Sermon #1423 Miscellaneous
Sermons
Title: “Judah went down”
Text: Genesis
38:1-30
Subject: Judah, Tamar, and the Purpose of God
Date: Sunday
Morning – September 24, 2000
Tape # W-1b
Reading: Psalm 105:1-45
Introduction:
(Genesis 38) "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 veil, 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 veil 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."
How do you feel, when you read this story? -- Revolted? --
Disgusted? -- Shocked? -- Horrified? -- Embarrassed? -- Dismayed? What are your
thoughts?
If you read the Scriptures carefully, paying attention to
what you read, you will sometimes come across a passage which seems totally out
of place. When you do, do not just glance over it, or ignore it. That which
seems out of place in the Word of God is put where it is to get out attention,
to teach us something extraordinary.
Without question, anyone reading through the Book of
Genesis, as he reads chapters 37, 38, and 39, and on to the end of the Book,
has to stop, scratch his head, and ask – “What do the events in chapter 38 have
to do with the story of Joseph’s betrayal, imprisonment, and exaltation?”
The fact is, the events in Genesis 38 have very little, if
anything, to do with the history of Joseph. These thirty verses interrupt the
history of Joseph. They seem to have been thrown into the story haphazardly. At
first glance, the whole passage seems out of place. But that is not the case.
These thirty verses were given by Divine inspiration. Moses
wrote this narrative exactly as God the Holy Spirit directed him. And the
things here recorded “were written for
our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have
hope” (Rom. 15:4). May God the Holy Spirit, who inspired Moses to record
this piece of sacred history, now inscribe upon our hearts the lessons he here
teaches.
You will find the title of my message in verse 1. There we
are told that “Judah Went Down.” But before I
am done, you will see that Judah’s degradation, shameful as it was, was the
bleak, black backdrop upon which the Lord God would display the wondrous glory
of his grace. Here we see sin abounding, and grace super-abounding! What we
have before us in this chapter is much, much more than a story of sin and
degradation. This is a story of grace, marvelous, free, sovereign, amazing
grace.
I.
Judah’s
Sin
The
first thing, the most obvious thing, set before us in this chapter is the utter depravity of our race.
Since the fall of our father Adam, one thing has always
characterized the human race. One thing can always be counted on as a matter of
certainty. One thing can be seen in the course of every son of Adam, in the
life of every mortal, in the history of every family. There is one black mark
by which every man is identified, one odious characteristic by which our race
is identified, one horrible plague by which every heart is corrupted and every
life is defiled. That one thing is sin. Sin is what we are. Sin is what we do.
Sin is the thing that dominates our lives by nature. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We are all, by
nature, “children of wrath,” a people
deserving the wrath of God. We are a race of evil doers.
This is a fact which history verifies. The total depravity
of man is verified in every news paper in the world every day. Our politicians,
like preachers, like to flatter people, and talk about man’s innate goodness.
But the Word of God speaks not of man’s innate goodness, but his innate
vileness. It is written, “The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”
Though Judah was a chosen sinner, one predestined to
eternal life, a man in the direct lineage of Abraham, one to whom the Lord God
had sent the light of Divine revelation when very few were given such light,
Judah proved himself to be a wicked, sinful, depraved man.
A.
We are not told how or why
it came to pass, but this chapter opens by declaring that “Judah went down from his
brethren.”
(Genesis 38:1)
"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."
In direct violation of the revealed will of God, Judah
chose to abandon the family of Abraham, the people of God, and took for his
choice companion an Adullamite, by the name of Hirah. No doubt, he felt fully
justified in his actions. I do not doubt for a moment that he could vindicate
his choice before any man. But I
assure you, the path of compromise is the path of sorrow. It is
written, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap.” If you take fire to your bosom, you are going to get
burned. If you sow to the wind, you will reap the whirlwind. Let’s see if
Judah’s history does not verify this.
1.
He chose a pagan for his
friend.
2.
Then he chose a pagan for
his wife.
3.
His two oldest sons (Er and
Onan), following the example of their father, were slain under the wrath of
God.
We are not told what Er’s wickedness was; but it was
obviously something for which he was manifestly slain by the hand of God (v.
7). Onan’s sin, however is specifically described (vv. 7-10).
(Genesis 38:7-10)
"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."
There have been many things written about Onan’s sin.
Papists and others point to this as a proof text against birth control. But I
am certain that God did not send this man to hell simply because he spilled his
seed on the ground.
That which was later written in the law of God given to
Israel (Deut. 25:5), was already clearly established as the revealed will of
God to the children of Abraham. If a brother died without children, his brother
next to him was required to take his wife and raise up a son in the name of his
dead brother.
This law was given to none but Israel. It applied to none
but Israel. It was given to Israel, to Abraham’s children, because the Lord God
promised to send his Son, the Messiah, our Redeemer, through Abraham’s seed.
The promised Redeemer, the promised Savior, in whom all blessedness is found,
and the heritage of grace in him, was the birthright of the firstborn son.
When Onan refused to raise up a child in the name of his
brother, he showed contempt for God’s covenant, despising God’s Son. Just as
Esau before him, Onan snubbed his nose at God’s goodness and grace in Christ.
It was for this that God killed him.
I am here to tell you that God almighty has not changed. He
still sends men and women to hell for snubbing their noses at his Son.
After the death of his first two sons, Judah promised Tamar
that as soon as his third son, Shelah, was old enough, he would marry her. But,
in verse 11, we are told that it was a promise he had no intention of keeping.
B.
Judah’s incest with Tamar stands as a warning to all.
What could be more terrible than the record here given of
Judah and his family? Here is a man brought up in the midst of a favored
people, blessed with godly influences, surrounded by examples of grace from his
youth. Yet, Judah chose the rebel’s path. The consequences of his actions are
glaring. His sons were slain under the wrath of God. Still, Judah goes on,
walking after the lusts of his flesh.
After the death of his wife, Judah took his Adullamite
friend with him to see about the shearing of his sheep.
1.
Tamar disguised herself as a
harlot.
2.
Judah hired his
daughter-in-law as a prostitute.
3.
He sent his companion in
ungodliness to pay his harlot and retrieve his signet, his bracelets, and his
staff.
4.
When Hirah could not find a
harlot in the place, Judah thought the matter was over. He shrugged his
shoulders and said, “That’s that. Let her take those things and forget the
matter, lest we be ashamed.”
5.
When Judah heard that Tamar
was pregnant, he was enraged, and said, “Let her be burned.” That is to say,
“Let her wear the mark of a whore (Lev. 21:9), so that all seeing her will know
what kind of woman she is.” – What hypocrisy! -- What self-righteousness!
C.
At last, Judah acknowledged and confessed his sin (vv. 24-26).
(Genesis 38:24-26)
"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."
This seems to be the time of Judah’s conversion. I say that
not only because he acknowledged his sin. He really had no choice in that
matter. He was caught red-handed. But he did more. He stated plainly that
Tamar, though guilty of incest, knowingly so, (which is certainly a worse crime
than fornication with a prostitute), had acted more righteously than he.
How can that be? Tamar seems to have realized and believed
the promise of God concerning the gift of his Son through Judah, the promise
that up to this point Judah and his sons had despised. Being denied marriage to
Shelah, she was determined to have Christ, no matter the cost.
No,
there is no justification for her incest. What she did was horribly evil. Yet,
Judah declares here that her actions were more righteous than his. In doing so,
he acknowledges and confesses his sin. And those who do that are forgiven
sinners (1 John 1:9).
(1 John 1:9)
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
II. Divine Election
Second, this 38th chapter of Genesis is a plain declaration
that Divine election is a matter of
pure, free grace. Judah was chosen as the object of God’s grace simply
because God loved him. There was nothing good, noble, or righteous about this
man by nature. Every choice he made was evil. He was not seeking the Lord, but
serving the lusts of his flesh, when God stopped him in his path to
destruction.
A.
Judah was no better than his
sons; but God chose Judah.
B.
Judah was no more upright
than Hirah; but God chose Judah.
C.
This chapter is written to
teach us, forcibly and plainly, that salvation is by grace alone. – Not by
man’s will, but by God’s will. – Not by man’s work, but by God’s work. – Not by
man’s worth, but by Christ’s worth.
That which distinguished Judah from his neighbors and his
own family, and that which alone distinguishes God’s elect from the rest of the
world is the distinguishing grace of God.
(1 Corinthians 4:7)
"For who maketh thee to differ from
another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst
receive it, why dost thou glory, as
if thou hadst not received it?"
(1 Corinthians 1:26-31) "For ye see your calling, brethren, how
that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: {27} But God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; {28} And base things of the world, and
things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea,
and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: {29} That no flesh should glory in his
presence. {30} But of him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption: {31} That,
according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
III.
God’s
Purpose
A third thing displayed in this chapter is the absolute immutability of God’s
purpose. God had purposed from eternity that his Son would come into
this world through the line of Judah. So it must be. And so it was. As surely
as this chapter records the faithlessness of man, it records the immutable
faithfulness of our God.
(Matthew 9:10-11)
"And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold,
many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. {11} And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why
eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?"
“Not only does our Master eat and drink with publicans and
sinners, but the twelve gates of heaven are named for them to encourage the
chiefest of sinners to come unto Him (Rev. 21:12)” –
Ralph Bouma
IV. Divine Providence
Here again, we see the wondrous mystery of divine providence. Once
more, God overrules evil for good (Rom. 8:28). Our God is always behind the
scene. All the vast machinery of providence is under his control, absolutely.
His finger directs all the circumstances of the universe.
He who is Lord of all is above all, rules all, and uses all
for the good of his people, the glory of his name, and the accomplishment of
his purpose of grace in Christ. How sweet, how blessed, how comforting it is to
the believing heart to trace all things back to the will of God our Father! All
angels, men, and devils are his servants and execute his purposes precisely!
(Romans 8:28-30)
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. {29} For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. {30} Moreover
whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
(Romans 11:33-36)
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
how unsearchable are his judgments,
and his ways past finding out! {34} For
who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? {35} Or who hath first given to him,
and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
{36} For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory
for ever. Amen."
V. The Glory of Christ
Not only does this chapter give us a genealogical record of
Christ ancestors, it shows us that our Savior’s glory as a man was native to
himself. It was not a glory derived from his ancestors.
·
The Jews proudly boasted that they were not born of fornication, though
in fact that is precisely how the nation was born.
·
Our Savior’s glorious righteousness as a man was the glory of his own
sinless nature and his own perfect obedience as our Substitute.
(John 17:4-5)
"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do. {5} And now, O
Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with
thee before the world was."
VI.
The
Grace of God
As God dealt with Judah, so he deals with all his elect in
grace, free, sovereign, saving grace (Eph. 2:1-4).
(Ephesians 2:1-4)
"And you hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins: {2} Wherein
in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: {3} Among whom also we
all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of
wrath, even as others. {4} But God,
who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us."
Genesis 38 stands before us as a most blessed display of
God’s amazing, free grace to sinners in Christ. Instead of casting Judah and
Tamar into hell for their sin, God had chosen not only to save them, but to
make them the direct progenitors of Christ. God grace is not frustrated and
cannot be frustrated. That which appears to be a hindrance to grace is but the
instrument of grace. The Son of God, the Lord of Glory not only came down here
to save sinners, he purposed from eternity to identify himself with sinners
even in his ancestry through the tribe of Judah (Ruth 4:12-13; Matt. 1:1-3;
Heb. 7:14; Rev. 5:5-12).
(Ruth 4:12-13)
"And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare
unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. {13} So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his
wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare
a son."
(Matthew 1:1-3)
"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the
son of Abraham. {2} Abraham begat
Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; {3} And Judas begat Phares and Zara of
Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;"
(Hebrews 7:14)
"For it is evident that
our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning
priesthood."
(Revelation 5:5-12)
"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of
the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to
loose the seven seals thereof. {6} And
I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in
the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns
and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the
earth. {7} And he came and took the
book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. {8} And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the
Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which
are the prayers of saints. {9} And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; {10} And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on the earth. {11} And I
beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands;
{12} Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing."
The history of Judah is written for us in these 30 verses
of Inspiration to teach us that where sin abounds, grace super-abounds.
·
In Election
·
In Redemption
·
In Providence
·
In Forgiveness
·
In Blessedness
Our great God, in his great grace, rises above and over
rules the sin and folly of man for the salvation of his elect and the glory of
his own great name. Yes, he rises above and over rules our sin and folly for
our salvation, to the praise of the glory of his grace. And when he gets done,
every creature in heaven, earth, and hell will see the wonder of his work and
praise him for everything that has been.