Devotional 9/14/07 ActiveWord

Judah's Journey

So Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him . . . .' --Genesis 37:26-27 (NKJV)

Joseph's brothers were sick of him. Not only was he their father's undisputed favorite, but lately Joseph had begun to have dreams of them bowing down to him. The mere presence of Joseph became an increasingly difficult burden for them to bear, and so at the first opportunity to get rid of him, they threw him into a pit and left him for dead.

Off on the horizon, they spotted a caravan of traders headed for Egypt. Judah had the idea to make some money by selling Joseph as a slave; this reveals an important insight into Judah's self-centered nature.

Fast-forward twenty years, and now the roles are reversed. Joseph had become the second most powerful man in Egypt, and through a set of divinely ordained events, his brothers are forced to approach him and beg for food. They don't recognize Joseph, but he recognizes them. Amazingly, he did not seek revenge but sought reconciliation with them. But before there could be reconciliation, he needed to see transformation, so Joseph set up a test to see if their hearts had changed over the years.

He gave them the same opportunity to selfishly sell out one of their other brothers for their own benefit, and it is Judah (the one with the greatest guilt) who rises up and offers to suffer in another's place (Genesis 44:33). By doing so, Judah demonstrated that his heart had made the journey from the place of being self-centered to the place of being selfless. Joseph wept at this point because he now knew that the transformation was complete and that the door to reconciliation was finally open.

The change that we witness in Judah is a hint of what ought to happen in us as we become new creations in Christ. Our old motives for personal profit are exchanged for a desire to profit and benefit others. Interestingly enough, Judah's name means 'praise,' which is also our natural reaction toward God as He works this transformation in us.



DIG - What was Judah's journey?

DISCOVER - Do other people see you as self-centered or selfless?

DISPLAY - How can you make a personal sacrifice for someone else today?