Judah Fathered Perez; Genesis 37:12-30

Introduction

Moving through the lineage of Jesus, found in Matthew 1.

Purpose of this lineage

Matthew wants to take us back to Abraham to show that he is the promised seed

that Jesus is the King in the line of David that the Jewish people have been waiting for

where we have been

we started with Abram / Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

Judah by Leah, the one who felt unseen and unloved

Today - Judah Fathered Perez

We are really good saying what we are against

we can point out others sin, condemn it and the person committing it without thinking twice

last week we looked at Leah and the birth of Judah

this week we are introduced to Tamar, one of five women that are listed in the lineage of Jesus found in the book of Matthew

in a time when women were looked down upon, the Bible is elevating them

although I am sure that Tamar does not feel it

Genesis 38:12–30 CSB

12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers. 13 Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she took off her widow’s clothes, veiled her face, covered herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 He went over to her and said, “Come, let me sleep with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me for sleeping with me?” 17 “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” he replied. But she said, “Only if you leave something with me until you send it.” 18 “What should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your signet ring, your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19 She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow’s clothes back on. 20 When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. 21 He asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “There has been no cult prostitute here,” they answered. 22 So the Adullamite returned to Judah, saying, “I couldn’t find her, and besides, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’ ” 23 Judah replied, “Let her keep the items for herself; otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.” 24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out,” Judah said, “and let her be burned to death!” 25 As she was being brought out, she sent her father-in-law this message: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Examine them. Whose signet ring, cord, and staff are these?” 26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her intimately again. 27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread around it, announcing, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, “What a breakout you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez. 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.

PRAY!

The call to believers are to confess your sins, one to another. Humble yourself before the Lord.

Tell the story that got us to this point

seems like an odd story in the middle of the Joseph narrative

Judah and the other nine older brothers of Joseph did not like that he was dad’s favorite

They had decided to kill him, then at the last minute, when seeing some Ishmaelites coming, Judah said what do we get for killing him. Lets sell him and get some money for this

This same Judah, the fourth oldest of the sons of Israel, a son of Leah, has taken a wife from the Canaanites named Shua

they had three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah

Er was evil in the eyes of the Lord and the Lord put him to death

we do not always understand, but the time each person has on earth is in the Lord’s hands

What did he do, we do not know, but he was evil or wicked

tradition in the culture, if a man would die, his younger brother would take his wife and have a son with her so that his brother’s name would carry on

they would carry on through their first name, not their last as if our custom

So Judah gave Tamar, Er’s widow, to Onan, his second oldest son

Onan was evil in his own right.

he knew that if he had son it would not be his son, but would be his older brother’s

so he would make sure that Tamar did not get pregnant

but at the same time would continue to go to her to satisfy his own desires

He found the same fate as his older brother

Judah had one more son that was too young to be married

He instructed Tamar to go back to her father’s house and wait for his youngest son to come of age

I am not sure that he was ever going to give Tamar to his youngest son

v11 tells us that Judah was afraid that his youngest son might die like the other two

it was Tamar’s fault his other sons died, not the fault of the one who raised them

The Forgotten

Forgetting is an excuse we like to throw out there

Because we did not want to do what our parents say

Did you clean… take out the trash… Oh, I forgot

It doesn’t change when we become adults

Oh, we thought you were going to come to the event last night… everyone was there… Oh I forgot

It is hard to argue, who can tell you what you did and do not remember

as parents, we do things so that next time your child remembers to do what you have asked

Judah has gotten rid of Tamar

out of site out of mind

she is bad luck, she is a cursed wife… but she has been removed from the situation and he can forget about it and move on

Genesis 38:12–18 CSB

12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers. 13 Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she took off her widow’s clothes, veiled her face, covered herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 He went over to her and said, “Come, let me sleep with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me for sleeping with me?” 17 “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” he replied. But she said, “Only if you leave something with me until you send it.” 18 “What should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your signet ring, your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

Judah has seen a lot of death; lost a wife and two sons

maybe if that was all we knew about him, if this was really a one off story, we would feel for him

sympathize with him in some way

Tamar has been shipped off and forgotten

sent to her father’s house as a widow

a little humiliating

with a promise

that everyone could see was not coming true

Tamar was ready to confront her father in law

dressed with a veil, not her widow clothes

veil is worn by prostitutes but also by married women

couple of ways that this is taken

she was dressed as married woman going to meet her father in law to show she now belonged to her youngest son and was mistaken as a prostitute and went with it

She dressed as a prostitute with the plan to entrap her father in law

she makes a deal with Judah as a prostitute

There are people who feel forgotten everywhere

Philippians 2 tells us to consider others more important than ourselves

this is the part for each of us…

challenge to have somebody to your house to eat once a month

people that are a part of a church family that are active with each other, do not feel forgotten or unseen

When we do these things, we are taking on the same attitude as Jesus

Philippians 2:5–8 CSB

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

Jesus wasn’t just forcing himself to entertain for an afternoon, emptied himself

when we love as Jesus loved others in our church family will be seen, known and feel loved

The Forgettable

I am really good at forgetting

I can grab my cell phone to look something up…

in the amount of time that it takes me to grab it, open up the appropriate app, I can completely forget why I grabbed my phone

As good as I am at that, I am really good at forgetting when I make a mistake

or better said, when I sin

Genesis 38:19–24 CSB

19 She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow’s clothes back on. 20 When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. 21 He asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “There has been no cult prostitute here,” they answered. 22 So the Adullamite returned to Judah, saying, “I couldn’t find her, and besides, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’ ” 23 Judah replied, “Let her keep the items for herself; otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.” 24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out,” Judah said, “and let her be burned to death!”

Tamar becomes pregnant through this event

puts her widow clothes back on… goes back to her dads

Judah attempts to hide the event from others

sends his friend to the prostitute to pay her off and get his stuff

when she cannot be found, Judah says to forget the stuff so that others do not know

it was a forgettable event

we want to forget everything that might bring us shame

we remember our highlights real well and will even embellish those, maybe even accidently

We are real good at remembering others sin

Judah wants Tamar killed, as was the custom

This was an embarrassment to Judah, so it must be taken care of

all while forgetting the sin he has committed

forgetting to send his son to his daughter in law

forgetting to take care of her

We believe Satan when he tells us that God remembers those sins

Satan claims God is like Judah

That he is holding back on you…

He told Adam and Eve that God simply did not want them to be like him

Judah was holding back his son

At the same time… He knows your sin and is holding it against you

Does God remember my sin…

Isaiah 43:25 CSB

25 “I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions for my own sake and remember your sins no more.

Does this mean that he, the Omniscient, all knowing God, cannot remember the mistake I made yesterday

if that is what it means, why do I need to repent

God remembers your sins as forgiven sins

sins that has been placed on his son, whom he did not withhold

his son that he gave as a ransom for you and me

The Forgiven

We like to be forgiven

but we do not like to have our sin exposed

but, the more we try to hide our sin, the more that God wants to expose it so that we can deal with this disease that has infected you

Genesis 38:25–30 CSB

25 As she was being brought out, she sent her father-in-law this message: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Examine them. Whose signet ring, cord, and staff are these?” 26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her intimately again. 27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread around it, announcing, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, “What a breakout you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez. 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.

Judah’s sin is exposed in his attempt to punish Tamar

punishment for adultery was death

Men too… that seemed to be forgotten when Judah was the father

Judah changed from this

he did not sleep with Tamar ever again

he did not take her as a wife, be kept her as a daughter

We even see a change in the way that he treats his brothers and father

promise and effort to protect his youngest brother Benjamin

it is proclaimed that he will be the line in which the Messiah will be born

Genesis 49:10 CSB

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah or the staff from between his feet until he whose right it is comes and the obedience of the peoples belongs to him.

When we get to Matthew and see the lineage of Jesus it is not just Judah listed, but Tamar, one of only five women listed

five women who people looked with a side eye and a whisper

Tamar who charged with adultery

Rahab the prostitute

Ruth a Moabite

Bathsheba - taken by King David

Mary - Who Joseph wanted to put away privately

this mistreated, forgotten, forgiven woman has found herself in the lineage of Jesus, in the family

It may be a stretch, but you have found yourself in the family as well

Sinful

Repentant

Adopted child of God