THE SIN AND SHAME OF JUDAH
In this chapter you will read names like Judah and Tamar and Pharez and Zerah.
If you think they sound familiar, it is because you have read them in the first chapter of Matthew.
They are in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
My friend, that is an amazing thing!
Our Lord came into a sinful line.
He was made in all points like as we are, yet He Himself was without sin.
He came into that human line where all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
This chapter deals with the sin and the shame of Judah.
This leads me to say that the sons of Jacob were certainly not very much of a comfort to him.
It looks as if all the sons were problem children, with the exception of Joseph and Benjamin.
And Joseph was no comfort because his father was heartbroken about his disappearance.
All of this reveals to us that Jacob spent too much time in Padan-aram accumulating a fortune rather than teaching his children.
How different he was from Abraham.
You remember that God had said of Abraham: “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him” (Gen. 18:19).
Well, Jacob didn’t do that. He was so busy down there contending with Uncle Laban that he didn’t have much time for his boys.
That was tragic, because each one of them seemed to have gotten involved in something that was very sinful.
There is, I believe, a further reason for including this chapter in the Word of God at this juncture.
Beginning with the next chapter, we go down to the land of Egypt with Joseph.
God is sending Joseph ahead, as he very clearly detected from the fortuitous concurrence of circumstances in his life, to prepare the way for the coming down of the children of Israel into Egypt.
It would preserve their lives during the famine in Canaan, but more than that, it would get them out of the land of Canaan from the abominable Canaanites into the seclusion of the land of Goshen in Egypt.
Had Jacob and his family continued on in Canaan, they would have dropped down to the level of the Canaanites.
The chapter before us reveals the necessity of getting the family of Jacob away from the degrading influence of the Canaanites.
This is the story of Judah, whose line will be the kingly line among the tribes of Israel.
Genesis 38:1-30 KJV
[1] And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
[2] And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
[3] And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
[4] And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
[5] And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.
[6] And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
[7] And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
[8] And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
[9] And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
[10] And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
[11] Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
[12] And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
[13] And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
[14] And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
[15] When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
[16] And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
[17] And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
[18] And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
[19] And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
[20] And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
[21] Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
[22] And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.
[23] And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
[24] And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
[25] When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.
[26] And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
[27] And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
[28] And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
[29] And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
[30] And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
Genesis 38:1 KJV
And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
Genesis 38:2 KJV
And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
Genesis 38:3 KJV
And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
Genesis 38:4 KJV
And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
Genesis 38:5 KJV
And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.
Genesis 38:6 KJV
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
Genesis 38:7 KJV
And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
Genesis 38:8 KJV
And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
Genesis 38:9 KJV
And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
Genesis 38:10 KJV
And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
Genesis 38:11 KJV
Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
Genesis 38:12 KJV
And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
Genesis 38:13 KJV
And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
Genesis 38:14 KJV
And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
Genesis 38:15 KJV
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
Genesis 38:16 KJV
And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
Genesis 38:17 KJV
And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
Genesis 38:18 KJV
And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
Genesis 38:19 KJV
And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
Genesis 38:20 KJV
And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
Genesis 38:21 KJV
Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
Genesis 38:22 KJV
And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.
Genesis 38:23 KJV
And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
Genesis 38:24 KJV
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
Genesis 38:25 KJV
When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.
Genesis 38:26 KJV
And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
Genesis 38:27 KJV
And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
Genesis 38:28 KJV
And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
Genesis 38:29 KJV
And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
Genesis 38:30 KJV
And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
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