In the Tanakh or Hebrew Scriptures the joint appellation of 'Ephraim and Judah' was used to generally refer to the two Kingdoms of the Hebrews, that is the Northern Kingdom of Israel being Ephraim and his companions and the Kingdom of Judah being Judah and his companions. 'Ephraim and Judah' was most frequently employed by the Prophets or Nevi'im in the Hebrew Scriptures. Other similar joint references which implied the same were such as 'Israel and Judah' and even 'Joseph and Judah' (Sechariah 10:6 & 1 Chronicals 5:1-2). For it is between the two sons of Jacob, Joseph and Judah, that the rivilary took hold. But even before that there was a conflict between Jacob's sister wives of Leah and Rachel. Yet, in terms of the two kingdoms of the Hebrews, the names of Ephraim, Joseph and Israel are used interchangeably in relationship to the kingdom of Judah. So some care should be taken to determin if such as Ephraim and Joseph and even Israel is being used to identify a kingdom or an individual or even in a tribal context rather than in a 'kingdom' context. A few examples where Ephraim and Judah are used related to the two kingdoms may be seen in Isaiah 7:17; 9:21; 11:13; Hosea 5:5; 6:4: 10:11; 11:12; Ezekiel 37:16-19; Zechariah 9:13; and 10:6.

Famous or infamous is the jealousy, envy, vexation and strife between Judah and Joseph or later Ephraim as Israel and Judah. If one fully accepts the Jewish perspective as held in the Jewish compiled Bible, it was Ephraim or Israel who 'rebelled' against the house of David (1 Kings 12:19 & 2 Chronicles 10:19) which caused the division between the two kingdoms. And little is made of Rehoboam not giving just hear to the complaints of the people and of his unrighteous oppression of the people which is of record in those same two chapters.

But perhaps what is more important is when did the 'wedge' which eventuated into the division first begin? What jealousy and envy did but first give rise to the competition between Joseph/Ephraim and Judah? When and based upon what did this jealousy, envy and sibling rivalry begin? And how did it develop over the years and into the posterity of Judah and Joseph. And just how is it that the Jewish Old Testament is able to proclaim that Judah did prevail over Joseph or Ephraim? And how will it eventually be resolved?

Perhaps as with most feelings of the children, it can be looked to the attitudes of the parents. Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah. Rachel was Jacob's wife of choice and Leah was Laban's trick exercised upon Jacob. And Leah had the unique experience of first hand knowing with what additional feelings Jacob did love Rachel as it was Leah who Jacob did spend the wedding night with supposing her to be Rachel. Whether Leah ever again did experience such feelings of love and pasion from Jacob again as experienced in the name of her sister is doubtful.

Strife Between Sister Wives

Jacob had and would always love Rachel more. The scriptural accoupt clearly lays out this rivalry of Leah striving to whoo Jacob from her younger sister Rachel. And Rachel full felt doubly the rub of the situation, as she was beside being at odds with her sister over the matter, she also was left for a number of years barren of child. The most lasting effect upon the children over the envy and strife felt would have rested upon the heads of the first 10 sons of Jacob, primarily being Leah's own children and the children of the two comcubines. And Rachel would have been the brunt of the envy and vexation, for when she did bare Joseph, Jacob did love Joseph more than any of his first 10 sons.

Rachel's burden was mostly lefted when at last, Joseph was born. It was after the birth of Joseph that Jacob then desired to return to the land of his fathers. And while Joseph was still a very young child, the company set out to return to the land of Jacob. Rachel was expecting another child during this journey. And the journey was long and before the journey's end the child was delivered but Rachel died after giving birth to her second son Benjamin. Thus what envy which the other sons felt toward Joseph which was caused by the feelings of the parents would have come more lastingly from Leah's resentment of Rachel and the love which Jacob had towards her.

True, Jacob did show a favored disposition toward Joseph, and with the failing of Rueben as the firstborn, Jacob may have already determined that the blessing of the firstborn and birthright would fall upon Joseph, his other firstborn son of his wife of preference. And Jacob may have indicated as much by his presentation to Joseph the coat of rainbow colors which symbolized the everlasting covenant held through the fathers. And not only did Jacob's bestowal of the coat of many colors single Joseph out, but Joseph's own phrophetic dreams did also set himself as the head of the family of Israel. Thus Joseph's brothers began to resent the heir apparent. And with Rueben's defiling his father's bed and Levi and Simeon disgracing the family in being murderous; the next son of Leah to have any claim against Joseph would have been her fourth son Judah.

Between Joseph and Judah, it was Judah who was the first to envy and to be jealous of Joseph. Joseph was Judah's obsticle to everything which Judah did covet and desire to poscess. Rueben was Jacob's firstborn son, but Rueben, because of his greivious sexual sin (Genesis 35:22; 49:3-4; 1 Chronicles 5:1-2), he did forfeit the right to the birthright of the firstborn son. This set it free to be reassigned to another of Jacob's sons. The next two sons of Leah in line were Simeon and Levi. In terms of worthiness to the birthright, both Simeon and Levi did fall way short as they also sinned by committing many murders and thus brought great shame upon Jacob and the house of Israel (Genesis 34:25-30). This left Judah, Jacob's fourth son next in line of Leah's sons to be considered for the birthright blessings.

But just as Judah may have considered it to be within his grasp, it became obvious that Joseph, Jacob's firstborn son of Rachel was striding into the limelight, and had assumed the number one position for the birthright and firstborn blessings of the fathers. As discussed fully in item 6, this 'birthright' consisted of all the blessings associated with the Covenant of Abraham in addition to receiving two lots or shares of inheritence of the father's possessions. When Jacob had gained the birthright from Esau, Jacob was seeking the associated blessings of the covenant and was not so concerned with the additional wealth involved.

This was likely the same type of perspective that Laman and Lenuel had when it had become obvious that Nephi had been choosen over them. They did not want their younger brother to rule over them and obtain the birthright blessing of the double portion and to be the head of the house. Neither did Judah desire to have Joseph to be his ruler and inherit above he, the elder brother. In this Joseph was prepared to recieve that which God only could bestow and Judah did envy and covet his younger brother's position of inheritance.

After the bestowal of the rainbow coat of many colors, the 'rainbow of colors' being the visual symbol of the covenant, it was then also the prophetic dreams of Joseph setting himself out to be the chosen ruler over the family, the inheriter of the Covenant of Abraham, and the rightful ancestor to the Messiah. The Bible recounts two of these dreams as Joseph's dream of the sheaves (Genesis 37:5-8) and Joseph's dream of the sun, moon and stars (Genesis 37:9-10). And then Jewish tradition recounts at least one more such dream which may indicate that Joseph may have had other such dreams and prophecies during this youthful period even as Nephi had in his youth.

These dreams of Joseph implied that it would be Joseph who was to 'rule' over his older brothers and obtain the birthright blessings of the Covenant of Abraham. It was not just the fact of the coat of many colors, like the rainbow token of that everlasting covenant, it was the fact that Jacob by presenting such a coat to Joseph, had indicated that it was to Joseph to whom the birthright blessings of the covenant would be given. And out of the sons of Jacob it would have been Judah who had the most to gain or lose due to the future fate of Joseph. Or at least from Judah's perspective this would have been the case.

When the opportunity presented itself, in his heart and in the spirit of the secret combination plan of Cain against Abel, it would seem to have been Judah who could see the opportunity to 'murder and get gain' by the slaying of his younger brother Joseph. Yet, it was Rueben, despite his previous greiveous sexual sin, who stepped forward as the eldest brother and put an end to the death plot against Joseph. And Rueben set in his mind to effect the plan to hold Joseph in the pit and then to come and retrieve him from it to return Joseph unharmed to his father Jacob. But in Rueben's absense, Judah now not able to murder Joseph, saw another opportunity to sell Joseph into slavery for 20 pieces of silver, the price of a slave in that day. This was an act that would be repeated when Judas (Judah) did sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, the price of a slave in Jesus' day. Thus Joseph was gone, sold to a likely early death as a slave and into a state wherein Joseph's freedom of agancy would be greatly restricted. And for considered intensive purposes, Joseph was dead to the house of Jacob and no longer the hier apparent to rule in Israel.

By this action, Judah thought to gain the birthright, but this very act proved him unworthy to receive it. Yet we later read in the Jewish Bible, according to its compilers, that Judah in his rivalry with the house of Joseph/Ephraim/Israel did prevail above his brethren (including Joseph) to the extent that the 'chief ruler' of Israel came out of Judah, the house of Leah and not of the house of Joseph. But how, when and by what right did Judah obtain this postion? And it is by the 'prevailing' that Judah does claim to be the ancestor of the Messiah.

So now, at just what point and how did Judah consider that Judah had prevailed? Was it upon Boaz's taking of the wife of Mahlon and raising up Obed? The Jewish compilers have well hide the true lawful parentage of Obed as being Mahlon, by placing Boaz, a surrogate performer to be his legal parent. Or is it when David chose Judah over Israel, thus ignoring Israel's greater right in David. Or was it when, because of the unrighteous rule and burden to be placed upon Israel by Rehoboam they refused him to be their king. All such events have over tones in the Jewish compiled scriptures which portray the events in a favorable manner to exhibit Judah 'prevailing' over his brethren. Or was it because the northern tribes of Israel did loose their identity in the world by being scattered while the Jews did but keep their identity as a people? Does any of this 'prevailing' take away the right of the firstborn in Israel given through Joseph and thence to Ephraim as stated in Jeremiah 31:9 or as stated in 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 that his 'prevailing but yeilded Judah to be the chief ruler but that the birthright did remain Joseph's. And was it not that very 'genealogy that was in dispute between Judah and Joseph, that the birthright remained Joseph's even in lost exile, but because Judah remain and David had chosen Judah, only Judah was left to claim that genealogical ancestry to the Messiah to come?

Yes, Judah, meaning the tribe of Judah did prevail in stages and to a 'limited' extent above his brethren. As just referenced Judah never did prevail in obtaining the birthright as so stated in 1 Chronicles 5:2, "For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's." And as stated in verse 1, the " . . . birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel . . . ". And it was Ephraim who was set before Manasseh under the hand of Jacob to whom the fulness of the birthright did fall (Genesis 48).

But in what did Judah prevail? Obed was legally of the house of the dead Mahlon as such seed being raised up to the dead and was noted by the community inhabitants as being the 'son of the living Naomi'. Boaz was but the surrogate birthing bloodline father, and by the law of Moses, Obed was of the house of Mahlon and Elimelech, who were Ephrathites/Ephraimites. But by the time of David, it became a rivalry of who would David choose? His blood kinsmen of Judah who had initially supported him while the house of Saul was yet king by that first anointing of Samuel. Yet as heir of Mahlon, David ought to have been so consider as the son of the covenant by right of inheritance, the right to the birthright of Joseph. It should be noted that before David selected his 'earthly' lot to be with Judah in 2 Samuel 19, he had already lost his eternal position in heaven and perhaps in his mind to be the worthy son of the covenant, by his acts of sin in relationship to Uriah and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel chapter 11. And while David would become known to be the 'royal' ancestor of Christ, the priesthood by right of the covenant would come by Jesse as set out in Isaiah chapter 11 and D&C section 113. So David's selection of Judah over Israel/Ephraim as previously recorded was more for earthly considerations than for any matter of eternal concern. The Lord would not even allow David to be the one to build the Lord's temple as David was a man of blood. And it was the tribe of Judah at that time that held Jerusalem where David palace was and likely the place he desired his the rest of his earthly rule to be. Just what all David did consider in his own mind in his selection of Judah over Israel/Ephraim/Joseph; the facts are these which are here given to be.

Now thus we've seen that the rivalry between the two siblings of Joseph and Judah did exist over a period of time and over various matters. Perhaps the wedge was first set in the jealosy and envy of Leah towards the love that Jacob did have for Rachel above her. The wedge was driven deeper by Judah's covetous hatred of his younger brother Joseph, Joseph being too young and with no reason to hate his brothers back. Joseph even forgave his brothers, including Judah for their sins against him. But the wedge remained. Caleb and Joshua where the only ones to have lasted the Hebrews journey in the wilderness. Moses selected Joshua of Ephraim over Caleb of Judah to next reign as the leading prophet of Israel. Caleb, a righteous man, likely felt no envy of Joshua. But what was the rest of the House of Judah's feelings to have an Ephraimite to be their leader?

Joshua did give Zelzah of the site of Rachel's Tomb at what would become known as Bethlehem to the tribe of Benjamin, along with the right to the city of Jerusalem. Before King David and King Saul, the tribe of Benjamin had been reduced to 600 men by a questionable act of civil war against the tribe of Benjamin. This fact that Zelzah/Rachel's Tomb and Jerusalme was given to the tribe of Benjamin was discussed in item number 9. The topic of presentation of this text is that Obed, Jesse, David, an Christ where legally of the house of Joseph through Ephraim, being Ephrathites. But by bloodline, David was the surrogate provided son of Boaz of Judah. David chose Judah over Ephraim and Judah had lay claims to the lands of Benjamin and report them as their own inheritance lands in their compilation of the Jewish Bible. It is with some distain that the Jewish Bible reports Israel's refusal to follow the wicked overbearing King Rehoboam. The Jewish record keepers stress that by Israel's rejection of Rehoboam, Israel gave up any claim in the house of David. And what claim could that be? That claim and greater right was David was legally of the house of Ephraim. And when Judah became the only remaining tribe, though mixed therein were other tribes of Israel, it all became of 'Judah.' And then Judah ended up claiming all that Judah had envied Ephraim over. But what will the latter day kingdom of God brought forth by Ephraim reveal?

Now Judah did 'prevail' in stages. The first stage may well be considered Jacob's patriarchal blessing upon the head of Judah which did foreshadow what would come to pass as pronounced by the authority and priesthood power of God. Judah was told that his 'father's children would bow down before him." (Genesis 49:8) This Judah had coveted of Joseph ever since Joseph's dreams of the family so bowing down to him. And also Judah was told by Jacob that, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." (Genesis 49:10) 'Between his feet meant Judah's bloodline, which the House of David was. Yet this would only be until Jesus Christ/Shiloh would come. And to whom is that gathering unto in Christ but unto the latter day tribe of Ephraim and his companions?

But this just foreshaddowed what was to eventually to come. Jacob retained the rule of his house until his death in Egypt. And by then Joseph and Joseph's household ruled in Egypt. Thus at no time in Judah's personal life did Judah prevail and rule over his brethren. Certainly Judah did not rule during the captivity of Israel in Eygpt. And it was Moses a Levite by birth and of the house of Joseph by adoptive paranthood (see item number 8 previous. So still, Judah had not prevailed and was at that time subject to Moses' rule as the prophet of God.

After Moses, came Joshua, another of the house of Joseph or the tribe of Ephraim. And certainly the rule of the Judges did not establish Judah as ruling over his brethren, so Judah had not even began to 'prevail'. It would not be until the events of the small book of Ruth that even the first foundatins where laid for the bloodline of Judah to 'prevail' and rule in Israel.

This must be considered the second stage of Judah coming to prevail in Israel. Remember the qualification of Judah's blessing stipulated that a 'scepture of rule would not pass from between Judah's feet.' This meant that the 'Jewish' rulers would be of the 'bloodline' of Judah. They would be by birth descendants of Judah. And when Boaz took Ruth, the wife of Mahlon to wed in order to raise seed to the house of Mahlon and Elimelech, Boaz became the blood parent of the future bloodline 'Jews' who would rule.

But Obed by the law of Moses was legally of the house of Mahlon and Elimelech, Ephrathites. Thus the rightful ancestry by law of Obed, Jesse and David was that they were of the house of Elimelech and not of the house of Boaz. They were not legally of the tribe of Judah though they by blood had passed between the feet of Judah and it was the blood of Judah which did course in their veins. Well at least it did to the extent of having a 'paternal' relationship to Judah. Remember Ruth was a Moabitess, but bloodline genealogies are counted as to the father, not the mother.

Thus the stage was set. Judah's patriarchal blessing had stated it to be so. And now the 'bloodline' of Boaz coursed in the bodies of a house of Ephrathites by his vicarious parenthood of Obed who was legally and rightfully of the house of Mahlon and Elimelech. This set the stage upon which a legal descendant of Joseph and Ephraim could also be of the bloodline of Judah.

Yet Judah had not prevailed to the point that Israel had bowed down to Judah yet. The third stage of this evolutionary process was next in order. After Saul the Benjaminite failed as a righteous king, Samuel did anoint David to be the next King in Israel. But David's first rule was not over all of Israel. Israel remained loyal to Saul until after Sauls death. It was only David's blood relatives, Judah which did support him while Saul yet lived. But then David was accepted by Israel, with Israel stating that David was legally and rightfully of their 'flesh' meaning of the house of Ephraim. And thus the dual ancestry of David did help bring him to power over all of Israel. And this is the first time where Judah did truely begin to 'prevail' in that one of the bloodline of Judah was king over all of Israel.

And later David showed that 'blood was thicker than leagal right' when he chose Judah over Israel. This is the first time that Israel, Ephraim, was upset with Judah. Judah stated that David was 'kin' to them, which he was through Boaz. And Ephraim or Israel stated that they had the 'greater right' in David than did Judah. This referred to David's legal and lawful station as being the seed of the house of Mahlon and Elimelech over Boaz, and that David was an Ephrathite by law and not legally and rightfully of Judah according to the laws of the covenant and of God. And thus the 'agrument' and contention was set in earnest, though Israel would not divide itself from the House of David until after King Solomon.

Stage four could be set out as one or two steps backward after the first three steps forward for Judah prevailing. With the end of Solomon's reign, Nathan the prophet had anointed Jeroboam to become the king of 10 tribes of Israel leaving the Jewish kings with only the tribe of Judah, part of the tribe of Benjamin. and a representatie 'remnant' of some of the tribes of Israel who lived and stayed in the land of Judea and remained subject to Rehoboam. Yet the kingdom was divided, and Jeroboam an Ephraimite now did reign over the 10 tribes of the kingdom of Israel. From the Jewish Bible perspective, it was the fault of Israel which caused this rift. And thus they stated that Ephraim did 'envy' Judah's rule and steal away the northern kingdom. The Jewish perspective takes upon itself no responsibility for the rejection of Israel by King David, King Solomon's abuse of the people to build his kingdom of decadance, or King Rehoboam's pledge to further oppress the people of Israel by unrighteous dominion. All Israel asked was to be treated fairly. And Rehoboam would not do so.

After a prolonged period of divided kingdoms come a fifth stage to Judah 'prevail'. David by right of his legal descent from the house of Joseph, Rachel, and Ephraim, had obtaind the promise from God that the Messiah would come form his Ephraimite seed. He would be the Son of David. And after 721 B.C., Judah had become the only recognizable tribe and kingdom of Israel left. Even the 'remnants' of the other tribes had blended in and taken the name of 'Jew' upon them. And it would be during this period that Judah and its learned Sarim, scribes, priest and Rabbinical Prophets would certainly consider that now Judah had totaly prevailed. And it would be during and/or after the Babylonian take over and captivity that the Jewish Bible would be written and compiled from the records which they had chosen to include and that had survived. Thus with only one tribe left in Israel, certainly they would have considered that Judah now had totally prevailed as they would so record in 1 Chronicals 5:1-2.

Yet they recognize that Ephraim and the blessing of the birthright covenant would come into play though they deliberately insisted that the 'genealogy' [of the Messiah] would be that of the blood line of Judah over the birthright linage of Joseph. The Jews did not recognize Jesus as the Christ when he came. They rejected him. And after that time, they determined to divided the Messiah into two persons rather than the one with dual inheritances of bloodline and covenant right. They knew he was to be a descendent of Joseph through Ephraim, the scriptures had so stipulated. And they also knew that David had obtained the promise that the Messiah would be the Son of Daivd. Unable to reconcile this satisfactory to their intent, as David and the descended Kings from him had long since been considered Jews, born of Boaz a Jew and even though other prophecies stated him to be of Ephraim; they concluded a contrivance that there were to be two Messiah's. Messiah ben Joseph would come first and perform as the 'suffering Messiah', yet they would make that to be in the last days. Then 'their' Messiah of King David would come, and Judah would continue to 'prevail' as their Messiah then named 'David' and NOT 'Jehoshua/Joshua/Jesus', would be the glorious king and Messiah of Israle though also NOT the Son of God.

This to the Jew might well be considered the sixth stage of prevailing. But in reality, this is when the envy, jealousy, and strife between Ephraim and Judah will actually come to an end. For they will both see and under stand that they have both played a role in the one and only Messiah of the world. He was of the blood of Judah through Mary and adopted by Mary's husband Joseph. He was also of the house of Joseph and Ephraim through Mary and her husband Joseph, as that was His legal and rightful house to belong to, as Boaz had raised up Obed to be legally as the seed of the dead. Yet greater still, He was only 'partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of Ephraim, or of the house of Joseph' (D&C 113;4). He was only partly of mortal descent. And his true paternal Father was God the Father. He was the Son of God. He was primarily of the House of God the Father. And thus it is heaven who doeth claim Him above any other lesser claim.

Thus ends the case of Judah prevailing above his brethren. Yet the birthright of the covenant did always remain with Ephraim from Joseph and Jacob, from Isaac and Abraham, and from Noah, Enoch and Adam. On the one hand Judah's pride has been satisfied in that they lay claim to rule and the Messiah, even though the right remained in Ephraim. We will now part from the approach of the 'stages' of Judah's prevailing above his brethren and address the envy, jealousy and strife between Judah and Ephraim from another perspective.

As set out in the patriarchal blessing of Judah and Joseph, there was bound to be a descrepency or dicotomy of interests. But it began long before the blessings given by Jacob. Joseph had had dreams which did foreshadow his position as the rightful leader and inheriter of the blessings of the Fathers, and of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph being placed as head and leader over the sons of Jacob by his dreans even in his youth did only bring the rath of his brothers upon him. Like Nephi who had received the Lords promises of ruling, Joseph was hated and despised of his elder brothers.

Reuben the eldest son of Jacob had thwarted the emotional plan to kill Joseph and he sought to later release Joseph from the pit. But it was Judah who seized upon the moment, and if Joseph was not to be killed, he could well be sold into slavery and therefore never fulfill the blessing of the birthright and covenant of the fathers. Thus through his envy, Judah had sought to vex Joseph and put an end to Joseph's obtaining the covenant blessings and promises of God to Jacob, Isaac, Abraham and of the Fathers before them.

Then when Joseph was again found alive, who was left that would dare to thwart him him as the ruler of all Egypt as assigned by Phaoroh himself? Then Jacob toward the end of his days did bless his sons and the sons of Joseph. And therein a dicotomy was born. Ephraim would receive the rights and blessing of the firstborn which included all the blessings of the Fathers, even the Covenant of Abraham and the right to the ancestry of Christ. But Judah had become the most powerful tribe of Israel. How could Judah's envy be satisfied?

First Jacob stated that the 'scepture' would not pass from between the feet of Judah until Shiloh should come. Only Christ would take the rule from the blood of Judah. And Judah was to reign over Israel. At least this was the words of the blessing which would give the tribe of Judah and the House of Leah some peace and eventual claim to the Messiah, the Christ.

But Joseph through Ephraim was to maintain all the spiritual blessings of the Covenant of Abraham and the promises of the fathers which included the rightful and legal ancestry to the Messiah and King of Israel. How could both Ephraim and Judah riegn and rule in Israel? Such was the very foundations of the eventual division of Israel and Judah in the days to come. Yet through the bloodline of Judah, Judah would lay claim to the House of David as the Royal and ruling Kings and the ancestry to the Messiah as being of the blood of Judah through Mary the mother of Christ who was of the House of David.

Yet, like the story of the two Harlots in King Solomon's court, Judah, the mother by 'vicarious proxy' of the Son of God would actually reject him at his coming. And Judah's leaders would attempt to divide the child assunder by creating two beings of the one child, they being Messiah Ben Joseph and Messiah Ben Judah. And thus they killed the child the Son of God both upon the cross and within their records of learning upon the matter. And Christ was not only rejected by the Jews, but he was made to be that which he was not.

But the true rightful and legal parentage of Christ and the House of David is not that of its vicarious proxy bloodline. For Boaz was taking upon himself the obligation of raising up seed to his next of kin, Mahlon and the house of Elimelech. Elimelech and Mahlon where Ephrathites, Obed was the son of Naomi of the house of Elimelech. Jesse, Obed's son and David's father was also designated as being an Ephrathite after the house of Elimelech. Jesse honorably held to the heritage of the rights of legal descent. And so is Christ an Ephrathite or of the tribe of Ephraim and the blessings of Joseph are fulfilled in him and his latter-day Church in the hands of Ephraim today.

Now we turn to the long story of Judah's and Ephraim's and/or Joseph's dispute with each other. There was a long line of resentment between the tribes of Ephraim and Judah. And where it began and what all contributed to it can be considered. But the result as the main feature has two aspects to it. The first is how it did cause David to select his bloodline over his legal line. And second, is how it caused Isreal to be split into two nations. That is the ten tribes under Israel/Joseph/Ephraim and the tribe of Judah and the remnant of Benjamin and others to select Judah over Ephraim.

Certainly the first seed was found in Jacob's favoritism toward Joseph, the son of Rachel, which did build jealousy in all the brothers. Then there was Joseph's dreams and his coat of many colors. And then also there was the fact that Judah was the one who sold Joseph into Egypt or at least fostered the idea to sell his brother for the gain of 20 pieces of silver and to his conceived advantage of then becoming 'number one son'.

Joseph later forgave his brothers, including Judah, but Judah may have been jealous of Joseph and Joseph's family's position of power and leadership in Egypt. After all it did seem that it was Judah's leadership which did decide what fate awaited Joseph and Judah may have been the controlling leader of the sons of Jacob even back then until Joseph and the families departure to live in that land of Egypt.

Judah continued to provoke and find fault with Ephraim, the chosen son of Jacob, having Ephraim assume the place of Jacob's eldest Reuben. Judah did point out that Ephraim rather than kill the Canaanites, did place them under tribute and did live among them as even then the seeds of 'Samaritanism' was being provoked by Judah, though Judah's own past in Tamar, Rahab and Ruth were also so mixed not to mention David's, Solomon's and the other kings of Judah's mixed ancestral backgrounds. Even after the scattering of Israel this was Judah's complaint against the remnant of Ephraim, the Samaritans, that they were a mixed group of people with others living among them other than just the House of Israel. But as stated, Judah condemed Ephraim for that which the very families of Judah and the Royal house of David and David's ancestry and descendants had been all about. Ruth was a Moabite and ancester to the House of David. David and Solomon and other Kings of the House of Judah did frequently marry and have children by those not of the House of Israel. But what the Jew did not say against their Kings, they did find fault with in the Samaritans.

If Naomi's and Elimelech's nearest of kin was of the tribe of Ephraim and slighted not Ruth being a Moabitess, thereof the family of Obed, Jesse and David may not have been of the blood of Judah. David may have built up a resentment toward this side of his ancestry even though it was his legal one. And David may have preferred his bloodline instead, as it was Boaz who was a Jew who did take it upon himself to become Ruth's husband.

During David's rise to power, it was the tribe of Judah who first accepted him as King over Saul the Benjaminite King of Israel. And though David loved Saul and won the hearts of the tribe of Benjamin, he may have resented that the rest of Israel, as lead by the house of Rachel under Ephraim, did not readily accept him until after Saul's death. And Israel certainly did resent David having returned to Judah, who had supported Amulon against David in his attempted to take over. And those of Judah certainly chose to rub it in that David had chosen his bloodline over the line which did have the greater right in David, meaning his legal covenant ancestry right of Ephraim.

But David and his son Solomon were strong Kings. And despite the people of Israel's growing discontentment over the high taxes and duties of labor required of the people, they held to their strong overlords at least until Solomon died. And then when Rehoboam would not listen to reason and lighten the peoples' burdens, but state his intent to inflict them even more greatly, then Israel did turn back to the leadership of the house of Rachel in the person of Jereboam. But certainly over the years the divisions between Judah and Ephraim/Israel had been steadily growing and it was but the last straw when Rehaboam would not listen to reason and so he himself divided himself from the people and thus Israel rejected him.