8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; by your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. 9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? 10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. –Gen. 49:8-10
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins…10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. –Isa. 11:1-5,10
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. –Matt. 1:24-15
Having considered Mary last week, this Sunday we turn our attention to Joseph and his connection to the promises of God in Genesis 49:8-10. The Bible begins with Adam being given the responsibility to exercise dominion over creation, guarding and stewarding the Word of the Lord. He failed in this, however, passively accepting the word of the serpent and failing to protect his family and the garden. God promised, therefore, that a Rescuer would come in Gen. 3:15 to deliver them and, as the rest of Genesis unfolds, it becomes clear that this individual will come from the family of Abraham (Gen. 22:15-18). Given that the promise of Gen. 3:15 involves the defeat of the enemies of God’s people, we can understand the promise to Judah in Gen. 49:8-10 to also refer in some sense to this coming Rescuer. He will be a descendent of Judah and will rescue God’s people, ruling over them as well as the rest of the peoples.
As biblical history progressed, the rule of God’s people took the form of a formal office when Israel was granted the right to have a king. David became the ultimate example of a godly king who would faithfully worship God while protecting the people and administering justice. In 2 Sam. 7, God appeared to David and promised him that from his family a king would come who would rule the people forever, adding further clarity to the identity of the Rescuer of Gen. 3:15. The collapse of the Kingdom of Israel presented a real theological dilemma. Would God still keep His promises? The prophet Isaiah confirmed that He would in Isa. 11:1-5,10 where a ruler who will come is referred to as the “stump” and “root” of Jesse (David’s father). Though the kingdom was destroyed, the right of the King to rule remained, and these promises guaranteed that He would come eventually.
All of this serves as the backdrop for the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus that is summarized with an emphasis on Abraham and David (Matt. 1:1). Many scholars point out that this is the royal genealogy which establishes Jesus’ right to rule Israel through his adoptive father, Joseph. This certainly seems to be the case given the focus that Joseph receives in the rest of the chapter. What we come to learn from the character of the man who serves as Jesus’ earthly father is highly significant in spite of the fact that none of his words are recorded in Scripture.
The situation in which Joseph found himself in that small town in First Century Judea was quite difficult. He was engaged to be married, and word had come to him that his wife (to be engaged was to be married at that time) was pregnant. In this honor-based culture, she had brought great shame upon him. Mary was worthy of public shame and, according to Lev. 20:10, perhaps even death. Faced with this terrible circumstance, Joseph did not seek to avenge himself, but he also did not become paralyzed with inaction. Rather, he sought to divorce her quietly, bearing up under the shame in order to protect her.
In the midst of this agonizing time, an angel appeared to him and explained to him the realities of what was occurring. Joseph’s response was one of faith, believing that this was the plan of the Lord. He then followed that faith up with obedience, taking Mary for his wife and naming the child as he was instructed.
Joseph’s actions contrast with Adam, and his willingness to bear Mary’s shame and additionally share the perception of guilt beautifully pictures for us the work that his son would one day accomplish.
Join us this Sunday as we consider these events of the Christmas story in light of the OT background of Genesis. All of God’s Word is meant to point us towards His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Soli Deo Gloria.
-Thomas