Judah and Tamar

This week we are jumping ahead in the Genesis account from chapter 37 to chapter 39.  This means, of course, that we are jumping over one of the weirder and frankly more disturbing stories in the Old Testament – the story of Judah and Tamar.

We learn that Judah gets married and starts his own family.  His sons are wicked, however, and God strikes them down.  Judah’s daughter-in-law is Tamar now very vulnerable, since she doesn’t have a husband or a son to take care of her.  In the ancient cultures it was Judah’s obligation to provide another one of his sons to marry  Tamar and continue the family line.  Judah fails to do this, so Tamar disguises herself and (this is in the Bible) tricks Judah into sleeping with her.  As a result, she becomes pregnant.  When her pregnancy is exposed, Judah initially condemns her but then recognizes his own failures.  He declares that she is more righteous than he is.

Why in the world is this awful story of Judah’s great (and multiple) failures included within the story of Joseph?  Well, we first have to keep in mind that Genesis 37-50 is actually the account of Jacob’s family, not just Joseph.  And by including the account of Judah and Tamar within the story God is showing us several things. The story of Judah and Tamar actually sets up the next event in Joseph’s story (the temptation of Potiphar’s wife).  While Joseph resists sexual temptation Judah fails miserably.  The contrast highlights Joseph’s righteousness and sets up Judah’s need for change.

In a similar vein, the story also sets up the coming turning point in Judah’s life.  At this point, Judah has  not been portrayed positively in Scripture – he sells Joseph into slavery, is a poor father and father-in-law, and commits adultery.  But the turn in Judah’s life begins when Tamar confronts him.  Judah admits that Tamar, even in her deception, “is more righteous than I.”  This the first time Judah acknowledges that he has not been faithful to God and has not lived in obedience to God’s standards.  Judah’s character turn will be completed when he offers himself in place of Benjamin in Genesis 44.

Lastly, the story shows how God worked with very flawed people to preserve the Messianic line.  Tamar was determined to ensure that Judah’s family line continued. She ends up giving birth to twins, and the one twin is named Perez.  In Matthew 1 we learn that Perez becomes part of the lineage that eventually leads to Jesus Christ.  Without a doubt, both Judah and Tamar sinned in the story.  The Bible never sanitizes human failure but rather shows how God’s purposes can never be derailed by the failure of men and women.

So despite the fact that the story of Judah and Tamar seems really out of place to us, it definitely isn’t random!

Here’s what’s happening:

1.  TONIGHT - Youth Group at 6:30 pm. Note – there will NOT be Quilt Knotting this evening.

2.  SUNDAY – Youth Luncheon after the worship service.

3.  The National Day of Prayer is coming up on May 7.  There are community prayer gatherings in Quarryville and Strasburg during the day and a worship service at 6:15 pm at the WJTL’s Junction Center.  Info can be found here: https://lancasterndp.com

4.  May 14 – Youth Group and Quilt Knotting at 6:30 pm.

5.  May 31 is “Graduation Sunday.”  We will be honoring our high school graduates during the worship service.

6.  June 7  is “Quilt Dedication Sunday.”  We will be dedicating all of the quilts that have been knotted over the past school year.

7.  June 14 – Cruise for Christ Car Show.  The details for this outreach event are starting to come together.  We are inviting folks to come to the worship service at 10 am and then stay to check out the cars at 11:30 am.  Lunch will be provided!  Signup sheets for food donations and all the details are posted in the lobby.

8.  We will once again have a baptism service over the summer.  Please see me if you are interested in being baptized.

9.  July 6-10 – VBS from 6:30 t0 8:30 each evening. Theme is the Romans Road to Salvation.

10.  It is time for our annual “spring cleaning” of our email lists.  If you are receiving email blasts from the Bridge and would like to stop receiving them, please let me know. 

This week we dive into Genesis 39 as Joseph does the right thing but ends up in the wrong place.  We’ll look at the tactics of tempters and what doing the right thing always leads to (hint- it’s not prosperity).  We’ll also see how the story of Joseph demonstrates that the most powerful witness often doesn’t come from behind a pulpit. If you know someone who is struggling with how they can be a witness in their workplace, invite them to join you at the Bridge this week.