This week we will be exploring Genesis 38 together, Confession According to God.
Yes, the original title was Sexual Immorality According to God. That title is what is in the study guide. And it makes a nice contrast with Genesis 39 in which we will see Joseph's commitment to sexual purity in the face of enormous temptation.
But studying Genesis 38 more, it becomes apparent that the true heart of the story is when Judah confesses his own sin. The immorality is there, but, praise God, that is not where the story ends!
This is the turning point in Judah's life.
This is what makes Judah into the man whom his brothers praise and whom God blesses.
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. (Genesis 49:10)
Genesis 38 is another one of those "PG-13" chapters in the Bible. (Don't worry, I don't plan on going into the details of any of the sexual content in this chapter, except to read what the text says. I will be sensitive to "younger ears" but as a parent you will need to decide how you want to approach this passage with your children.)
The Bible does not hide the failures of its "heroes" and chief characters. And in this chapter, Judah fails in almost every way possible, as a brother, as a son, as a husband, as a father, and as a man of God. Tamar actually is the "hero" in this chapter, even though her actions are far from anything we would ever expect or endorse.
But the Bible does not tell us this story as tabloid fodder, rather its purpose is to show us the reality of sin and the beauty of grace...and to point us to the pathway forward in the midst of our guilt and our shame...
Humble, honest, self-evaluating confession.
The problem is not with God's love or His grace.
The problem is with our self-righteous, stubborn hearts.
Judah's story is a story we all need to hear as it leads us to praise the One who is both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
May we praise together the God whose grace is greater than all our sin!