Genesis Ch38v1-30 - Promiscuity And Promise

If you're able to, stay for sandwiches and cake, a cup of tea, great way to catch up.

And thank you for your prayers for myself and Kirsty.

When we were over in Sheffield, it was a great time.

It was good to visit Amy, to see and to meet people that she's with every day.

Just setting up something here.

Can't do two things at once.

Thank you.

So, yeah, and I'm sure Kirsty actually would appreciate your prayers.

She would have been here, only she's done her back in, so she's not able to be here this afternoon.

But we're both grateful and thankful for your prayers for us while we were away.

Turn in your Bibles, please, to Genesis chapter 38.

Genesis 38 · chapter mention

We're looking at a new series in the life of Joseph.

But maybe you'll already know this, but chapter 38 says nothing of Joseph at all.

So we go from chapter 37 about Joseph, then to chapter 39 all about Joseph.

And then we get this, well, you'll see a strange story, an account that we read about in chapter 38.

But it's there for a reason, and that's good.

So we're going to read Genesis chapter 38.

Genesis 38 · chapter mention

It's at the beginning of your Bible.

First book in the Bible.

And we're going to read from verses 1 to 14.

So let's hear God's word.

At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hira.

There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shuha.

He married her, made love to her.

She became pregnant and gave birth to a son who was named Er.

She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.

She gave birth still to another son and named him Shelah.

It was at Kazib that she gave birth to him.

Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight.

So the Lord put him to death.

Then Judah said to Onan,

Sleep with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law

to raise up offspring for your brother.

But Onan knew that the child would not be his,

so that whenever he slept with his brother's wife,

he spilled his semen on the ground to avoid providing offspring for his brother.

What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight,

so the Lord put him to death also.

Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar,

Live as a widow in your father's household until my son Shelah grows up,

for he thought he may die too, just like his brothers.

So Tamar went to live in her father's household.

After a long time, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shuha, died.

When Judah had recovered from his grief,

he went up to Timnah to the men who were shearing his sheep,

and his friend Hera, the Adolamite, went with him.

When Tamar was told,

Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,

she took off her widow's clothes,

covered herself with a veil to disguise herself.

Then she sat down at the entrance to Aneim,

which is on the road to Timnah.

For she saw that though Shelah had grown up,

she had not been given to him as his wife.

Well, we're going to look at the whole story,

but we're going to stop our reading there and pray

and ask for God's help as we look at his word.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for these old accounts,

but yet true accounts

of individuals and families

living life just as us

that have been written down and recorded

to teach us

about the wonder

and goodness and redemption of God.

And so we pray that as we look at this story together,

we would see the Saviour,

the Lord Jesus Christ,

who has come to redeem people like us,

to bring us into your family.

So help us now, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Well, when we were younger,

my sister decided she was going to run away.

She was about eight or nine.

For some reason,

she had felt let down by her family,

probably annoyed by her younger brother.

So one day, she just ran away

down to the bottom of the road.

About 20 minutes later,

she arrived home

and burst into tears.

Inquiring what was wrong,

she told my mum

she had run away

and no one had come looking for her.

But isn't that why we run away?

So no one can find you.

What do we do with a runaway?

Well, our friend Judah that we're reading about

in chapter 38 is on the run.

Chapter 37 told us

he had sold his younger brother Joseph off as a slave.

And to make matters worse,

Judah told his father that Joseph had been killed by wild animals.

Now Judah wants out.

So, verse 1.

At that time,

at the time of all those events with Joseph,

Judah left his brothers

and went down to stay with a man of Adullam

near named Hera.

Judah literally turns his back on his family

and runs away from his past.

However, Judah isn't just running from home.

He's turning his back on God.

You see, Judah was part of God's chosen family.

His great-grandfather was Abraham.

And God had made a promise to Abraham

that through his family,

all the nations of the world would be blessed.

Well, we're now three generations later from Abraham

and this family is a dysfunctional mess.

Judah, it seems, has no interest in God's plans

or God's promises.

Judah has walked out

and turned his back on God.

He has run away.

What will God do with a runaway?

Now we may not be a Judah,

but we do know what it is to run away from God, don't we?

It's what we do all the time

in big ways and in small ways.

Despite God being our creator

and our provider,

we decide that we want to have nothing to do

with God's plans and promises.

We so often turn our back on God,

live our own way

and run away.

What does God do with runaways like us?

Well, we're in for a big surprise.

Because in our text, in this story,

we're going to see four surprising responses

from God.

Here's the first big surprise.

The surprising mercy God shows.

The surprising mercy God shows.

The first thing Jacob does as he runs away

is to get himself a wife.

Verse 2.

There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man

named Shuha.

He married her

and made love to her.

Together they had three children

that we read about.

Er, Onan, and Shelah.

All seems well.

His runaway has been good.

He now has a family.

But we're in for a surprise, aren't we?

Verse 6.

Judah got a wife for Er,

his firstborn,

and her name was Tamar.

But Er, Judah's firstborn,

was wicked in the Lord's sight.

So the Lord put him to death.

It's a tragedy for the family.

The firstborn,

through whom the family line

is going to continue,

is now dead.

But all is not lost

because Judah has two more sons,

hasn't he?

However, son number two,

it seems, is no better.

Onan's responsibility,

according to custom and tradition,

was to become a kind of surrogate father

for his dead brother's wife.

So, verse 9.

But Onan knew

that the child would not be his,

so that whenever he slept

with his brother's wife,

he spilled his semen on the ground

to avoid providing offspring

for his brother.

What he did

was wicked in the Lord's sight.

So the Lord put him to death also.

To lose one son is bad enough,

but to lose two?

Judah, it seems,

is forced to take action.

Instead of giving his son,

his third son,

to Tamar,

he sends Tamar back

childless to her father

and keeps his son

wrapped in cotton wool

at home.

Now, we can have a little bit

of sympathy for Judah.

Things didn't go well

for the first two sons,

so best to keep son number three

well away from this Tamar girl.

It seems that bad things happen

whenever she's around.

You could lose your life.

End of verse 11.

For he thought,

he, that is Shelah,

may die too,

just like his brothers.

So Tamar went to live

in her father's household.

Now again,

thinking about this,

and if we were in Judah's situation,

we might do the same.

But that's not what Judah

is meant to do.

He's meant to follow

God's plan.

Remember,

Jacob is part of,

or Judah is part of,

God's chosen family

through whom the nations

of the world

will be blessed.

He's meant to preserve

the seed of the firstborn,

not cut it off.

His responsibility

is to make sure

that the family line continues.

He's to live God's way,

not his own way.

So what's God going to do

with a runaway like Judah?

Well,

considering what God did

to Heir and Onan

for being wicked

and disobedient,

my goodness me,

it seems God

should put Judah to death

for attempting to scupper

God's plan and promise.

You see,

the big surprise

in this story

is not that

Aaron and Onan die,

but that Judah

does not die.

It's a surprising

mercy.

His life

is spared.

Now,

our sensitive,

selfish hearts

may find God's

judgment hard

as we read

these verses,

but death

is what we deserve

for turning our backs

on God.

The Bible

is very clear

on that

from beginning

to end

at the start

of Genesis

when Adam and Eve

turned against God,

death came

into the world.

It's why

the New Testament

writers will say

the wages

of sin

is death.

You see,

the fact

that you and I

get out of bed

each morning

is

a mercy.

Despite our

continued running

from God

and turning

our back

on God,

God doesn't

always treat us

as our sins

deserve.

We should be

astounded

and amazed

at the kindness

and goodness

of God.

So what does

God do

with a runaway?

Well,

God shows

surprising

mercy.

But there's

more surprises

the surprising

way,

second,

that God

works,

the surprising

way God

works.

Judah's

wife dies

and after

a time of

mourning,

Judah heads

off with his

buddy,

Hera.

We might say

they've gone

on a lad's

trip.

But news

of this trip

has travelled

to Tamar.

Tamar disguises

herself as

a prostitute

right along

the road that

Judah and

his brother,

his buddy,

are travelling.

Why would she

do that?

Well,

we're given a

clue at the

end of verse

14.

See the end

verse 14,

for she

thought that

though Shelah

had now

grown up,

she had not

been given

to him

as his

wife.

She's not

going to

have any

children,

and children

were important.

On with

the story,

we pick it

up in

verse 15.

So there's

a Tamar

dressed as

a prostitute

on the

side of

the road,

and Judah's

on his

way.

Verse 15,

when Judah

saw her,

he thought

she was

a prostitute,

for she

had covered

her face.

Not

realising

that she

was his

daughter-in-law,

he went

over to

her by

the roadside

and said,

come now,

let me

sleep with

you.

He's

essentially

demanding

sex.

And what

will you

give me

to sleep

with you?

She asked.

I'll send

you a young

goat from

my flock,

he said.

Will you

give me

something as

a pledge

until you

send it?

She asked.

He said,

what pledge

should I

give you?

Your seal

and its

cord and

the staff

in your

hand,

she answered.

Basically,

she's saying,

give me

your wallet

and your

keys,

and then

I'll know

who you

are.

So he

gave them

to her

and slept

with her,

and she

became

pregnant by

him.

After she

left,

she took

off the

veil and

put on

her widow's

clothes again.

Now what

are we

to make

of this

sordid

sexual

encounter?

What

does God

do with

a runaway

like

Judah?

Well,

let's be

clear.

It's a

very sad

account of

sinful

desires and

desperate

measures.

Judah,

it seems,

has cared

very little

for Tamar,

and now it

seems he

cares very

little for

women.

He sees

an opportunity

to satisfy

his desires

and exploits

a vulnerable

prostitute.

He gets

what he

wants and

leaves her

with the

consequences.

Tamar,

on the other

hand,

well,

she's lost

her husband.

She's been

abused by

her brother-in-law

who doesn't

give her

children but

just takes

advantage and

sleeps with

her.

and she's

ignored by

her father-in-law

who sent

her away.

And on top

of all of

that,

she has no

children.

And children

in those

days were

not just

your children,

your family.

It was a

means of

security and

provision who

would care for

you and look

after you in

older age.

She's left in

desperation,

which leads

to desperate

measures.

for Tamar,

this is all

about survival.

For Judah,

it's about a

good time.

In this sad

and broken

encounter,

Judah gets

what he

wants and

Tamar gets

what she

wants.

Judah has

his way

and Tamar

gets pregnant.

It's a

win-win

kind of

situation.

but the

consequences

are terrible

as we

will see.

But there's

something more

going on

in this

account.

Tamar

is pregnant

by Judah.

The very

thing that

Judah has

been trying

to avoid

has actually

come to

pass.

He might

know anything

about who

Tamar is

and the

fact that

she's

pregnant,

but at

this stage,

well,

there is a

firstborn.

Well,

a firstborn

in the

womb,

anyway.

You see,

God's plan

was that the

family of

Judah would

be a

blessing to

the nations.

And you

can't be a

blessing if

the family

comes to

an abrupt

end.

And so

through this

sordid

sexual

encounter,

the family

of promise

continues.

it's not

what we

expect,

is it?

A story

like this

in the

Bible?

It catches

us all

off guard.

God's

ways

surprise us.

It's not

that God

condones the

actions of

Judah or

Tamar.

Rather,

God is at

work through

sinful choices

and scheming

plans of the

individuals for

his purpose.

us.

You see,

in our

runaway

moments,

we may

engage in

all kinds

of sinful

behaviour.

We may

revert to

all kinds

of desperate

actions.

We may

feel that

in the midst

of it all,

all is lost

and all is

broken.

And while

we still

remain responsible

for our

choices and

decisions,

our sin

is not a

hindrance to

God.

working out

his purposes

in our

life and

through our

life.

So what

does God

do with a

runaway like

Judah?

What does

God do with

runaways like

us?

Well, God

works in

surprising ways

through our

mess for

our good.

So,

surprising

mercy,

surprising

way,

and surprising

transformation

that God

brings.

The surprising

transformation

that God

brings.

Judah has

long forgotten

his liaison

and he

certainly

knows nothing

of Tamar's

pregnancy.

But all

that is to

change in a

very surprising

way.

Realizing that

he's let the

desires in

his heart get

the better of

him, Judah

sends his

friend to

go and search

for this

prostitute.

The plan is

to exchange

the goat for

those identity

items.

He wants his

wallet and

his keys

back.

They could

get him in

trouble.

Only there's

one small

problem.

Let's pick

it up in

verse 22.

So his

friend went

back to

Judah and

said,

I can't

find her.

I've been

looking all

over.

I even

asked around

in the town

and they all

said there's

no prostitute

here.

Then Judah

said,

let her keep

what she

has or we

will become

a laughing

stock.

After all,

I did send

her this

young goat,

but you

didn't find

her.

Best to

keep a lid

on these

things.

Let's not

make too

much of a

fuss.

The last

thing Judah

wants is to

see his

face sprawled

across the

front pages

of the

local gossip.

However,

verse 24,

about three

months later,

Judah was

told,

your daughter-in-law

Tamar is

guilty of

prostitution

and as a

result,

she's now

pregnant.

Judah said,

bring her

out and let

her be

burned to

death.

Judah,

it seems,

still blames

Tamar for

the deaths

of his

sons.

He doesn't

like her.

Now's his

chance to

get rid of

that cursed

woman.

And in

such a

culture and

society,

there would

have been

little opposition

to what

they wanted

to do.

But,

verse 25,

as she was

being brought

out to

her death

penalty,

she sent

a message

to her

father-in-law.

I'm

pregnant by

the man

who owns

these,

she said.

And then

she added,

do you

recognise

this seal,

this cord,

and this

staff?

Well,

like an

ice-cold

bath,

Judah is

woken up

to the

horror of

his ways.

Judah is

confronted

with his

own sin.

And the

evidence

couldn't be

ignored.

They all

belong to

him.

The

judgement

that he

passed on

Tamar is

a judgement

that now

belongs to

him.

Tamar's

words must

have smashed

through his

hard heart.

Do you

recognise this

cord and

staff?

Judah,

is this

your wallet

and keys?

Ironically,

the place

where this

sexual sin

took place,

as we read

in verse 14,

was a place

called

eneim,

which means

opening of

the eyes.

Well,

Judah's

eyes have

been opened

wide now.

But all

of this

was to

do good

in Judah's

life.

It seems

there is a

conversion

moment in

his life.

He no

longer

hides

his sin.

Judah

now comes

clean.

Rather than

running from

his sin,

which he

did over

his brother

Joseph,

he now

owns

his sin.

Verse 26,

Judah

did

recognize

them and

said,

Tamar

is more

righteous

than I,

since I

wouldn't

give her

to my

son

Shelah.

And he

didn't

sleep with

her again.

In other

words,

he treated

her as

he should

have done

with

respect.

What

does God

do with

runaways?

Well,

it seems

he confronts

us with

our sin.

He opens

up our

blind eyes

so that

we can

take

responsibility

for our

behavior and

our actions

and confess.

For

Judah,

it was

life

transforming.

Just have

a look

forward to

chapter 44

in your

Bible.

Chapter

44,

the very

end of

the chapter.

This is

later on

when,

in fact,

Judah will

be confronted

by his

younger

brother,

Joseph,

who he'd

sold into

slavery.

And at

last,

Judah doesn't

run from

his mess,

but he's

learned to

take responsibility

for his

behavior of

the past.

So,

speaking to

his brother

Joseph,

look at

verse 33.

this is

what

Judah

says,

Now then,

please let

your servant

remain here

as my

lord's

slave in

place of

the boy,

one of his

other brothers,

and let him

return with

his brothers.

You see,

he wants to

take responsibility.

He wants to

become a

slave to

Joseph for

his behavior

and his

actions

towards him.

Let's go

back to

chapter 38.

You see,

there is no

sin so

great.

There is no

past so

horrid.

There is no

heart so

hard that

God cannot

change or

transform.

What does

God do with

runaways?

God

surprisingly

transforms

the worst

of sinners

like us.

But there is

one more

surprise,

I think

the greatest

of them

all,

the surprising

grace

God

displays.

Judah has

been confronted

with his

sin.

He has

confessed his

sin.

He has

owned up to

it.

His life

has been

changed and

transformed.

He is no

longer hiding

things but

willing to

take responsibility

for it.

He is

transformed.

That is

God's grace.

Tamar,

well,

she has

become

pregnant and

as we will

see,

gives birth

to two

children.

At last,

she has

security and

provision for

her later

life.

That's

God's

grace.

But more

than that,

surprisingly in

this story,

there is

grace for

us because

out of

this family,

grace breaks

free and

comes to

you and

to I.

Look at

verse 27.

When the

time came

for Tamar

to give

birth,

there were

twins in

her womb.

As she was

giving birth,

one of them

put out his

hand,

so the

midwife took

a scarlet

thread and

tied it on

his wrist and

said,

this one

came out

first.

But when

he drew

back his

hand,

his brother

came out

and she

said,

so this

is how

you've

broken

out.

And he

named him

Perez,

which means

breaking

out.

Then his

brother,

who had the

scarlet thread

on his

wrist,

well,

he came

out after

and he

was named

Zerah.

What a

strange

account.

Why all

this pushing

and shoving

in the

womb?

Well,

when everyone

in the

labour room

thought Zerah

was the

firstborn,

surprise,

it wasn't

Zerah,

but Perez.

It seems

that in the

mess and

brokenness of

life,

God is

going to

have the

last word.

Perez

breaks through

and he

comes out

first.

Well,

what's the

significance

of that?

Well,

Perez,

the son of

Judah and

Tamar,

is going

to play

a significant

role in

God's

plan and

promise.

Well,

what role

is he

going to

play?

Well,

look with

me to

Matthew

chapter

one.

Matthew's

gospel,

the first

in the

New

Testament,

Matthew

chapter

one.

Matthew

opens his

account by

giving us

the genealogy

of Jesus,

where he

can trace

his family

line.

This is

the genealogy

of Jesus,

the Messiah,

the son of

David,

the son of

Abraham.

Verse two,

Abraham was

the father of

Isaac,

Isaac,

the father

of Jacob,

Jacob,

the father

of Judah,

who we've

just been

reading and

listening about,

and his

brothers.

Judah,

the father

of Perez

and Zerah,

whose mother

was Tamar,

and Perez

was the father

of Hezron.

And so all

the way

down,

we continue

to read,

and then we

come to

verse 16,

and Jacob,

the father

of Joseph,

the husband

of Mary,

and Mary

was the

mother of

Jesus,

who is

called the

Messiah.

Messiah.

You see,

this is

grace.

From the

family line

of Perez,

from Abraham

and Isaac,

to Judah,

to Perez,

come the

saviour of

the world,

Jesus Christ,

the one

who would

bring blessing

to the

nations.

You see,

God doesn't

hide from

runaways.

God comes

to search

for runaways.

By including

the names

of Judah

and Tamar

in the

genealogy

of Jesus,

we're reminded

that God

comes through

a family

that was

broken and

messy,

much as

we are.

A family

with a story

full of

sinful desires

and desperate

measures,

but yet,

through the

brokenness

of it all,

grace

breaks through.

Grace

will have

the last

word.

You see,

we shouldn't

be surprised

that as we

read through

Matthew's

gospel and

the other

gospels,

we meet

Jesus,

who meets

who?

Who does

he spend

time with?

Sinners

and prostitutes.

Because Jesus

came to seek

and save

the runaways.

He came

for both

the perpetrator

and the

victim,

for Judah's

and for

Tamar's.

he came

to humble

the proud

and welcome

the humble.

Just as a

newborn

through Tamar

broke out

centuries ago,

so the

Son of God

has come

and now

he breaks

through

into the

brokenness

of our

world and

our lives,

shoving

and pushing

and doing

all that is

necessary

to reach

us,

even working

through all

our mess

and sin

so that

we can

meet

the

Saviour.

What does

God do

with runaways?

Well,

he sends

his Son,

Jesus,

into the

sinful mess

of our

world

so that

he might

find us,

that he

might die

for us,

that he

might forgive

us,

that he

might change

us.

He seeks

us out

so that

we might

receive his

mercy.

That's the

surprising

grace God

displays

to runaways

like you

and me.

Let's

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Father,

as we

reflect

on this

family

story,

we see

mess

and sin,

wrong

choices,

terrible

decisions,

but yet

winding its

way through

and overflowing

it all

is the

amazing

mercy and

grace of

God,

who comes

searching

for us,

who never

leaves us,

but comes

looking to

save.

Thank you,

God,

that you

have reached

down to

us through

your Son,

Jesus Christ,

that you

have broken

into the

mess of

our lives

and you

have brought

your grace

to us.

Father,

forgive us

when we

have turned

our back

on you.

Please

help us

that we

would confess

our sin,

own up,

take

responsibility

for our

life,

and know

your amazing

grace that

sets us

free and

transforms

us for

good.

thank you,

God,

that you

redeem

runaways

like us.

Amen.

well,

we're going

to sing

together.

Our

sins

can be

many,

like

Judah and

Tamar,

but his

mercy and

his grace

is

dead.

Meghan

had so

dead.

God,

man,

he's

Give Victim

Tir Ryse.

Mark,

inASH NO,

every

verse

nothing here.

You

have so

happened to be

license,

оды,

Heil,

Manhattan,

Jesusiv신.

We've got so

after this

grace,

руз effort.