JOSEPH

MODULE 4: SESSION 16: Judah’s Offering

The Hebrew words for “divination” and “snake,” nakhash, are spelled with the same letters. Yoseph’s cup of divination identifies him as the disguised tester, but instead of a trap, his test provides an opportunity for his brothers to do the right thing. Throughout Genesis, when the son is lost through death or exile, it is only when a chosen son gives up their life and is replaced by a sacrificial substitute that the story of God’s purposes moves forward. The portrait of the two brothers, Yoseph and Yehudah, is really about one thing—a beloved son who gives up his own life as a substitute for many so all might be saved.