28th Shevat ~ JUDAH TO BRING FORTH MESSIAH

“He sent Judah before him to Joseph, to show the way before him to Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen.  Joseph prepared his chariot, and went up to meet Israel, his father, in Goshen.  He presented himself to him, and fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.  Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.’”  (Genesis 46:28-30)

WHAT’S HAPPENING?
No specific events are recorded for today.  We can assume from the Gospels thought that Jesus was staying for a few days in Nazareth with His family.  Hence we shall continue to look at the Promise of Messiah in the Old Testament.

DEVOTIONAL:
Jacob finally gets to be reunited with his son, Joseph, after many years of believing he was dead. Despite desperately wanting to see him, despite being his father, there were protocols.  After all,  Joseph was second only to Pharaoh in Egypt.  The whole family and all their cattle could not just march into the land without making sure it was all right with the king.  They needed to show they were not a threat.  A “gang” of shepherds coming into town with all their livestock would cause quite a stir.  Goshen would be the perfect place.  He sent Judah ahead to get Joseph to meet him there.  You can sense the tension, yet, as Jacob sees his son at last with his own eyes, all those years fall away.   This is another example of the close bond between a father and a son.  But this case is different. The father must rely on the son to intercede on his behalf so that he and his family can live in peace.

What lesson can we learn from this?
Firstly,  Jacob did not take his relationship with Joseph for granted.  He could not just treat him informally as his son.  Secondly, he could not rely on Joseph’s high position to get privileged treatment.  Joseph told them what needed to be done.  And  last of all, Joseph had to approach Pharaoh first to gain permission for his family to enter.  God has told us what is necessary to be able to live in his kingdom.  We cannot treat our king informally all the time.  In our case, he’s is our heavenly Father, but the formality of repentance is required.  Messiah Jesus is the one who mediates for us.

BACKGROUND:
This is another unexpected passage in which to find mention of Messiah.  Yet in the passage some Rabbis have seen a glimmer of the promise of God’s Anointed One.  

The “Midrash Rabbah Genesis” says about this passsage: “‘…and he sent Judah before him unto Joseph’ (46:28). This illuminates the verse, ‘The wolf and the Lamb shall feed together’ (Isaiah 65:25). Come and see how all whom the Holy One, blessed be He, hath smitten in this World. He will heal in the future that is to come. The blind will be healed, as it says, then the eyes of the blind shall be opened (Isaiah 35:5); And the tongue of the dumb shall sing. Thus all shall be healed…”  (Taken from Braude, The Genesis Midrash, p. 88.  The modern editor has a footnote to this which says, “The context shows this to refer to the resurrection.”)

What the Rabbinic commentator is saying is that this verse gives us a glimpse of the last days and the coming of Messiah.  Here he sees Messiah being revealed through Judah and bringing healing, or salvation, to those to all of Israel (i.e. “Jacob”).  This is exactly what happened in the birth of Jesus, for He was born into the tribe of Judah – specifically of the lineages of David.  As John’s Gospel puts it, “He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.  But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name:  who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12,13)

[Our picture today shows the well known Egyptian  mural from Beni Hasan in Egypt, dated at circa 1890BC. It shows a band of  nomads who have traveled from Syria-Canaan, to visit Egypt.]

Tags: anointed one, David, Egypt, example, glimpse, God, Gospel, Gospels, Holy One, Israel, John, Joseph, Lamb, messiah jesus, Old Testament, Promise, salvation, Syria Canaan