Genesis 38:9-39:23 - Part A

This is Connect with Skip Heidzig, and we're so glad you've joined us for today's program. Connect the Skip Heitzig is all about connecting you to the never-changing truth of God's Word through verse-by-verse teaching. That's why we make messages like this one today available to you and others. Before we get started with the program, we want to invite you to check out connectwithskip.com. There, you'll find resources like full message series, weekly devotionals, and more.

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Now let's get started with today's message from Pastor Skip Heidzik. Joseph was a teenager. 17 years old. When the LORD began to speak to him through dreams. He was so excited about those dreams.

And probably a bit naive. Because he told his brothers About the dream since It involved them. Hey guys, the Lord spoke to me last night in a dream. And I dreamed that We were all like a bunch of sheaves out in the field, and your sheaves rose up and bowed down to my sheaf. Isn't that cool?

And they didn't think it was that cool. They hated him because of it. His dad was willing to dismiss it, but something got his attention. It was the next dream that the Lord gave him. It involved the sun and the moon and the stars all bowing down and doing obeisance to Joseph's star.

And at this, his dad Jacob gets a little miffed and says, What, you think your mother and I and all your brothers are going to bow down to you? And the answer to that would be, uh-huh. You will. For the Lord will take Joseph, though a 17-year-old boy now, and raise him up to become the second in command under Pharaoh of Egypt. He will be in charge of the food distribution for the entire world.

And Jacob's brothers first, or Joseph's brothers first, and then Jacob, his father himself last, will all be bowing down to this young man. But In chapter 37, we also saw that Joseph was sold by his brothers. to some Midianite traders who were going down to Egypt. And then we started last week with chapter 38. And we saw that chapter 38 was.

like a contrast, a departure, a huge Parenthetical statement in the story about Joseph In reading chapter 37 and coming to chapter 38, we go, what's this all about? Because it seems not to fit. The story is all about Joseph, but then suddenly the camera shifts. And we're reading about Judah his older brother. The camera does shift because while Joseph is down in Egypt.

For about 20 years, chapter 38 takes place. It's about a 20-year span of time where we are able to see what's going on in the family of Jacob, through his son Judah in particular. To give us a contrast with what is happening. With Joseph. Before we um pick up where we left off.

Just a word to those who are younger. I say that I think it's always. Better to say younger than young. Because people would say, well, what does young mean? Just younger people.

Okay. The Lord Very often gets a hold of those who are young. to do his work. Joseph was a young man.

Okay, naive perhaps, impressionable, yes, but maybe better because of that. Because when a person is young and impressionable, then God is able to make an impression. At a tender age, when that person is responsive and receptive and not set in his or her ways. And I find this often as a pattern in the Bible, and I'm encouraged by it. That's why I always get excited when somebody young, I don't care how naive they might sound.

Says, I just want to serve the Lord, and I believe God's going to use me to change the world. I say great. How can I help? Samuel was just a kid. younger than Joseph when the Lord spoke to him.

He had that heart to serve the Lord. His mother and father had dedicated him to the Lord. And when I say dedicated, I mean dedicated. They dropped him off at the tabernacle when he was just a tyke. And year by year.

Mom and dad would go up to the tabernacle and give little Samuel a little coat. Priestly intern coat to wear. And it says that he ministered before the Lord wearing a linen ephod, just a little kid. And the Lord spoke to him, Samuel. Samuel in the middle of the night and finally He said Here I am, Lord.

Your servant listening. Then There was Jeremiah the prophet. Before he was a prophet, he was a kid. And the Lord spoke to him and said, I'm going to use you to speak to the nations.

Okay. And being a kid, Jeremiah said, Lord, I'm just a kid. That was his excuse. I'm too young. They're not going to listen to me.

And God said, Jeremiah. Quit saying I'm just a kid. I'm speaking to you. I will speak through you. Don't be afraid of the people's faces.

Just go. Young. Impressionable. Daniel was a kid when taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC, just a teenager. But God used him so powerfully.

Timothy was obviously young because Paul had to write and say, Let no man despise your youth or your youthful age. When a person is young, as I mentioned, they're impressionable. And I say that's good because when God gets a hold of somebody in those tender years, That means that person is able to give the Lord the very best of their life before they've wasted their life or half of it on themselves. Once God gets a hold of a person at a young age, the rest of that person's life. can be used for God's glory.

Dwight L. Moody came home from a crusade one night, as the story goes. Walked in the door. And his wife said, Well, how many came to the Lord to night, sweetheart? He said, two and a half.

She said, Oh, you mean two adults and a child? He goes, No, I mean two kids and one adult. Because he said The adult has already wasted half of his life. In the devil's kingdom, and now the rest of his life for the Lord. But these little kids, their whole life is ahead of them.

It is shown that most people come to know the Lord. when they're younger, in their teenage years. I'd be interested, and you might be interested to just sort of see how this works. How many of you here tonight? came to the Lord After age 25, raise your hands.

Okay, hands down. How many of you came to know Jesus Christ? Before age 25, raise your hands. You can see Exactly what I'm talking about. One person years ago released some statistics in trying to study this mathematically and said the odds of a person at age 25 coming to know Christ is one in 5,000.

The odds of somebody at age 35 coming to know Christ is one in 25,000. At age 45, it's one in 60,000. At age 55, it's one in 125,000 and an exponentially. decreases as the person gets older so that If you come to know Christ at age 75, it's like a sheer miracle. It defies all odds.

It doesn't matter what age. You come to know the Lord. It's most important that you come to know him. But Joseph, 17 and so tender, wanting to serve the Lord. You'll see it in this story tonight, if we ever get to the next chapter after chapter 38.

But as I mentioned, chapter 38 is here for two reasons. Number one, to give us a contrast. A contrast between Joseph, who's introduced in the previous chapter and whose story continues to the end. Contrast between Joseph and the rest of his family, his brothers. Judah especially.

It's the difference between black and white, light and dark. Number two, not just for contrast, but to show us. A continuance. A continuance to give us the genealogical background to show the continuation. of the lineage through Judah all the way to Jesus Christ.

And that will show up at a couple of different places. One is at the end of the book of Ruth, the genealogical record is given of King David. And then those same names will appear in Matthew chapter 1 in the genealogical table of Jesus Christ Himself.

So, for the sake of contrast and for the sake of continuation. We have this story.

Now I mentioned something. just a few moments ago. If you're reading the Bible for the very first time, No doubt by now you're a bit stunned. In fact, shocked. If just reading through it, you discover.

Man. There's just a lot of junk in this book. Junk meaning sinfulness, wicked people. And yet These are the people in the Bible. Judah.

who will become the leader of the tribe of Judah. The kingly tribe from whom the Messiah will come. My goodness, this guy was a loser. He made bad choices. Just Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Bible shows plainly their failures.

So you might be shocked. On one hand, and I would say Great if you are. Because if you have the idea that everybody in the Bible woke up every morning and polished his or her halo. before they started the day. and then to live the perfect life, you would be mistaken.

These are real people. And some of them are real bad. Joseph wasn't. It is the contrast to the rest. Not one bad thing is ever said of Joseph in the Bible.

The only other human being that that's true of is Daniel. Doesn't mean he was perfect, doesn't mean he was sinless, it's just that there's nothing notable. Like there is with the other people. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we get back to Skip's teaching, the 1960s promised us an explosion of love and brotherhood.

But instead, they delivered a nation in turmoil, confusion, and moral decline. Fortunately, God has the solution for our damaged families. And in Beyond the Summer of Love, Relationships in the Real World, Pastor Skip Heitse gives a biblical guide for marriage and families that can help restore relationships which have been damaged by sin. Beyond the Summer of Love is our thanks for your gift of at least $25 today. Go to connectwithskip.com/slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your resources when you give $25 or more today to help reach people around the world with the good news of Jesus through Connect with Skip Heitzig.

Let's continue with today's teaching with Pastor Skip.

Well, we attempted to go through chapter 38 and ended at an odd place. And so we'll pick it up. at the same odd place. We'll pick it up in verse 6.

Now let me give you the background so we don't have to read it all again. Judah was out one day and he saw this gal. Cute, he thought. She was Canaanite. It was his Canaanite cutie.

Her name was Shua.

So he married his Canaanite cutie. And they had three boys. One was named Ur. E R The other was named Yeah. And the other was named Sheila.

Or as we should pronounce it, Shaila, because no boy wants it pronounced Sheila.

So these three boys, my three sons, they had.

Now the first one died and we're not told why. It simply says In verse 6, Judah took a wife for Ur his firstborn. Her name was Tamar. But Ur, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD. And the Lord killed him.

We saw that last week. Doesn't say why the Lord killed him. I kind of like that. God isn't a gossip, He just says. Killed him.

Got my reasons. He's dead. Move on. And Judah said to Onan, this is son number two. Go into your brother's wife and marry her and raise up An heir to your brother.

But Onan knew that the heir would not be his, and it came to pass. When he went in, to his brother's wife. That he emitted on the ground. lest he should give an heir to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord.

Therefore he killed him also. Yeah.

Now, in reading this, some have misinterpreted this to mean. or have taken this to mean misapplied this to refer to birth control. Showing, they think, That any form of family planning, birth control, must be unbiblical because of this.

Well, that is so foreign to the meaning of the context. The issue here isn't family planning. The issue here is family plotting. You've got a boy who marries his brother's wife, which was a custom that started in Mesopotamia, was practiced in Asia and Africa, and even later on made its way into the Mosaic law of ancient Israel.

So that The inheritance of a family and the name of a family would be preserved. The brother would go have a child. The child would be named after the dead brother, and the family name and the inheritance. would live on.

So what's up with Onan?

Well Notice the word when in that verse. When he went in, a better translation would be whenever he went in. The idea is that he did it frequently. It was a regular practice. And the regular practice for him would fall under the medical term quitus interruptus.

That is, he wanted sexual gratification without parental responsibility. He hated his brother. He didn't want to give a seed in his brother's name. He didn't want his brother to have an heir because his brother, the firstborn, would pass on the family birthright. to the sun that he would produce.

He wants to produce the heir. He wants the right of the firstborn. He wants to be in charge. If he has an heir, he'll be rich. Er and bet Turb.

Because he is Ur, by the way, so everything's going to be just more than him.

So He doesn't want to pass on. the genealogy of his brother, Because he's filled with self-love instead of brotherly love. And so we notice that the Lord kills him. The thing which he did displeased the Lord, therefore he killed him. Also.

So now watch this. Two of Judah's sons are dead. Doesn't say anything about him mourning, though I'm sure he was.

Sorrowful for it. I can't prove that, though. But notice now in verse 11, he's got a heads up now for this gal. Judah said to Tamar, His daughter-in-law, remain a widow. In your father's house until my son-in-law Shaylah is grown.

He was young. For he said, lest he also die like his brothers. And Tamar went and dwelt. in her father's house.

So here's the deal.

Okay. He said, you know, sweetheart, Just go home and live with your dad.

Now he's thinking in his mind, no way is he going to get my third, she's going to get my third son. Because There's two down, there's only one to go. Number one died with her. Number two died with her. Maybe he didn't know the whole situation at the time.

If number three gets married to her, that could be the end of my family line.

So just go home and live with dad, but he uses as an excuse: well, when my son gets older, then that's another story. He had no intention of fulfilling that vow.

Now It says Tamar went down and dwelt in her father's house.

Now in the process of time The daughter of Shua, Judah's wife died. And Judah was comforted. That is, he went through the process of grieving and coming out the other end, comforted after that. And so he went up to his sheep. up to his sheep shearers at Timna, And his friend Hirad the Adulamite, we remember him at the beginning of the chapter, his pagan friend.

The Adulamite. He goes, You know what? My wife's dead. It was a tough go. I feel better now.

I'm going to go visit my pagan friend. The Adulamite. Hira. And it was told Tamar, saying, Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear sheep.

So She took off her widow's garment. Covered herself with a veil, wrapped herself and sat in an open place. which was on the way to Timna, For she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. When Judah saw her, He thought she was a harlot. That's how she dressed.

She disguised herself. She took off the morning garments that she had been wearing. because she had covered her face. It seems that she dressed as if she were a temple prostitute, knowing the kind of character that her father-in-law had.

Now, a temple prostitute, as I'll mention just in a few verses, was a common Canaanite form of worship. The way that many of the Canaanite temples got converts was through their prostitutes.

So it was said to worship. You would be a worshiper if you join yourself to a prostitute. Young men who are out in the fields are thinking, boy, I like this church. You know, I'll join that one. Sure, no problem.

And they got a lot of their converts that way through these gals. She covered her face. Verse 16: Then he turned to her by the way. and said Please let me come into you. In other words, I seek your sexual favors.

for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And so she said, Well, what will you give me? That you may come into me.

So here she is dressed up. Her intention is to maintain the family inheritance. She's thinking, I'll be out of this family. I have no children.

So to keep the lineage of that family. She disguises herself so that Judah himself will impregnate her. It's warped, I know, but follow the story.

So she says, What do you give me? You know, you're asking for this favor. What will you give me? How much will you give me? He says, I'll send you a goat.

From the flock. And so she said. Will you give me a pledge until you send it?

So she's gonna get his goat. But Until she does, she doesn't want the wool pulled over her eyes.

So They strike a deal. I'll give you a goat.

Okay, great.

Well, you don't have a goat with you, you're here, but. What will you give me as a promise until I get your goat? And he said. What pledge shall I give you? And so she said, Your signet?

And cord? and your staff that is in your hand. And then he gave them to her, and went into her, and she conceived by him. A signet is a ring. And the ring was used to stamp Within wax or clay, let's say you were to buy something.

And you wanted to give your signature, so to speak. You would take your ring and you would impress it in wax or you'd impress it in clay, and that was used for letter correspondence, that was used for transactions. And the ring, that signet, was often worn around the neck with a cord.

So he takes the ring off which is on the cord, gives it to her, and the staff that is in her hand.

So It's sort of like giving his credit card, his Visa card to her. What shall I give you? I don't have any cash. Do you take visa?

Well, no. Tell you what, give me your signet because, really, that is effectively like your personal credit card, your signature, your ability to buy.

So he goes, good, no problem. Gives it to her. And she conceives. Verse 19.

So she arose and went away and laid aside her veil. and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judas sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, The Adulamite to receive his pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her.

Okay, so let me just fill in this blank. We're dealing with a Canaanite culture. And the Canaanite culture Has many of its worship practices from the Mesopotamians where Abraham came from. And over there, the whole idea of temple cult prostitutes developed, and they were all about fertility.

So this is how it worked. The idea was that the prostitute Was emblematic of the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. She represented Ishtar. And so, before somebody would plant their fields with seed or have their flocks mate, before that time, they would often go to these temples. And seek the woman, the prostitute, who would be emblematic of Ishtar.

And the idea was the recreation of the divine marriage of the gods. And with that, it was believed that one's Livestock. Crops would come out in abundance. And so it was common to see these cult prostitutes scattered throughout the land, but notice we're dealing with Judah. The um The lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Different worldview, different God called out from that stuff. And the Ejudah looks so much like the Canaanites in his practice. In his marriage to Shua the Canaanite? in his false worship, utilizing prostitution.

So he's become very much like them. Thanks for listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. We hope you've been strengthened in your walk with Jesus by today's program. Before we let you go, we want to remind you about this month's resources that will help you understand and follow God's plan for your relationships. Beyond the Summer of Love: Relationships in the Real World by Pastor Skip Heitzig is our thanks for your support of Connect with Skip Heitzig today.

Request your copy when you give $25 or more. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. And did you know that you can get a weekly devotional and other resources from Pastor Skip sent right to your email inbox? Simply visit connectwithskip.com and sign up for emails from Skip. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip Heitzk.

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