Tribal Characteristics. Are you from Judah? (23 October 2017, 3 Heshvan, 5778)
Continued from All 12-Judah-1
Contents:
1. The Qualities and Vulnerability of Judah
2. Poem by Lord George Byron
3. Judah and Joseph
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1. The Qualities and Vulnerability of Judah
In our previous chapter, Are You From Judah?-1,
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/all12judah-1.html
we began the analysis of Judah.
We considered the following headings.
(1. What Israelite Tribes are there among the Jews?
(2. The Name Judah: Gratitude, Acknowledgement, Spiritual Inclinations
(3. What may we learn from the Joseph Incident?
(4. What may we learn from the Case of Tamar?
We found Judah to have the following qualities:
Judah is spiritually inclined, both rational and mystical, acknowledges the truth, and owns up to his faults.
There are ALSO Jews who are atheists and materialistic. They are not however indifferent.
Judah is often a leader. Judah Values Human Life. Judah also values Money.
Judah May lack fraternity or may have it, in different contexts.
Judah has Leadership Potential. He is also subject to Vulnerability and sensitivity.
We mentioned that,
He is also liable to slip up. He takes responsibility but there are may be things he has to take responsibility for!
This led us to warn against dwelling on any negative traits that Judah may have.
There are many anti-Semites, i.e. Judeophobes. Anything that is the least bit critical of Judah is liable to be taken out of context and exaggerated.
This reminds us that Judah is vulnerable. Judah is vulnerable BECAUSE he does not deny who he is and has not abandoned belief in One God and the Bible message!
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2. Poem by Lord George Byron
The English poet, Lord George Byron, expressed the vulnerability of Judah and the faithfulness to God that Underlies it.
Were My Bosom as False as
Thou Deem'st It To Be
by George Gordon, Lord Byron
(From Hebrew Melodies - 1815)
1
Were my bosom as false as thou deem'st it to be,
I need not have wander'd from far Galilee;
It was but abjuring my creed to efface
The curse which, thou say'st, is the crime of my race.
2
If the bad never triumph, then God is with thee!
If the slave only sin, thou art spotless and free!
If the Exile on earth is an Outcast on high,
Live on in thy faith, but in mine I will die.
3
I have lost for that faith more than thou canst bestow,
As the God who permits thee to prosper doth know;
In his hand is my heart and my hope, and in thine
The land and the life which for him I resign.
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3. Judah and Joseph
Meanwhile Joseph went down into Egypt. In Egypt Joseph rose from being a slave to become the second most important person the country.
Joseph had predicted the world-wide famine that had occurred and he had prepared Egypt for it. The Land of Canaan wherein Jacob and his sons dwelt was suffering from the famine along with Egypt and the rest of the world.
In Genesis chapter 42 we hear how Jacob sent 10 of his remaining 11 sons to go down to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin the full brother of Joseph he did not sent but kept with him.
The brothers came before Joseph who was in charge of the sale of cereal to outsiders. They did not recognize him but Joseph knew who they were.
Joseph questioned them, accused them of being spies, then incarcerated Simeon, and sent the rest home with grain.
He told them not to return unless their younger brother, Benjamin, come with them.
When their supplies ran out and they need to buy more Jacob did not want to let them go back with Benjamin.
He was afraid that something would happen to him in the same way as it seemed had occurred with Joseph.
Reuben offered the lives of his two sons as surety for the safety of Benjamin yet Jacob refused (Genesis 42:37).
Finally as the situation grew worse Judah took the task of persuasion upon himself.
Genesis 43:
8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, 'Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.'
So they went to Egypt with Benjamin.
Joseph received them and then falsely accused Benjamin of stealing his cup.
He told the brothers they could go with their supply of grain but Benjamin would have to stay and serve as a slave.
Judah argued with Joseph. He said that their father Jaacob was dependent on Benjamin and if he did not return with them the heart would nreak.
Judah offered himself as a slave in place of Benjamin.
Genesis 44:
30 'Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life, 31 it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. 32 For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.' 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?'
Upon hearing this Joseph broke down, revealed to the brothers who he was and became reconciled with them.
We see from this whole episode how Judah takes over the leadership, Judah conducts the proceedings,. Judah takes responsibility and is prepared to carry it through no matter what the consequences to himself.
These are a recurring character traits with Judah, i.e. taking responsibility for others, concern for others, self-sacrifice for a higher cause.
To be Continued!
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Some Additional Sources:
Why The Jews Are Judah! Proof that the Present-Day Jews are the Judah of Scripture.
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/jew/judah.html
Extract:
The Twelve Points Identifying Judah
We see that Judah means the Jews due to Twelve Points:
1. Possession of Coastal Palestine (Zephaniah ch.2).
2. Judah in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:14).
3. An Old-New Nation (Atlneuland cf. Genesis 49: 8-12)
4. The Jews will have been persecuted (Zechariah 1:15, Zechariah 8:13, Isaiah ch.53, Isaiah 42:10, Psalm 44:22).
5. The Jews will have kept the Law (Psalms 60:9, 108:90; Genesis 49:10; Zechariah 8:23).
6.The Jews will have kept the Fasts (Zechariah 8:19).
7. The Jews will be known as Israel (Isaiah 48:1).
8. The Jews of Judah will Return before the Ten Tribes (Micah 4:8 cf. Hosea 6:10).
9. Judah will always be recognized as Judah [Genesis 49:10] T
10. The Ten Tribes would get Lost, not Judah (Genesis 34:10 cf, Isaiah 24:3, 49:13-14, 21 Hosea 1:8, Jeremiah 3:6-7).
11. In their Places of Exile Judah will have been defenceless, Hosea 1:7, Psalm 44:22.
12. In the End Times Judah will assert himself (Isaiah 63).
25 Jewish Identifiers
Proofs that the Jews of Today are Judah of the Bible
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/jew/judahjews.html
23 Identifiers. Expanded Version. Proofs that the Jews of Today are Judah of the Bible
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/jew/25expanded.html
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See Also:
Tribes Identified 1
(Cheat Sheet) 1. Ephraim; 2. Manasseh; 3. Reuben; 4. Simeon; 5. Levi; 6. Yehudah
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/tribescheat1.html
Tribes Identified 2
(Cheat Sheet) 7. Issachar; 8. Zebulon; 9. Gad; 10. Asher; 11. Dan; Parallel Settlement whereby Relative Geographical Alignments Confirm Tribal Identifications. 12. Benjamin; 13. Naphtali
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/tribescheat2.html
All 12. The First Six. Tribal Characteristics
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/6tribe1.html
Yehudah, Issachar, Zebulon, Reuben, Simeon, Levi
All 12. Eight Tribes. Tribal Characteristics
http://hebrewnations.com/articles/tribes/more8.html
Levi, Joseph, Ephraim, Manasseh, Binyamin, Dan, Asher, NaphtaliÂ