From Deception to Devotion

Landon Budke

Bible Study • Sermon • Submitted 7 months ago • Presented 7 months ago

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Can you recall a time where you were accused of doing something you never did? How did that make you feel?

Today we’re going to look at the stories of two brothers in Genesis. One who deceived and got deceived, and was exposed for his evil, and another who was devoted to God, and faced accusation for evils he never committed.

These stories have a night and day difference, and I think that they are very relevant for our lives today as Christians in a world of deceit.

Brother 1 - Judah

The first story is one of evil and immorality. It’s not lighthearted or clean, but dirty and sinful.

We’re looking at the deceptions in the story of Judah and Tamar in chapter 38 of Genesis. I’ll read the text first, and then I’ll walk through it visually with you. It’s a long one but try to remain engaged.

Genesis 38 ESV

It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house. In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood. When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’ ” And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.” About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again. When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

The story begins with Judah leaving his Israelite family to go the pagan land of Canaan.

There, he he marries Bath-Shua

and has three sons.

Judah plans to marry the first son, Er, to a lady named Tamar.

But the Lord kills the Er because he was wicked.

Which leaves Tamar as a widow with no children or support.

But because of the custom of Levirate marriage, the widow Tamar was not left hopeless.

So Judah orders Onan, his second son to marry Tamar and continue the line of his brother.

But, instead of doing his duty to his deceased brother, he just uses Tamar for sex and refused to give her any children because they wouldn’t be his,

so God killed him too for treating her and his deceased brother with shame.

Now again, Tamar has no hope to continue the line of her brother, and no support in society.

So Judah promises Tamar that he would give her his last son Shelah,

That is, when he is all grown up, because he was too young to be married.

NS- Let’s now play a little game to see what Judah will do next in this situation.

Now Tamar is really in a pickle, because it looks like she’s going to have to shamefully go back to her Father’s house, because Judah provided her no husband or children.

NS - Let’s see what her options are

So then, she hears that her Father-In-Law Judah is coming near town, and she devises a plan. She takes off her widow’s garments, and puts on the outfit of a prostitute so Judah would not recognize her, so that she could become pregnant and continue her husbands line. And Judah falls for the bait. He decides that he wants to use her and promises her a young goat for payment, and gives her his ring, his cord, and his staff as collateral, so that if he doesn’t give her the young goat then she can keep the items of value.

This whole situation is a serious evil against the Lord. When God gives Israel his laws for them to keep in the book of Leviticus, here’s one.

Leviticus 20:12 ESV

If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them.

As you can see, God does not take this lightly, and if they lived when Israel had received the law, then they should have been put to to death.

After Judah leaves to get the goat, she hides, and keeps his staff, signet, and cord. Then when Judah finds out his daughter in-law is pregnant, he commands that she is burned for her sexual immorality. But then, she shows him the signet ring, cord, and staff, and he realizes how wicked he truly is. He says, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” Then she gives birth to two sons, Perez and Zerah. Perez is an ancestor of Jesus.

Deception is the theme of Judah’s story.

Judah deceives Tamar, and does not give Shelah to be her husband as he ought.

Tamar deceives Judah, and lures him into doing evil with her.

Sex is abused, and evil grows among God’s people.

Brother 2 - Joseph

Who wants to read Genesis 39:1-6?

Genesis 39:1–6 (ESV)

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.

I think the first point that we can glean from Joseph’s life is this,

1: He showed devotion in times of blessing.

No matter what God have him, Joseph continued to faithfully work for Potiphar, and Potiphar’s only worry was his private matters. Joseph shows Jesus-like service.

Now we finally continue the story of Joseph after he is sold into slavery by his brothers, and he seems to be doing pretty well.

God’s presence and blessing on him is repeated eight different times within this story alone. God’s presence with him is what brings blessings, in fact, God’s promise to Jacob is at least partially played out here:

Genesis 26:3 ESV

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.

The Lord’s blessing was apparent to everyone around him. Potiphar, Joseph’s master was able to see clearly that God was on Joseph’s side, and the blessings that God gave Joseph spread to Potiphar.

In what specific ways has God outwardly blessed you? How have you seen God use your position, talent, finances, etc., to promote his glory? How might you leverage these gifts to go even further for his cause?

So Potiphar sees how blessed Joseph is, and how successful he is becoming, and so Potiphar promotes Joseph three times.

First in v.2 he gets to be in the house, which is a huge promotion over the slaves in the field.

then in v.4 he gets to be Potiphar’s personal attendant and then the overseer of whole house.

Let’s see what happens next.

Read Genesis 39:7-10

Genesis 39:7–10 ESV

And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her.

The next lesson we learn from Joseph here is-

2: He showed devotion in times of temptation.

As we can see, God’s blessing does not remove us from temptation, often times it can increase it. When God gives us positions of responsibility and power, it takes extra energy for us to not abuse that responsibility and power.

So here’s the temptation for Joseph, and it’s the same one that Satan used to deceive Judah. But Joseph remains steadfast here, not just to his master Potiphar, but to God. Joseph’s was not going to betray his master just because he was afraid of punishment, but because he was devoted to God. His love for God was what kept him from giving in to temptation, not just his fear of consequences.

And so Joseph resists and resists this temptation day after day. And he went out of his way to avoid her. It says, “he would not listen it her, to lie beside her or to be with her.” He did everything he could to make sure he would not sin against God.

I need one person to flip to Proverbs 5:3-8 And I need another to flip to Proverbs 7:21-27

Proverbs 5:3–8 ESV

For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,

Proverbs 7:21–27 ESV

With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him. All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a stag is caught fast till an arrow pierces its liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life. And now, O sons, listen to me, and be attentive to the words of my mouth. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths, for many a victim has she laid low, and all her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the chambers of death.

These passages, this sort of temptation is not unique to Judah and Joseph, but is a very real temptation for us. And all sin is like this, it lures us, it wants us to go near its house so it can grab us, and kill us.

Sexual sin is talked about in the Bible as much worse because it’s such a distortion of God’s intention of sex in marriage. The sexual act is one that makes two people one, and so the consequences of giving into this sort of sexual temptation is union with evil. Of course, it’s always forgivable, but the negative consequences for our relationship with God are huge.

Let’s keep reading. Who wants to finish us out?

Genesis 39:11–23 ESV

But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.” As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.

3: He showed devotion in times of suffering.

All this happens to Joseph, despite his efforts to remain faithful. The first indicator that something might go wrong is that none of the other men were in the house. Potiphar’s wife may have told them all to leave so she could tempt Joseph alone, or maybe they were just all off on their duties, either way Joseph was put in a bad situation.

He couldn’t really avoid it either, he was a slave, he was required to be in the house to do his duties, and so she grabs him to tempt him again. This time, he gets out of dodge.

Paul is most likely referencing the Joseph story when he says this:

1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

When temptation strikes, we as Christians are to put as much distance between us and the temptation as possible.

Maybe that looks like turning off our phone and putting it away when scandalous photos pop up on instagram or other social medias.

Maybe that looks like leaving a party when people start acting a fool, getting drunk, whatever.

Maybe that looks like leaving the room when you feel anger welling up in you and you want to say a harsh word to that roommate or friend or enemy.

Like Joseph, we must flee temptation.

But this doesn’t mean that sin won’t affect us anyways. When we as Christians hold fast to our integrity, sometimes we can suffer.

Matthew 5:11–12 ESV

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus and Joseph know that choosing the good option can sometimes cause us suffering. Evil hates it when we win, so it will do everything it can to make us lose. Many congregations around the world have experienced great loss because they spread the gospel. God has blessed us mightily to have Christianity in a free society. Becuase Christianity used to cost us something.

It may cost us a relationship with our family.

It may cost us the ability to have a job or money.

It may cost us our lives.

And some of these things are even manifesting themselves today in our society. At one of our dinners, Kelsey shared the consequences of obeying Jesus in her family, would you like to share again?

There is a prosperity gospel that is very popular among Christians in the USA. False teachers like Joel Osteen, or Kenneth Copeland, or Joyce Meyer teach that if we remain devoted to God in all things like Joseph was, we will not face suffering, but riches. This story shoots down that idea quickly. Don’t be led astray by wolves in sheep’s clothing like these even if they have a huge following.

They distort the gospel.

And so this false story gets out and Potiphar throws Joseph in the royal prison. This is no joke. This is the prison for the folks that the rulers of Egypt thought were a threat.

Usually they would just execute rapists on the spot, but I think Potiphar knew something was wrong with the story, so he took the less brutal option.

But Joseph, even in prison, remains devoted to God, and God chooses to bless him again.

How does the contrast between Judah's deception and Joseph's devotion reflect the choices we face in our own spiritual journey, and what can we do to stay faithful to God like Joseph did?