of promise. The problem,
however, is that Abraham’s wife, Sarah, is beyond childbearing years so Abraham
tries to manipulate the situation by having a child with his servant and
Ishmael is born. However, Ishmael is not the promised seed and eventually Isaac
is born and then Jacob and Esau. Esau, the older, would seem to be the promised
seed, but it is, in fact, Jacob, the younger. Jacob then has twelve sons. We
might think Jacob’s son, Joseph, is the promised seed, but the promised seed is
Judah; Joseph merely preserves the seed. From Judah’s line eventually comes
Jesse who bears a great son named David who is again a promised seed but not
the ultimate promised seed. The covenant is then renewed with David in that his
lineage will sit on the throne forever. Even David’s son, Solomon, is not the
promised seed, but eventually through David’s line, the ultimate Savior of the
world was born of a virgin to save his people in the covenant.[1]
Thus, Joseph is merely a tool for the Lord to use in preserving the life of Judah, for without Joseph’s high position in the land of Egypt, his brothers might have perished in famine. Christians should understand that God’s plans involve the entirety of his people and there is no job or calling too small or insignificant for him. The primary character of the story (at least in relation to the covenant of the Lord)—the protagonist if you will—then is Judah, for Judah preserves the promised seed in Jesus Christ. Therefore, after nine chapters of focusing on Joseph, the account is brought to chapter 45 of Genesis.
Genesis 45:4-8
4 So Joseph said to his
brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am
your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And
now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me
here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For
the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five
years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And
God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep
alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you
who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all
his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.[2]
The narrative of Genesis crests at the point of 45:4-8 and obliges one to recognize four imperatives.
Do Not Miss Your Call for a Distraction
The
narrative here emphasizes a character who does not fill the majority of the
text but is the point of the story: namely Judah (i.e., Joseph was the focus,
but Judah was the point, for without the protection of Joseph, the preplanned
lineage to the Messiah could not be fulfilled). God’s plan could have included
Judah doing spectacular things, performing miracles, and leading tens of
thousands of people, but it did not. In fact, God’s plan for Judah was found in
the background with Joseph in the foreground.
Christians
should not miss their individual and unique call for distractions; yet,
distractions are that which are sought so often. How many times do God’s people
find themselves asking:
“Why
am I not the one speaking before thousands of people?”
“Why
cannot God use me by writing inspirational books that are sold worldwide?”
“Why
am I not the one blessed with the talent?”
Perhaps, God’s plan for some believers (or even most) is not set in the spotlight but as a part of the backdrop without praises and accolades, as it was for Judah. Judah, however, held arguably a greater responsibility in God’s plan than did Joseph, for through the lineage of Judah would come Jesus Christ. Thus, Joseph’s purpose in the narrative is merely to preserve Judah. Certainly, Joseph was able to be in a position of authority but solely for God’s plan to preserve the chosen seed. While their purposes are no more or less significant, they are disparate but a part of the orchestration God designed. Believer, do not spend substantial time in your feelings of inadequacy, for you serve a purpose, and God’s purpose is always greater than your own whether it seems and feels like it externally or not. Do not miss your call for a distraction because God’s plan for your life is superior to your own.
Do Not Mistake Visibility for Purpose
Visibility
does not equate to certainty. Joseph holds prominence in the narrative of
Genesis; Judah did not. Nonetheless, they both fulfill purposes unique to their
individual lives and callings. It may be easy to believe the lie that because
one does not hold prominence in life (e.g., importance, financial standing,
position, or influence), such a person is not fulfilling their purpose to which
the Lord has called him or her. Joseph makes clear that he came to his
authoritative position because of God’s plan, not his own or that of his
brothers’ when he clarifies, “…it was not you who sent me here, but God” (v. 8a).
“Not
you…but God expresses the fact of Providence…in a typically sweeping
biblical idiom.”[3]
God is provident—it is who he is in his character (i.e., God cannot be anything
but provident).[4]
God’s provident plan in the Genesis narrative is to provide for Judah and his
family through Joseph’s position of power. Essentially second to none other
than Pharaoh, Joseph refers to himself as a “father to Pharaoh,” (v. 8b),
virtually the king’s advisor.[5] Joseph, however, did not
have such a plan for himself in mind when his brothers sold him into slavery
out of jealousy (Gen 37). In fact, Joseph has such a stark realization of God’s
providence, that toward the end of Genesis, he attests, “…you meant evil
against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen 50:20).
Unquestionably, God’s plan for the life of Joseph was placing him in a position of authority (a visible position), but that is often not God’s plan for his children. In fact, by most observations, God’s plan is not for his people to be in a visible position or role but rather to serve him regardless of visibility, power, money, or applause. God’s people must realize the joy that comes from serving God simply for the sake of the call and nothing else (i.e., without the applause of men or the accolades of position). If God is truly the source of strength and motivation for service, one should not find discouragement in the circumstances of the call. Moreover, the assurance of God’s call is not found in making sense. How often does God’s call make sense in Scripture? Moses, strike the rock and water will come. Abraham, go to a land I will show you. Noah, build a boat despite not even knowing what rain is. Do not allow human sensibilities to control your choices of direction. Simply obey and trust. That is what Joseph does and how the life of Judah is preserved in Genesis. Joseph’s purpose is inarguably visible. Judah’s, however, is not, but Judah’s purpose is vital to the eternal plan of God. Visibility does not equate to purpose. Trust and obey.
God Makes the Insignificant Significant
Insignificance
is irrelevant in the kingdom and economy of God, for truly, no one and no one’s
purpose is insignificant. God can use whomever he desires in whatever way he
desires. He can even use a donkey (Num 22).[6] Therefore, any role to
which God calls his people should not be diminished in importance or ignored
out of feelings of inadequacy or insignificance. Judah’s role might seem
insignificant in Genesis, but it is truly perhaps the most significant role in
the account of Joseph. Judah perhaps did not comprehend his function as a
chosen seed, but God takes his insignificance and makes it significant.
It has been said that God does not call the qualified but qualifies the called. The chronicle of Joseph agrees with such a truth. Believers, therefore, should obey and trust the Lord in life’s directions and challenges whether external qualifications seem to align or not (e.g., seminary and training, talent, influence, etc.), for it is not by the power of humankind that God’s plan is executed but by God alone. In fact, without God, all endeavors are futile and hopeless. Solomon writes, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Ps 127:1). God’s people must realize that he alone is the source of all sustenance and provision. Nothing good or provisional exists apart from God, and the only reason his people live is because of his sovereign purposes. Scientifically, food sustains humankind, but if God decides it will not, then it will not—food is only sustainable because God says it is. Judah’s job in the Biblical narrative seems unimportant, but it could be argued as the most important in the account of Joseph. Trust and obey, for God makes the seemingly insignificant to be significant.
In a World That Demands Josephs, Strive
to Be a Judah
It is difficult to be a Judah in a world full of Josephs and those who desire to be a Joseph, it could be contended that Judahs are what the world needs more than Josephs. Believers should seek God, trust him, and obey in going where he leads. As the prophet Isaiah demonstrates, the cry of God’s people should be, “Here I am! Send me” (Is 6:8). Disregard the tributes, honors, and awards; rather, embrace the call God offers you. Do not recoil or hesitate at the thought of serving God without humankind’s praises, for the pleasure of God is far greater than the applause of men. Judah held a miraculous and great purpose, although it is not realized till centuries later with the coming of the Messiah. If the Bible is viewed as individual stories with moral lessons rather than a metanarrative, it could be easy to miss the point of the story and mistake Joseph to be the primary character. A proper understanding of God’s plan, however, yields a comprehension of Judah’s part. If God calls one to preach before thousands of people, wonderful, but if God’s plan involves serving him without complaint and without visibility, how many will balk at the leading? If life is for the glory of God alone, for believers to worship him in spirit and truth, many Christians must accept their call to be a Judah rather than a Joseph. Worship is service, and service is employed with no thought of return but for the pleasure and glory of the Lord.
[1]
Jonathan Michael Jones, “Using the Psalms to Develop Corporate Prayer in the
First Baptist Church of Slaton, TX” (DWS thesis Robert E. Webber Institute for
Worship Studies, 2018), 101-102.
[2] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the English
Standard Bible.
[3] Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and
Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale Old
Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1967), 218.
[4]
Christians often seemingly allude to God’s providence in times of miraculous
provision. While such instances are assuredly provident, God is also provident
in times of difficulty (e.g., when a loved one passes, when sickness arises,
and when finances are not met). God is provident irrespective of human
circumstances.
[5] Kidner,
218.
[6] This
statement alludes to Balaam’s donkey.
