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In the last article we learned that Jacob was deceived by his sons. He was told that his favorite son Joseph had been killed by some ferocious animal. After this horrific ordeal, Jacob has now fallen into a world of deep sorrow. Now we will have to pause this Sacred Account for a moment and take a closer look at a few other things first. In order to do this we will move away from the account of Joseph for a moment, since the Scriptures has now placed our attention on the historic account of Judah. Personally I feel that this is a very important Sacred Record, since it was the family lineage of Judah that Jesus [Yeshua] Christ would eventually come from. Understand that normally when this Sacred Account is taught and preached on, I find that the main focus is often times placed on the events that happened between Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that the account of Judah and Tamar to be a very important record. But I also find that the occurrences that had happened earlier in Judah's life that leads up to Tamar are just as important. Keep in mind that this Sacred Account is one of those that seem to be placed out of the proper order of sequences, being that it starts before Joseph was sold into slavery. Now it's these types of accounts that Bible critics try to use when they want to bring trivial and frivolous objections to the Word of God. So therefore, some Bible teachers and Christian leaders might try to gloss over certain biblical accounts, or just ignore these types of records that are found within the Word of God. I must admit that the thought of glossing over this one particular record, had crossed my mind. The reason for the pause in action, deals with the account of Joseph, being that it seems to be more interesting and engaging when it comes to one's mind. Simply put, I didn't want to bore you. But when it comes to the Word of God, everything that can be found within its Sacred Covers are immensely valuable and these are the things that are so wonderful and mysterious when it comes to God's Word. Make no mistake the Sacred Record causes one to reach beyond the surface of simple reason, logic and rational thinking and venture forth into the realm, of what most would call "the impossible." I like to think that if we never push ourselves to go beyond the natural when it comes to our thinking process, then we will be forever limited to the natural boundaries that surrounds us. Understand that as I started to delve deeper and began to peel back the simple Sacred Text layers, when it came to these particular passages. I would ask myself: "Why the extra detail when it comes to Judah's family history? And why not the same detail for Jacob's other sons when it came to theirs?" As I continued my journey, I began to discover some very interesting information. First let me point out that this Sacred Record goes back before Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. This is very important to know, since we are actually taken back to a time when Judah himself was around the age of seventeen. Now pay close attention, because it's right here at the very beginning of the account within the thirty-eight chapter, if you're not careful you can be thrown completely off when it comes to the actual time period that this passage is referring to: "At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah." -- (Genesis 38:1) Being that this Scripture is placed right after the account of Joseph being sold into slavery, you would assume that Judah had left his brothers soon after this deceitful account of betrayal had happened against Joseph. But in actuality this Scripture is pointing to an earlier time period, when Judah had left his brothers once before. After reading that last statement one could put forth the question: "Why so? Why not begin Judah's account from the time that Joseph was sold?" And you know what, if one were to be honest, they would have to admit that this is a very good question. So let me try to answer it from what I gathered when it comes to the awesomeness of God's Word. First we must keep in mind that Judah and his genealogy gains special attention throughout the Sacred Scriptures, for the mere fact that our Lord Jesus Christ will eventually come from the family lineage of Judah. I know that I stated this before, but its important information to know, being that this is the whole reason why I begun these online studies from within the Old Testament and not from the New Testament, like most would do. You have to understand and see how Jesus (Yeshua) Christ is just as much, part of the Old Testament, as he is of the New Testament. To put it simply, the Old Testament is the foundation of everything that the New Testament is built upon. And the New Testament is the confirmation and fulfillment of everything that the Old Testament had foretold and promised. This is why we must learn to have patience when it comes to God's Word. When we begin our studies in the New Testament, we seem to get immediate answers when it comes to our eternal salvation and who Jesus is. Notice how I used the word "seem" for how can you know and appreciate what the gift of eternal salvation truly is, if you don't know about the history of fallen humanity? How can you stand strong and courageous for Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, if you don't know about the divine promises and the historic events that took place throughout this Great Book that spoke about Him? What about the prophecies that were foretold that laid forth the path of great expectations that Jesus would later meet and fulfill through physical and divine confirmations? Having a good understanding of the Old Testament will help you to stand and have faith without doubt when it comes to who Jesus is. Once you see how Jesus fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy that was foretold about the coming Messiah, there will be no more second guessing when it comes to Him and the eternal salvation that you now enjoy, because of the tremendous blood sacrifice that He made for us. Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with Bible teachers, or church leaders who start their studies in the New Testament. In fact as Bible teachers, we are trained and taught that this is what we are supposed to do. And I must say, for I know it's true, that the four gospels of Christ are definitely powerful and transforming and they must be consumed daily. I will never speak out, or against, when it comes to how one is being lead by God's Spirit, especially when it comes to their ministry. I'm just pointing out, why I personally like to start in the Old Testament, nothing more than that. So please understand that I'm not trying to be critical of any church leader, or Bible teacher in any way, shape or form - for we're all fighting along side each other in the good-fight of Truth. I just wanted to point out the importance of the Old Testament and why it shouldn't be avoided when it comes to our biblical studies. I also wanted to point out why Judah gets the special attention over the other eleven brothers when it comes to his genealogy, being that he's directly connected with Jesus (Yeshua) Christ. Judah's account is one of many that take place in the Old Testament that helps to add to the facts and substance of why we stand courageously for Jesus, just like He stood courageously for us on Calvary. Now I wasn't expecting to type all of that - well, maybe I was? And since this article is getting a little long, I will move forward with the actual historic account of Judah in my next one - I promise. Jacob - The Path of Uncertainty **YOUR CURRENT - BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES - WOULD BE HERE**
69) Joseph the Interpreter of Dreams 71) Joseph & The Pit of Darkness 72) Jacob the Father of Sorrow 73) <-CURRENT PAGE-> 76) Tamar's Revenge 78) Joseph the Servant of Favor 79) Potiphar's Wife Pursues Joseph 82) The Dreaming Cupbearer & Baker 84) Joseph's Dark Dreams Interpretation 85) Joseph the Overseer of Egypt 
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