THE SIN AND SHAME OF JUDAH

PROCLAMATION

“Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ‘Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown;’ Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did.  And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.  And in the process of time … she put her widow’s garments off … covered her with a veil … and sat in an open place … for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.  When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot … And he … said ‘… let me come in unto thee’ … and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.”  Genesis 38:11-18 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After they sold Joseph to the Midianites, (Genesis 37:36) Judah, Jacob’s fourth son by Leah, left his brothers and went to Adullam.  There he met and married a Canaanite woman, against the will of God, who bore him three sons. (Genesis 38:1-5)  When his first son Er was of age, Judah got a Canaanite wife for him named Tamar.  But Er was evil and The Lord took him. (Genesis 38:6-7)  Judah told his second son Onan to sleep with Tamar to fulfill his duty to his brother’s wife but he would spill his semen on the ground whenever he slept with her.  This was wicked in the sight of The Lord, so He took him. (Genesis 38:8-10)   Then Judah sent Tamar to live with her father until his third son Shelah grew up and came of age to marry. (Genesis 38:11)  After a while Judah’s wife died, and he went to Timnah where the men were shearing sheep.  Tamar heard that he was coming there, and she disguised herself and sat by the wayside with her face covered as was the custom of harlots.  Tamar saw that Shelah had grown up and she had not been given to him to wife.  When Judah saw her by the wayside he thought that she was a prostitute and slept with her.  As payment for her services he promised her a goat and gave her his seal and his staff to hold until she got the goat. (Genesis 38:12-22)  About three months later Judah was told that his daughter-in-law Tamar was pregnant, and he was going to put her to death.  When she was brought to him, she showed him the ring and staff and he recognized them. (Genesis 38:23-30)

 

APPLICATION

Moses describes the sin, shame, indiscretion, and disobedience of Judah the son of Jacob.  He took a Canaanite woman as his wife and he got a Canaanite woman for his son, with whom he later had an affair.  We need to fellowship with God-fearing Christians because all too often we will sink to the sinful level of those that we associate with.  That is why we need to choose our friends wisely.  We may also need to avoid certain members of our family, and love and pray for them at a distance.  If we are not strong enough in The Lord to bring them up to Christianity, then we should stay away from them and not let them bring us down into sin.