Genesis 38

I have honestly never seen a sermon series on Genesis that has ever included Gen 38

By itself it has been preached on as:
1. A demonstration of the unbelief of the family of Israel
2. A interlude to show us that the line of Christ would come via Judah
3. Comparisons with the story of Ruth (here's an interesting one - http://the48files.blogspot.com/2008/04/judah-and-tamar-retold.html)
4. Moses makes an error (!?)
5. Chronological necessity

Yet no one seems to want to explain why Judah & Tamar are interposed into the story of Joseph's life - my guess is because they don't see everything being about Jesus

So here's my attempt at it... (feel free to criticise)

Gen 37
- We start of with Joseph - the picture or type of Christ - Son of His Father
- His first coat - the coat of many colours - the splendour/glory He had with His Father - even before the world began
- We see him dream of exaltation - the Lamb that would be exalted on high
- Yet his brothers - the first shepherds - would hate him for that dream, he knows they would kill him, and through him into the pit, they would claim a lion has devoured him - Christ knows that the Lamb has to be slain before the foundation of the world

- Then so it begins - he is sold into slavery into Egypt - and indeed out of Egypt He would be called
- Now we take a look at Judah - the rejected shepherd - dwelling in the land of Canaan, loving the Canaanites - allied with such despicable angels
- There is no fruit for this Adam - his alliance with the wicked will only lead to death - and so his seed produced only bad fruit, and the tree is cut down and thrown into the fire
- Yet the promised one will come out from this Adam - not through a normal conception - but a through a strange intercourse!
- So the one who is a prostitute, spurned by the her lovers, comes into a secret birth - she is given seed from one who is higher than her husband, her father even
- Her child is unrecognisable, veiled for who He is, with only a scarlet thread to mark his line, although the wood, the seal and the cord would identify her prodigy
- her husband wants to reject her, but cannot, for her line is that of the Messiah
- it is He who is called the breach - the one who will tear down the dividing wall, and bring those who dwell in Canaan to God

- Then Joseph, born in Canaan, sent to Egypt, grows in favour and in stature with God and men
- an innocent man then accused - delivered up for the transgressions of others - rejecting the temptations of the whore of Babylon
- after a little while He is risen again - condemning the flesh, and offering wine again to His master on high - Joseph's vision is beginning to come into reality
- He is exalted back to the one who is the true King - and sends out others in a time of famine to show them where they all may find bread

So that's my sketchy understanding of the story of Christ in Gen 37-40

More of the rest of the story can be found on Prentice's sermon on Gen 40-41

There's also an excellent book by Octavius Winslow (late 19th Century) (but I have yet to read it)