9/18/22 - Grace Awaits - Genesis 38 - Pastor Jason Fritz

If you have been listening to the Genesis sermons and reading the Bible for the first time, you are probably shocked by what you experience in chapter 38. Will the family dysfunction ever come to an end? After being introduced to Joseph last week, chapter 38 turns to his older brother, Judah, and Judah’s daughter-in-law, Tamar. What a sordid relationship we have here. However, it leads to an unexpected conclusion.

Tamar is a childless widow who has become pregnant…and the baby daddy is Judah. Yes, her father-in-law. Judah is unaware of what he’s done to her, because when they were together, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute. Judah never cared much for Tamar and when he is told she is now unmarried and with child, he sees his opportunity to get rid of her. The penalty for adultery was death. As she is being led out to her punishment, the plot twist is uncovered - Judah himself is the father! He is forced to own up to it because she has all the evidence. Judah proclaims, “She is more righteous than me.” He mistreated her and he believes she was justified in what she did in return. He is humbled and Tamar is exalted. Judah publicly admits his failure. This marks a change in Judah's life. He is an example for us.

You and I will never achieve sinless perfection. However, it’s what we do and how we respond when faced with our sin that matters most. How quick is your repentance? Judah, to his credit, doesn’t play it off. He doesn’t act the victim. He owns it. This event matures him. In fact, he will become a sacrificial and humble spokesman for his brothers when they meet Joseph once again. By God’s grace, Judah will become the man and by God’s grace, Tamar will become the woman who takes the first female place in the genealogy of Jesus. 

Matthew 1:1-3 - "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar" 

It was rare for an ancient genealogy to contain the name of a woman, and it was extraordinarily rare to contain the name of a woman with a sordid story. And yet, there’s Tamar, listed as a direct ancestor of Jesus. In fact, there are five women named in this list and each has a nefarious marital union. Why is this? Well, in part it’s to set the stage for the birth of Jesus. Mary is pregnant with the Messiah and unwed. How can that be??? Have you read the stories of Jesus’ foremothers? You’ll see God working his sovereign will in the midst of whispers of scandal. So it should come as no surprise that Jesus is born to a virgin. But there’s more... 

Tamar is a Canaanite and the other women named in Jesus’ line are Gentiles. This sends a very strong message - Jesus is for everyone, not just the Hebrews, but for all people everywhere. When Jesus was a young boy he was taken to the temple and Simeon says, “This boy is going to be a light for all nations." Just as God promised in Genesis 3, there would be a savior born of a woman who would crush the destructive work of Satan and be a blessing to all people. That promise was given to Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob and fulfilled through the most unlikely person - Tamar. 

Our God is that big. His hidden hand is always working through history and always surprising us; doing the unexpected in the hearts of his people for their good. So with respect and reverence for God’s sovereignty, let’s submit ourselves to him believing that we will change and that an unending amount of grace lies ahead for us!