There are some stories in the bible that will never make it into a Children's Storybook Bible. The story of Tamar and her father-in-law Judah is definitely one of them. This week, Pastor Paul teaches from Genesis 38:6-30, and it's got some pretty mature subject matter. And at first glance, it's also very confusing and one of those ones I'd like to trot by and pretend it's not there. Tamar literally sexually entraps her jerk of a father in law, and we're all just sitting here wondering - What. The. Heck.
But if we moved on and we didn't go deeper, we'd actually miss such a beautiful example of how God's grace can sometimes confront us and sets us down on our behinds to pay attention. This story is a story of fighting against social injustice and ingrained cultural misogyny. It's about what happens when we fail to follow Gods law of care for widows and orphans, something that can literally be the greatest sin of all. It's a story where God works through the distasteful actions of His children in order to bring those whom He has foreknown into a state of repentant and humbled grace. Judah starts out as a selfish, fearful man and ends up offering himself as a willing substitute for his little brother way later in chapter 42 (which is totally worth cross referencing, God is just so cool). It's the story of a smart, shrewd woman who has no choice but to take matters into her own hands to save her own life.
This sermon comes at the beginning of our Advent series for this season, and it's an introduction into the lineage of women who pre-ceded the birth of our glorious King. We can see golden threads of God's grace begin here, through the women and we have the privilege of seeing the story play out through the generations.
You don't want to miss this sermon, so definitely tune in or if you'd prefer to listen to in audio format, click here: https://spoti.fi/3ijoSVg ~KT
