GENESIS

Notes on Genesis 38

The Double Standard.

Here is a story of hypocrisy if there ever was one.

• 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.
• 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 bore a son; and he called his name Er.
• 4 And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she called his name Onan.
• 5 And she yet again conceived, and bore a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore 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.

It is not said here what the wickedness was that Er did. When we read of some of the things people in the bible did, we think they are wicked but still the Lord considers them righteous because of their faith. That doesn't excuse their sins because we see that in every case, their sin comes back to haunt them in later years. Yet sometimes there is a type of sin that God does not tolerate among those that are called by His name.

We can only guess what the sin was. We saw that they possessed many times, deception, fornication, idolatry, greed and not trusting God. Perhaps the ones whom God slew were those who did these things but without fear or repentance. There is a difference between making a mistake and then being sorry, repenting immediately and still maintaining faith in God and the opposite extreme of sinning knowing it is wrong but not caring what anyone thinks much less God.

It could be these sons of Judah sinned without repenting or without any fear of God. I'm sure God would have tried to reprove them but they may have refused or rebelled. There is a thing called unrepentant immorality that is present in our world today. The whole bible teaches repentance which means to change one's mind to the point that we do not want to repeat it. So to be right with God we are to change our minds toward God from ignoring, neglecting or not caring about God or His word, to the place where we start to seek, search and find God. God made a way that we can be right with Him by sending His Son in the world to pay the price of sin on our behalf, so that faith in Him and what He did for us, brings us back into a right relationship with God from whom sin separated us.

• Genesis 38:8 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.

Here was a selfish act that we may not understand in our day and age where we do not as a rule marry a spouse of one who is deceased. We have alternative ways of making a living and our lifestyles have changed. Back then a women would have no way to make a living if her spouse died. With the children of Israel though, to keep each tribe alive and preserve the inheritance given them from the Lord they had to marry within their own tribe and keep the seed going. This is why they had that law.

• Genesis 38:11 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 a 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.

This is very hard for us to understand the hypocrisy here for it seemed as if there was one law for a man and a different law for a woman. However, I believe God would have both to be pure and not become harlots and whoremongers.

In previous chapters we saw that the sons of Jacob grew angry that Shechem would treat their sister as a harlot and yet we see Judah going into a harlot to comfort himself after the death of his wife.

This is my own opinion but I believe that God expects faithfulness in men as well as women. It is men's weaknesses in these areas that cause them to create double standards making it okay for them to sleep around but not the women.

If Judah was going to lie with a harlot, he had no right to punish his daughter in law for doing the same thing.

• Genesis 38:25 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.

At least Judah didn't repeat the sin and lie with her again.

Her children turned out to be the lineage from which Christ was to come. God didn't always pick perfect people. Jesus was the perfect one to come and make the sinless sacrifice that would save all who receive Him. He came through imperfect people to save us from our sins, yet He was the only man to live perfectly without sin. He was without spot or blemish. All animal sacrifices had to be without spot or blemish pointing toward the perfect one to come and make the way of salvation available to all who would believe.

• Genesis 38:27 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.

We see that there was no hope for mankind before the coming of Jesus Christ. There was no way to live holy and inherit the kingdom of heaven on our own merits. We needed a savior, we needed an intercessor and a deliverer. Man could not save himself. Nothing he could do or give up could possibly save him (her). He had to have help. God Himself in the person of His Son, Jesus had to come in the flesh, become one of us to save us from the sin which was destroying our souls and sending us to hell. DC

Genesis 39