Last week we talked about Genesis 37 which talks about the beginning of the story of God’s hero, Joseph. As we will note, there is no mention of Joseph in Genesis 38 and Joseph’s story continues in Genesis 39. God takes a break in telling the story of Joseph with a story about Judah and Tamar. What in the world is God trying to say in Genesis 38? Here’s a hint, we don’t hear much more about Tamar and her sons until the New Testament.
Pray with me our commitment to God’s Word………….
I’ve asked Irene Stewart to read for us this morning…..
What is God trying to teach the Israelites and us with Genesis 38? The story is summarized in your bulletin.
Judah left his family and married someone with a different faith, a Canaanite. Judah had 3 sons (Er, Onan, Shelah).
Er married Tamar. Er dies because of his wickedness.
Right thing to do is for brother Onan to marry Er’s widow. Onan married Tamar but disobeyed and so God put him to death also. Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died and Judah decided to sleep with a stranger.
The stranger was actually Tamar with her trickery!
Tamar was mad at Judah for not giving her Shelah as a husband. Tamar got pregnant. Judah did not know it was his baby and so he was ready to put Tamar to death!
Tamar confronted Judah and realized his sin.
Tamar had twins and the delivery was interesting.
What is God trying to tell the Israelites and us in this story? God made Himself known in this chapter didn’t He?
First of all, what did God do to Er and Onan?
God took the lives of Er and Onan’s because they were disobedient to God! What does this tell us about God??
1. God knows everything!
2. God detests wickedness!
3. God has power to take a life!
Secondly, was there any person in Genesis 38 who did not have free will to do what they wanted?
4. God gives free will to everyone, even a baby who was trying to get out first and a midwife who thought she was in control, but God is always in control.
And was there anyone in the story who consulted with God? But even if no one in the story involved God in their life, we know that God was watching and was involved.
You see, 5. God does not forget people even if people forget about God! Let us note that this truth can be wonderfully good or it can be seriously bad!
There is one more thing we can note about God from this story and the rest of Scriptures. But first we have to make a note about people. Was there really anyone in this story who did everything right?
Everyone sinned!
We noted of course Er and Onan who were wicked and God judged them on the spot! God the Creator has a right to judge.
Let me just highlight the sins of Judah and Tamar.
What did Judah do wrong?
The first thing that Judah did wrong was leave the people of faith. Judah’s clan was the one chosen by God and was blessed by God.
Judah left his people and married someone who was not a believer of God. Why would Judah leave the people of promise and marry a Canaanite?
Judah was not satisfied with God.
And Judah kept his last son from Tamar. Then of course we read that Judah slept with a woman who wasn’t his wife. And not knowing that he was the one who got his daughter-in-law pregnant, Judah was ready to put Tamar to death! Judah was self-righteous.
Tamar of course schemed and lied just to get a husband. Everyone sinned!
We already noted that God can immediately judge a sinner. God could have, but God did not do that to Judah and Tamar! They did not immediately die. God gave grace to Judah and Tamar!
But Judah and Tamar did have to live with their shame.
And we can note that with that shame, came repentance. Judah did not put Tamar to death and he took care of her. And Tamar after doing her deed with Judah put on her widow’s clothes again. And here’s what we can know about Judah and Tamar, based on other Scriptures:
Genesis 49:8-10 reads, "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness — who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”
Judah was a sinner but God made him to be a leader for God’s people. And listen to what God says to Boaz in Ruth 4:12, “Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah." Even though she sinned,
Tamar and her son Perez became a godly family! Tamar and Perez’s family was to be copied by Boaz!
By the way, do you guys remember how Boaz was before he got married?
He was “Ruth” less!
Great things happened to Judah and Tamar, and the most important thing that happened to them is noted in the New Testament! Please turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Look at where Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, came from, Matthew 1:3………..
God not only gave grace to Judah and Tamar, God gave them special grace by having the Messiah, the Son of God go through their genes! Let us again note that Judah and Tamar repented, in other words, they returned to God. You see, God gives special grace to those who return to Him!
Let me summarize what we can apply to our lives today.
God created us with a free will and we can all choose to do whatever we want but God always knows and has the right to judge. And we all have chosen to sin! No question! All of us have sinned against a Holy God!
But God tells us that sin leads to consequences. Therefore, shouldn’t we choose to do what God says?
True worship of God is obedience.
Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “Therefore, I urge you, Christians, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The right way to live is to say yes to God and say no to the world.
And God is still a gracious God. Even though we mess up with our sins, God provides special grace today for those who confess and repent of their sins by believing in Jesus Christ.
What comes with this special grace from God?
Jesus said in John 10:10, “I came to the world so that those who believes in Me will have life to the full!” Those who believe in Christ have power from heaven. Ephesians 1:19-21 states, “That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
Like God used Judah and Tamar, God can use Christians for great things on earth!
And God said in John 3:16, those who believe in Jesus Christ will have eternal life in heaven.
Don’t miss out on the power available from heaven and the gift of eternal life! Believe in Jesus Christ. Confess and repent from your sins.
God taught the Israelites His Power and His Grace with the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38. God taught this lesson again for us in Jesus Christ who died on a cross for our sins but rose from the dead on the third day!
Let us remember and live everyday God’s Power and Grace through Jesus Christ.
One final important note: There was a time in my Christian life when I walked around like a peacock; I was so arrogant about having eternal life in heaven. All I thought about was myself and not really caring about the souls of others. I felt like a million bucks and didn’t care what others have or didn’t have. And of course sin didn’t bother me because I would just confess, claim forgiveness, and just say “thanks Jesus”! Maybe you’re like that today.
You might also be thinking that God only took lives in the Old Testament before Jesus Christ. Remember Ananias and Sapphira in the Book of Acts? And in 1 John 5, God tells us that there is a sin that leads to death! Be warned!
Here’s what happened to me; my sins started to really bother me; I started questioning God; “I’m a Christian, why am I doing all these sins!”, and instead of feeling like a million bucks, I felt guilt and shame.
As I think back, I know now that the devil wanted me to feel that way and he was probably doing the best he could to keep me feeling that way. Maybe you’re feeling that way today.
What did I learn? I think it is the other main lesson God was teaching the Israelites with Genesis 38. Because I am a sinner, even as a Christian, God really has the power and the right to just take my life away! God taught me that I have life and eternal life SIMPLY by His grace!
We are all saved simply by God’s Grace.
Yes, we’ve all heard this before; simply saved by grace. But, here’s the point, without truly understanding this, we will miss out on the power of God as Christians! When we say “we are simply saved by grace”, aren’t we saying that we really owe everything to God? Here’s the final question, Are we really living on a daily basis that we owe everything to God?
