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The Line of the Messiah Through Judah
-- T O R A H P O R T I O N --
The story of Joseph finally began last Shabbat. He was loved by Jacob more than all his other sons. That is why Jacob made him a tunic, which caused his brothers to hate and envy him.
It reached a point where Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers and father, which only made them hate him even more—and Jacob rebuked him. The envy and hatred of Joseph’s brothers led to their decision to sell him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They then took Joseph to Egypt.
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Our Torah portion shifts focus to Judah and Tamar, momentarily interrupting the story of Joseph. Among Jacob’s twelve sons, both Joseph and Judah play significant roles in the coming of Messiah Yeshua. Joseph's hardship reflects the suffering of Yeshua—persecuted, betrayed, and sacrificed as the Lamb.
Since Reuben, Simeon, and Levi had fallen out of favor due to their wickedness and Joseph was gone, Judah now stepped forward and assumed the role of firstborn. He left his brothers, met the daughter of Shua—a Canaanite woman—and married her. Recall how Abraham instructed his servant Eliezer not to get a wife for Isaac from the Canaanites (Genesis 24:3–4), and how Noah cursed Ham, the father of Canaan, in Genesis 10.
Shua bore Judah three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. But Er, the eldest, died because of his wickedness. These three sons, in my understanding, were not suitable to carry the line of the covenant promise due to their Canaanite heritage. Despite Judah’s choices, Adonai still intervened. When Er died, Tamar was left a widow. Judah instructed Onan to perform the duty of a brother-in-law and raise offspring for his brother—this is known as levirate marriage.
However, Onan spilled his seed on the ground, displeasing Adonai, who also took his life. Judah promised Tamar that she could marry Shelah once he matured, but he failed to keep his word. Again, we see how Adonai YHVH intervenes.
First, after the death of Judah’s wife, he went to Timnah for comfort. Tamar heard the news. Her name means “palm tree,” which has a wide root—something I’ll elaborate on later. I recall other instances where Adonai allowed women to act boldly to fulfill His promises: Sarah laughed at Adonai’s promise of a son, but it still came to pass. Rebekah helped Jacob impersonate Esau to receive the blessing. Similarly, Tamar removed her widow's garments, veiled herself, and deceived Judah. This echoes Jacob’s deception with goat skin to imitate Esau and Joseph’s brothers deceiving Jacob using his colorful coat. In each of these cases, garments were used for deception.
Second, when Judah discovered that Tamar was pregnant by him, he realized his failure to keep his promise. Tamar was desperate because she had been betrothed to Shelah. But Adonai used this situation to show that the promised Seed would not come through Judah’s three sons or his Canaanite wife, but through Tamar and her son Perez.
Tamar’s name, meaning “palm tree,” holds deeper significance. Here are some characteristics of a palm tree that connect us to Messiah Yeshua:
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Wide Roots: In Matthew 1:1–16, we see the deep roots of Yeshua’s genealogy, tracing from Abraham to David, and ultimately to Yeshua. Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and the line continues through Rahab, Ruth, and others—both Jews and Gentiles—until it reaches Yeshua.
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Symbol of Victory: Palm leaves represent victory. When Yeshua entered Jerusalem, people waved palm branches and shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” This affirmed Him as the victorious King from the tribe of Judah.
Here are some verses that confirm Yeshua’s origin from the tribe of Judah:
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Hebrews 7:14 – “For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.”
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Revelation 5:5 – “But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’”
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Matthew 2:6 / Micah 5:2 – “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.”
Are all these events coincidences—or were they planned by Adonai? Imagine if Onan had fulfilled the levirate marriage—his child with Tamar would have received Judah's inheritance. Or if they had no child, Onan might have inherited everything himself. But if Tamar and Onan had conceived, would their child still have been Yeshua, the promised Messiah?
Yet, the gracious and omnipotent Adonai sustains even the brokenness and deception in this Torah portion. Only He can bring forth redemption from human failure. This story is indeed a step toward Yeshua’s ancestry. The journey of salvation continues through Tamar, to Perez, to David, and ultimately to Yeshua.
Adonai’s covenant endures, not through the perfection of man, but through His sovereign mercy and faithfulness to His promise.
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
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The Haftarah chosen for our Torah portion (Isaiah 37:31–37) reinforces the covenantal theme of God preserving a righteous remnant—a clear parallel to Genesis 38, where Adonai ensures the continuation of the Messianic line through Tamar and Judah.
But in Isaiah 37, we see Adonai’s swift and sovereign response. Through the prophet Isaiah, God promises that a surviving remnant of the house of Judah will take root downward and bear fruit upward (v. 31). And true to His word, the Angel of the LORD strikes down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, sending King Sennacherib fleeing back to Nineveh in defeat.
As Tim Hegg insightfully comments, “The destruction of the Assyrian forces was not a reward of Judah’s righteousness, but that He defended the city of Jerusalem ‘for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David’ (v. 35).” Even in their disobedience, God showed mercy to Judah—not because of their merit, but because of His covenant faithfulness.
Despite their overwhelming power, King Hezekiah of Judah sought Adonai YHVH. Through the prophet Isaiah, Adonai assured him that a remnant would survive, and He would defend Jerusalem.
We learn two lessons here:
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Consult Adonai in times of trouble – Hezekiah prayed, asking Adonai to save them so that all nations would know that YHVH alone is God.
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Believe in His Word – Adonai promised to defend Jerusalem for His sake and for the sake of David.
The strength of the remnant is not in their numbers, but in the One who defends them. One faithful prayer can hold back an army.
When Adonai intervenes in your life, is your heart moved to repentance—or comforted into complacency?
God’s covenant faithfulness is not earned by righteousness but upheld for His name’s sake. His mercy is not a shield for sin, but a summons to repentance.
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
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It says “Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men”.
The connection of this parsha lies in tracing the origin of Yeshua.
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In the Torah, Judah fathered Perez through Tamar.
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In the Haftarah, Adonai preserved a remnant from the house of Judah.
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In the Apostolic, Matthew begins with the genealogy of Yeshua, the Promised Messiah from the tribe of Judah.
“But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
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