Judah and Tamar

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 119:169-176

Psalm 119:169–176 ESV

Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word! Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word. My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes. My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right. Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts. I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me. I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.

Scripture Memorization: Genesis 50:19-20

Genesis 50:19–20 “But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:22-35 (Micah)

Luke 2:22–35 ESV

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Sermon:

Well once again and as always, Good Morning Church! I was Glad when they said to me let us go and worship in the house of the Lord!

Well, I missed you all dearly last week and throughout the week… I did have a time… good at some points not at others at annual conference, it was good to connect with friends and others from the Denomination… but I hate meetings, and so a three day long meeting is not something I think I will ever long for... I do want to announce that not today, because I am still recovering, but not NEXT SUNDAY because that is Mothers Day… but in TWO Sundays afternoon, after service, for those who really care I will have a time where I will update everyone with all that was covered and voted on at conference this year.

This morning we turn our attention to Genesis chapter 38. A very difficult text. As I was at conference preparing and talking to people i would get the question: what are you getting ready to preach? “well this Sunday I get to go back from conference and preach Genesis 38 and the story of Judah and Tamar”. I would say the phrase I heard the most was “good luck”.

This is not an easy text. It's another text in Genesis where culturally, socially.… in many ways we feel far removed. It's also a text that will grate upon our modern sensibilities. We need to be careful as we read this that we don't put ourselves in a position of judging and having authority over the people that we will be reading about. While we can still say with Clarity, there is sin, and there's some more sin and and then a lot more sin that takes place here.

We'll mention this in our Grace group this week. But the passage of the New Testament that I was reminded often the most of as I read this was, Romans 3:10, “no one is righteous. No, not one.” It feels appropriate in a text like this.

Because we're looking at the whole chapter, I don't want to read it all at once. I also want us to see and understand how the narrative will unfold, so we will take this section by section as we seek to understand God's word this morning. So, let's begin our time together with the word of prayer.

Dear Lord, you are good, and all your works are good. We thank you for your goodness and grace. We thank you for the Salvation given to us - purchased at the cross through the work of your son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through him we find Redemption, hope, and healing. And through the precious gift of the Holy Spirit you work in our hearts, convicting us of sin, drawing us unto yourself, giving us wisdom and insight while sanctifying us. And so I ask this morning as we read this text that you would give us ears to hear. Give us eyes to see. I ask that you would have us be a people who are changed by the hearing of your word. It's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen.

To remind us of where we're at... Context is always important... We have just started “The Joseph Saga”. As we've gone through Genesis and we saw pre-history and creation and the Noah Saga and the Tower of Babel. We then move to the time of the Patriarchs. We spent a lot of time covering Abraham and his life and the covenants God made with Abraham and to his descendants that they would be multiplied, become a great nation, and a blessing to the whole world. We moved to the promised child, Isaac, that was long that was long longed for... And yet, his part of the story of Genesis was we felt rather short because from Isaac, we moved to Jacob. Jacob who wrestled with God, the trickster who God still used, God's still called, God still covenanted with. And then we started two weeks ago now, three I guess because I wasn't here last week. But we started looking at the 11th son Of Jacob. The first son to his favorite wife: Joseph.

Joseph was beloved by his father, treated well given Dreams by God. His brothers… well his brothers hated him. His brothers threw him in a well, then sold him into slavery in Egypt. And we might expect... Okay, so we're going to keep on sticking with Joseph. No.

Here in chapter 38, we completely take a step away from Joseph in some sense. Genesis 37 ended.

Genesis 37:36 “Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.”

And we will just leave Joseph in Egypt.

We are going to change gears completely. Move away from him for one chapter till we come back in chapter 39 and we are back to looking at the life. Of Joseph. But here. In chapter 38, we have a story. Smack dab in the middle of the Joseph Saga. Covering the life of Judah. Genesis chapter 38, starting in verse 1.

Genesis 38:1–6 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.

Here, we have an insert into the Joseph narrative and a family is formed.

A FAMILY FORMED

Here we have the tellings of the family of Judah. “It happened at that time.” At the time when Joseph was languishing Egypt at the time when he and his brothers had conspired to lie to their father that their brother was dead. Showing sort of the heart, we could say of Judah...

It's not very righteous Hearts. Well, that's going to be evidence even further, as this family is formed. It's important to note he's going down. And marrying Canaanite women. He Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain adolomite, whose name was Hira. He's partnering himself with an adolomite. There, he sees the daughter of a Canaanite, whose name is shua, and he takes as his wife the daughter of a Canaanite.

What has been forbidden in many ways. Is now taking place.

Isaac could not marry a Canaanite woman, so he was sent. Well, The servant was sent to go find a wife for him. Jacob. Could not marry a Canaanite woman. His mother would not allow it, he was sent away, and he languished. He served Laban for countless years, getting conned and marrying two wives. We we remember the stories, but the heart of these is you can't marry a Canaanite.

Here's Judah, marrying a Canaanite woman. He has three sons, ER, Onan and Sheila. He's there in chezib as she's bearing these children. He's in a foreign land with a foreign wife having foreign sons is what we think here. And then, for his eldest son. He takes another Canaanite woman named Tamar.

A family is formed. And the context tells us: this is not Right! This is not how it should be happening! Don't marry Canaanites! And Here's Judah marrying a Canaanite and then Finding for his son a Cannaite... Rather than as again we've seen in the past… We send our we send them off. We go look for wives elsewhere. Nope. Here's Tamar. Here's a Canaanite woman. This is who my son will marry. The family being formed already right now... We know this is not right and that no good can come from. What's about to happen?

Because they're not doing it God's way, they're not doing it the way they're supposed to.. the Canaanite women that that drove his grandmother crazy… If we remember Rebeca had twins Jacob and Esau.. and Esau married a Canaanite woman. So Rebeca said, I, I can't have Jacob marrying a canine woman. They're driving me insane, and so she sent Jacob away… . Even before that… Rebekah is in the picture because Abraham couldn't have the child of promise marrying a woman from this land so he sent a servant to find find who turned out to be Rebekah… . We've seen the pattern and here Judah is breaking it all.

And this is the stage set.

Throughout all of this, I will note and we will cover this in more detail next week. Part of the reason we need this Judah and Tamar story inserted into Joseph's life. Is everything that is done wrong by Judah? Will be done, right? By Joseph. Though Joseph is against his will taken to a foreign land, he will still follow God's. Rules for how he ought to behave himself... Judah is not listening to any of this. So a family is formed. Where Judah has co-mingled with Canaanites Hanging out with an adolomite, whose name was Hira taking for his sons, a Canaanite wife. And Tamar. Who is now taken as a wife, becomes the focus of the narrative for the rest of chapter 38.

For now We will be spending our time speaking of a Canaanite woman. And this Canaanite woman finds herself. In the hands of wicked men,

Tamar IN THE HANDS OF WICKED MEN

this is the tragedy of this story at the beginning… This is the great tragedy of what is going to happen here. A Canaanite is going to be mistreated by the people of God. This is a reversal of how it should be. And how we think it would be. We would think… or at least we would LIKE to think that the people of God should come and rescue and call her out of darkness and be able to show her the goodness of being chosen and covenanted with by God.

This is not what happens.

Tamar finds herself in the hands of wicked men. Genesis chapter 38:7,

Genesis 38:7–11 ESV

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.

What's going on here again? Culturally, we are separated a great distance from this text.

What is being described here is what's known as levirate marriage? In this time in this place in this culture, descendants were important. And as a man - having sons in particular to carry on your name and Legacy was important. And so if it would happen in the course of time that a man would die childless his younger brother would take as a wife, the Widow of his older brother. And when the sons are had. They are not credited to the younger brother. Rather, they are credited to the older brother so that his name. Can live on.

So, to say Tamar's in the hands of wicked men. We start by saying her first husband, ER, is wicked. How Wicked is he? We could ask. So Wicked, we read here that God will kill him,

Genesis 38:7 “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death.”

Before you can have kids before, his name can be carried on before he can leave a lasting Legacy of his wickedness the Lord puts him to death. So first husband is incredibly wicked, and now she's married to the second husband given to her by Judah.

And Judah commands Onan to do what is Right... To have Offspring That would be his brothers to carry on his brother's name. Onan will not do this.

We read this this idea. That when he would go into his wife, he would waste semen on the ground. This verse has been Twisted and warped in many ways. Here's the brass tax.. cut to the heart of what exactly makes this so wrong.. He is using Tamar for what he desires: Pleasure. But not doing what is required and also not giving her the blessing of a child. He is intentionally withholding from her blessing because of selfishness. Likely he will not give Tamar a child because to give Tamar a child means that he will have to split his inheritance. Between his sons, likely from another wife and Tamar's Sons...because those are actually the sons of his older brother, ER.

So, he's taking advantage of Tamar. He's abusing her. This is To use modern language here... This is a form of sexual assault here. Taking advantage and doing what's evil in the sight of the Lord? How evil is this in the sight of the Lord? Well, the Lord will put him to death.

Genesis 38:10 “And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also.”

Judas sons are dropping like flies because they are wicked. But even Judah himself. Does not do what is, right? Instead of giving Tamar now to the third child.. and the way this levirate marriage would work is, it would go son to son to Sun until you were out of sons or this wife had a son.

We see this come up in the New Testament, right? When when Jesus is put to the test on whose wife will this woman be because they go through seven brothers, right, marries this guy. He dies married this guy. He dies Mary's this guy. He dies. This guy dies... whose husband will he be in heaven?

And Jesus says, you don't, you don't get heaven. But this is the same principle that's happening here, but Judah himself is guilty and Judah himself is shown to be yet another Wicked men. The sons are wicked because the apple does not fall from the tree!

He doesn't give Tamar to the next brother. Instead, he says, go back to your father's house. Just go be a widow in your father's house. To be a widow would be Outcast from society to. It would be unmarriable. She was now basically told go die in your father's house… And maybe we'll come get you. Not because the youngest son is too young. But because we read here, he feared. That his son would die, like his brothers.

It seems Judah. His thought is not. My sons were Wicked in the sight of the Lord. Maybe I should have raised them to not be wicked. He looks at Tamar, and he's like, Tamar... This lady's like the Black Widow, anyone who marries her, is going to die. I don't want to let her kill ALL of my sons.

Yet, the sons are the ones wicked. The sons are paying the consequence of their own sin, and yet this is who Tamar finds herself in the hands of. She is at the will and whim - It feels like - of these Wicked men all around her.

But this is not how the story ends Tamar. We'll move from being in the hands of wicked men to taking matters into her own hands.

Tamar TAKES MATTER INOT HER OWN HANDS

Tamar takes matters into her own hands, verse 12

Genesis 38:12–14 ESV

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.

We pause right here.

She sees Wait, this was not... This was not about. Oh, he's not old enough and when he's ready We'll go. She's still wearing her Widow's garb. Shelah, here is old enough to be her husband. And yet, she remains a widow in her father's house. She knows things are wrong. So she starts to take matters into her hands.

She takes off her Widow's garbs, covers herself with a veil.

Genesis 38:15–19 ESV

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.

Here's the scene. And really Here's the difficulty.…

Tamar. Has been left, Abandoned, living in her father's house as a widow. Judah at this time now finds himself as a widower his wife has died. And so after he's comforted, he's going to go about his life and in traveling in places he should not be, to go to friends he should not have... On the way he passes by someone he thinks is a prostitute. We know the full story, but if we just come from his point of view, he sees someone on the side of the road and thinks that they're a prostitute.

Not just a prostitute How we would think of prostitute right in our modern thought process here, but worse.

Same business model: Sex for money.

Different business aim: not profit, but worship and religion.

These would be cult prostitutes. Serving the Baals, and Asherah and the gods of the area. These cult prostitutes would - by having sex with people - Be worshiping false gods. The the fertility gods that having sex would please the gods because the gods are warped here, and they have… For lack of a better way to put it… a pornographic mind. The thought is that the gods get pleasure in watching humans procreate. And so these prostitutes would be in worship to their false gods. Selling their bodies for sex... This is what's happening here. And Judah, Having abandoned God's places, Having been going around doing things he should not do sees what he thinks is a cult prostitute on the side of the road and decides this would be a good idea.

I told you he's wicked.

Now what Tamar is doing here is not praiseworthy or good… But the way the pictures given to us and and the way we we we come to this story, we find Tamar. and she feels at the end of her rope and part of the thought really is… What is, what else is she gonna do?

She's a widow in her father's house, abandoned by this family. So she works out this whole ordeal, sure. We can. We can “worship” Baal together. Hint wink. We all know what that means… but It's going to cost you something.

Well, I'll give you a goat.

Okay, you say you'll give me a goat, but.. The way the conversation plays out… it like fool me once shame on you fool me twice. Shame on me. Sure, a goat will work, but you need to give me something as collateral.

He says, okay, here's my signet ring, Here's my cord, heres my staff.. in short: Here's my stuff that identifies me as me. And they do their deed. And Tamar now. Has what she desires - She has conceived She is going to have children. But she quickly leaves na dheads and goes back home. In the cover of Darkness. She leaves Judah.

Genesis 38:20–21 ESV

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 if we pause here.. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knows she's a cult prostitute. Where is the cult prostitute? Who is it a name at the roadside, and they said no cult prostitutes been here. They don't work around here. They work down the street.. here? We don't have those here.

Continuing: Genesis 38:22-23

Genesis 38:22–23 ESV

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.”

We're not going to go around asking... this is going to get embarrassing. Hey, my friend slept with a cult prostitute. Have you seen her. Hey, my friend over here is taking advantage of a cult prostitute… .I know he's a foreigner and like, not supposed to do that, but you know, you know how we go, so I need to pay this girl, like, can you help me out, like, hey this woman, over here. We gotta goat for her.... Have you seen her? It's gonna get awkward. We'll be laughed at. So, it's done… she has a cord, ring staff... whatever... like, we tried.

The irony here Judah is sort of, like, my conscience is clean because we tried to pay her. Though he engaged in cult prostitution, his conscience should not be clean. He feels like we tried. We paid her.

And now it is at this point. That Tamar's plan is revealed.

Tamar’s PLAN REVEALED

We see the the, the, the weight of of what's going on here.

Genesis 38:24 ESV

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.”

Hey Judah. Tamar, your daughter-in-law. The one you abandoned, the one you said, just go live in your father's house, the one who basically by doing that... You're saying you're not my problem anymore. Well, she's been immoral. She's been so immoral, she's pregnant.

His respnse: How dare she? How dare she be sexually immoral? How dare this woman do this thing? Burn her, kill her, put her to death.

Genesis 38:25 “As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law…

Here it comes. Tamar, though not moral here, though her actions are not praiseworthy in any sort of moral sense she's smart.

She's sneaky, like a fox.

She has proof that she's not the only one who sinned.

Genesis 38:25 “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.””

Hey Judah. You're right, I have been immoral. But the way this works is two people are guilty here, I mean right? If I've been immoral as a widow? Sleeping around. Someone's been immoral with me, sleeping with me. So Let's let your Justice be satisfied here. I'll let you know who I slept with so that we can kill them too. Whoever's Signet. And cord and staff. This is... Let's kill them as well.

Judah knows they're his. The fact, actually, that this is his ring, his cord, and his staff. Everyone knows this is his. \

Genesis 38:26 “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.”

So Here's her plan.

Though the details of this are Risque and difficult she is doing all she can to protect herself...

This is not a story about how oh incest happens all the time, and it's great... At it’s heart this is a story about a woman at the hands of wicked men who's doing everything she can to to figure out how to take matters into her own hands.

Part of you wants to say basically: more power to her. Just don't do things sinfully… but that's not right either…

We need to find a way where we can say she should not have been taking advantage of she shouldn't, but but the way she approached it wasn't right either.

But Judah gets the point that we really need to get too. The surprise is not a sin from the Canaanite woman, the surprise is Judah and the evil in his heart… and to his credit… he gets that… he understands that the villain in this story is him. She's more righteous than him.

She may not be great, and again, this is what we'll talk about in Grace group this week. What she did is sinful, but Judah knows: I'm worse. I sent her off. I'm guilty of the same abuse as my sons are. I didn't give her to my, my son. I didn't do what I was supposed to do.

And then he's done. He does not know her again. Again, we're this is the euphemism of “knowing” we've seen it in Genesis. He's not going to sleep with her anymore. Tamar's plan was to be taken care of and to have kids, she gets it. Her plan works. Though her methods were… not great to say it lightly... The end result for her is good… This is another time where The heartbeat of Genesis shines through.... What man means for evil God means for good. But it is seen here in a different way.

We often talk about this, as we've been going through Genesis. We've been this idea of what man means for evil God means for good. We've talked about evil against me, evil against me here. Tamar intends and performs evil, but God's going to use it for good For Tamar. She's taken care of. She avoids a death penalty. But more so. God is using this as his plan. At the end, we get to this thought and God's plan is revealed.

God’s PLAN REVEALED

God is Sovereign over all of these things. When the time of her labor had come verse 27. There were twins in her womb. This is a motif of scripture.

We've seen it over and over again in Genesis twins. There's another Motif that's going to come out in Genesis, which is birth order does not matter to God. And when she was in labor. It's just twins. She's in labor. One put out a hand. If we just pause, this is.… I think as we look at like bizarre births in Genesis, we've had Jacob and Esau born Esau's born and and Jacob is is holding on to his heel. That's bizarre. They were warring in the womb, so much so that their mother felt it and cried out to God. That's bizarre.

This one takes the Cake, I think. She's in labor. A little baby's hand sticks out. The Midwife ties a Scarlet threat around it. Okay. Not my first thought as a woman's giving labor. Let's tie a little ribbon around its hand, but this is what happens. Tie a Scarlet thread around it. And saying - that thread is saying - this one came out first. This is the elder child. Because a hand came out first. But 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 means breach.

Graphic. Accurate description, I guess so, so a hand comes out hand goes out. Different baby comes out. This is Perez afterward. His brother came out with a Scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zara.

The birth of sons. To Judah. After Wicked Sons are killed, ER dead, Onan dead. Tamar as the wife of his eldest son. The descendants that come from her and these sons… more to the point… Perez is the one who carries the weight and the lineage of Judah. Here they are. It's these twins. And this? From this. Is where we see God's Plan of Salvation unfull. We start here in Wicked. Judah and his wicked Sons and the birth of of. Twins in this bizarre scene.

And God's got his hands in all of it. This is God working it about for salvation for his people? We make a big deal as we read the Matthew genealogy. When we come to the New Testament, we read the Matthew genealogy talking about the birth of Jesus. And we talk about. There's a lot of women mentioned in Jesus's genealogy, and that's strange. And then we say. And what's also strange? They are Canaanite women. They're Gentile women that are listed in the genealogy of Jesus. Guess who's there?

Matthew, chapter 1.

Matthew 1:1–2 “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,”

If we pause, this is already strange Judah. Is the fourth born? Reuben the Oldest - not to him. Joseph the favorite, son of the favorite wife.. Not him.

Judah. Wicked Judah.. Less righteous Judah. More sinful Judah. Having children by his own daughter-in-law, Judah.

Matthew 1:3 “and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,”

We go on.

Through the younger. This is why it gets confusing. Through the younger. Though he came out first, but the hand counts is coming out first. To the younger God will bless the whole world. Through Judah. Will come Kings.

Genesis 49:8–10 ““Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

But we can ask: what has Judah done?

He's beat up His brother… sold him to slavery, slept with his daughter-in-law, and been wicked. And yet this is who God will allow to be the fater of kings?!?. Why? Because God intends a Plan of Salvation for his people.

And it comes through. In difficult and painful stories. Judah. A man who would seek out a cult prostitute, not knowing even who this woman is. That's through whom God will send the savior of the whole world. Because God will save how God will save whom God will save.

And as we read stories such as this, we should face the difficulty. This is an ugly story. Risque, scandalous. Yet, God is still at work. And so, in my life, when I faced trials and difficulties sometimes of my own making, sometimes because of what people come against me. Sometimes. I'm in the hands of others. Sometimes I simply take matters into my own hands either way. God is still good.

He'll still work in. It's not because of our own strength and might and striving, but because God is working to save a people.

This is God's plan.

Let's pray.

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DON’T TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS!

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