Two very different paths

As I was reading through Genesis this week, I was struck by the contrast between Judah and Joseph.  These two brothers took very different paths.  Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt by Judah and the rest of his brothers.  (Gen 37).  Judah however, left the family willingly. (Gen 38:1)  While in Egypt, Joseph remains faithful and is falsely accused of rape.  His integrity causes him to treat Potiphar's wife with absolute purity yet he still finds himself in prison.  Judah on the other hand takes on the lifestyle of the Canaanites among whom he is living.  He raises wicked sons, cheats  his daughter-in-law Tamar, and then visits what he thinks is a prostitute but who turns out to be Tamar herself.  Over time Jacob's family assimilated into the Canaanite culture around them.  They married Canaanites, they worshipped Canaanite gods, and followed Canaanite practices.  All this time however, Joseph is faithfully following God in Egypt.  So God moves Jacob's family to Egypt in order to allow the nation of Israel to grow without the wicked influence of Canaan.  What is really interesting is that Judah's son with Tamar, Perez, is an ancestor of King David and therefore also an ancestor of Jesus.  God will accomplish his purposes through his people even when they are wicked.   The lives of these early Israelites illustrate for us the importance of faithfulness to God.  Like Jacob's family in Canaan, we are so often tempted to compromise with the culture around us.  We must be careful to be faithful to God's calling like Joseph. Compromise is usually the easier path.  But when we walk as Jesus walked we find joy and fulfillment.  There may be difficult times along the way but in the end our reward will far outweigh our momentary troubles.

 

Bible Reading Plan       January 13  Genesis 35-38; Jan 14  Gen 39-41; Jan 15 Gen 42-44; Jan 16  Gen 45-47; Jan 17 Genesis 48-50