Judah and Tamar, Genesis 38

Joseph is the Ante-type of Jesus and because there is so much we can learn from Joseph then, is it not even more marvellous what Jesus, Himself, says and what we can learn from Him?

Matthew 11:29-30
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

John 10:7-11
7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Now, both of these verses and many more, by the way, ring true and parallel to Joseph’s word in Genesis 50:20-21.

Now, between the story of Joseph and his enslavement and his rise to power, we find one chapter that seems entirely out of character at first glance, and that is Genesis Chapter 38. It is as if it is almost thrown in between the narrative of Joseph’s life story, but at first glance, it seems as if it does not make any sense insofar as having anything to do with Joseph’s narrative.
Now, as we consider this account of Judah and Tamar and as we take a closer look at it, we will find that it is actually not as interruptive as it seems to be. In other words, it actually bolsters and fortifies the narrative of Joseph’s life. In fact, as we will soon see, this story has everything to do with Jesus Christ – the promised Messiah – just as much as the story of Joseph has.

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