ODJ: judah and tamar
February 19, 2011
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar) (Matthew 1:3).
READ: Genesis 38:6-30
I know a guy who doesn’t leave a very good first impression . . . or last one, for that matter. He’s conniving and selfish, a man of double standards. He makes promises that he has no intention of keeping, and he’s led a promiscuous lifestyle. Not exactly Mr. Right, huh?
Judah, Joseph’s brother, was such a guy. In Genesis 38, we read that his eldest son married Tamar, but then God put him to death (1 Chronicles 2:3). They had no children. In those days it was customary that the next oldest brother take the wife of his brother and raise a family for his deceased brother. This was called a levirate marriage. So the responsibility fell on Onan, the second son. Because of Onan’s wickedness, however, God put him to death too (Genesis 38:10).
Judah had just one son left. He had no intention of having his only surviving son marry Tamar. So he lied in order to put her out of sight and out of mind.
Tamar trusted him and followed his request—thinking Judah was looking out for her best interests. But after a long wait, she decided to take action. Apparently Judah had established himself as the kind of man who would use the services of a prostitute. So she disguised herself as one, and Judah, not knowing she was his daughter-in-law, slept with her.
It’s a bizarre story, but that’s not the end of it. For from this one-night stand, twins Perez and Zerah were born (vv.27-30). Surprisingly, God used Judah and Tamar in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:3).
While I’m not excusing or encouraging evil acts, it’s evident that God can work even in our sin to bring glory to His name. So who are we to say, “I’m not qualified to serve God. There’s no way He can possibly use me”? If God can use Judah and Tamar, He can use us to bring Him glory. —Poh Fang Chia
What kind of qualifications do you think God looks for in His servants? Where in the Bible do you find people with these qualifications?
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God looks for a ready heart and commitment
well… GOD looked for Elijah,who was wiv passions as us all…
GOD used Gideon,who had inferiority complex…
GOD used Moses,who murderd som1 n was a stutterer…
GOD used Jeremiah,who was young n gav excuses…
GOD calld David ‘a man after His own heart’ even though he comitd adultry n murder…
GOD chose his twelve desciples n groomd èm in2 men wiv great faith…
GOD works in mysterious ways.