Turn Around
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”
25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.
Genesis 38:24-26
If you haven’t already, can I encourage you to have a listen to last Sunday’s sermon for a deeper appreciation of the story of Genesis 38 and indeed Judah.
But I want to remark on the turning point of the story. Judah’s pronouncement that Tamar is more righteous than he. It’s a powerful moment. A pivotal moment.
But it’s actually also a situation that we experience in smaller and bigger ways across our life. It’s a moment of clarity. Where we sin our sin clearly and where we have a choice to respond.
Have you ever had something like that happen? It’s not as if Judah wasn’t aware of his sin in denying Tamar a husband (his third son Shelah). But through Tamar’s scheme, it becomes so much more clear.
So I think we all have instances like this. But the real question is, what do you do with them?
Well let me suggest what people ordinarily do. Sometimes, they deceive themselves into self-justification. Judah could have said, well, I’m just trying to save my son’s life - that’s good isn’t it? Or we can deceive ourselves into blaming others - it’s because of Tamar that my other sons died.
We all have defensive measures that we turn to instead of taking responsibility for our sin. But the encouragement in Genesis 38 is that Judah is doing the right thing. And instead of him looking less in God’s eyes or the eyes of others. His repentance is instead highlighted in the very Word of God.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is righteous. Give thanks for Jesus who did not sin but came to save the unrighteous. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others acknowledge their sin and turn to living like Jesus.
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”
25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.
Genesis 38:24-26
If you haven’t already, can I encourage you to have a listen to last Sunday’s sermon for a deeper appreciation of the story of Genesis 38 and indeed Judah.
But I want to remark on the turning point of the story. Judah’s pronouncement that Tamar is more righteous than he. It’s a powerful moment. A pivotal moment.
But it’s actually also a situation that we experience in smaller and bigger ways across our life. It’s a moment of clarity. Where we sin our sin clearly and where we have a choice to respond.
Have you ever had something like that happen? It’s not as if Judah wasn’t aware of his sin in denying Tamar a husband (his third son Shelah). But through Tamar’s scheme, it becomes so much more clear.
So I think we all have instances like this. But the real question is, what do you do with them?
Well let me suggest what people ordinarily do. Sometimes, they deceive themselves into self-justification. Judah could have said, well, I’m just trying to save my son’s life - that’s good isn’t it? Or we can deceive ourselves into blaming others - it’s because of Tamar that my other sons died.
We all have defensive measures that we turn to instead of taking responsibility for our sin. But the encouragement in Genesis 38 is that Judah is doing the right thing. And instead of him looking less in God’s eyes or the eyes of others. His repentance is instead highlighted in the very Word of God.
For Today:
- Is there a sin you are being confronted with today?
- Has someone tried to point out your faults? How have you responded?
- What does repentance look like for you today?
Pray:
Praise the Father that He is righteous. Give thanks for Jesus who did not sin but came to save the unrighteous. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others acknowledge their sin and turn to living like Jesus.
Posted in Genesis
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