Joseph: Judah & Tamar
Transcript Search
Genesis: Foundational Principles for Life • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 39:11
1 rating
· 66 viewsFiles
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
I want to start out today reading from 2 Timothy 3:16 …
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
Chapter 38 is a bizarre narrative that breaks away from the narrative of Joseph’s life… At first glace it just feels odd and out of place!
However:
ALL Scripture is from God… (this does NOT mean He condones all things recorded in His Word!)
This passage is profitable to teach us:
God’s PURPOSE for His scripture
INSIGHT into God’s Plan
Teach DANGERS of Canaan & this world to Israel and to you and me
ILLUSTRATES in a beautiful and powerful way God’s Grace and Mercy
Consider the opening narrative of this passage… Genesis 38:1-11
And it came about at that time, that Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her. So she conceived and bore a son and he named him Er. Then she conceived again and bore a son and named him Onan. She bore still another son and named him Shelah; and it was at Chezib that she bore him. Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord took his life. Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; so He took his life also. Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up”; for he thought, “I am afraid that he too may die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
Overview of Narrative:
Overview of Narrative:
Judah leaves his brothers
Judah marries a Canaanite woman
Judah has three sons
Judah’s oldest marries a Canaanite woman named Tamar
Both sons were evil in God’s sight
God takes their lives as they become Tamar’s husband
Judah has not raised his sons to fear God
Judah lies to Tamar and sends her home until his youngest is old enough
He has no intention of doing this, fears sons life
Judah’s wife dies, then Judah goes out to his sheep
On his way, Judah sees Tamar who hears he is coming and hides her face
Judah thinks Tamar is a Temple Prostitute and sleeps with her, and gets her pregnant
Tamar takes a pledge for payment but holds onto the pledge...
Judah is angry when he hears Tamar is pregnant, “Burn her!” Look at how this narrative plays out Genesis 38:24-26
Now it was about three months later that Judah was informed, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and behold, she is also with child by harlotry.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man to whom these things belong.” And she said, “Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?” Judah recognized them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
Tamar reveals that Judah is the father!
Comparison between them… but no mention of sinning against God!
Tamar has twin boys, Perez pushes past Zerah even though his hand came out first!
There are DANGERS when we begin to not only engage, but dwell and desire Canaan/this world!!! It leads us to live a life that dishonors God, we even begin to compare ourselves to each other rather than a HOLY GOD!
As Israel would read this there should be a warning to them as they prepare to enter the land
As you and I read this there is a warning to us how we live and how we allow ourselves to fall prey to the sinful ways of the world around us… no family was around to pull him back in, just his own desires.
We can learn from this passage in just how we live our life or learn not to love this world, yet this passage also reveals a great deal about God’s purpose for scripture!
Purpose of Scripture
Purpose of Scripture
We need to remember “Why we have Scripture”… NOT an elaborate story, it is HIS STORY, for HIS GLORY, given for HIS CREATION… Mankind
Scripture reveals God to mankind… ,
He is Holy / we are sinful
This Holy God did for sinful man, what mankind could not do for themselves
He conquered death and sin, once for all
God came in the flesh as mankind's redeemer
He will once again return for His church
ULTIMATELY… God will have victory over sin completely!!!
Where does Chapter 38 fit in Scripture?
Where does Chapter 38 fit in Scripture?
IN GENESIS:
We see the promised seed in Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
We see in Genesis 12:3 that the seed is narrowed to the clan or seed from Abraham’s line
And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
In Genesis 49:8-10 we see that it will be through the line of Judah this seed “Shiloh” (The Messiah) will come forth from!
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. “Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
In Scripture as a Whole:
In Matthew 1:3 we see Judah’s line carry on with Perez… and Tamar is also mentioned!
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
Look with me briefly at the FAMILY TREE of Jesus Christ (GOD’S SON!!!)
In His line we see:
Tamar and Judah (Perez second born)
Rahab ( Canaanite Harlot)
Ruth (Moabite)
David & Bathsheba (Royal Affair, but also scripture narrows the lie to the Davidic Line)
Then last and least in the eyes of the world… Marry and Joseph (Poor / Nobody's / Scandal)
What I find interesting is this… all of us have our own “family trees”!
One’s in our past that were shady sometimes at best
For some of us… we were the mark on our family tree
God did not filter out the ones who sinned, made mistakes, who grieved Him
His family line did not define Him either, nor should it define you or me
Yet His family tree defined so picturesque why He came and why He died… Mankind Needed Him, we Needed a Savior!
Chapter 38 in the big picture of scripture brings focus to the line of Judah… (the family line of God’s Son, Jesus the Christ!!!)
God’s Plan!
God’s Plan!
God was giving a glimpse of His Plan… He would use Judah’s line to bring His Son into the world! (the coming Seed)
Scripture is clear… we were sinners, those who loved the world, YET...
BUT GOD… sent His Son into the world to save the world! John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
There is no greater picture of GRACE & MERCY than God’s plan
From the beginning to send His Son to die (pay the penalty you and I deserve)
But ONLY He could die and conquer death to rise victorious over death and sin!
What a God!!! What a REDEEMER!!!