Oh, the countless baby showers I've attended! I love to celebrate new birth. One thing I know, a baby changes EVERYTHING! From what milk we buy, to what car we drive, to how much money we save, to what color paint we put on the walls.....the impending arrival of a baby causes us to re-think our every move. A baby will change everything, we know that.
In this passage we learn just how drastically a baby changes things, and just what lengths some will go to in avoiding the experience altogether. The Bible says, Judah started hanging out with a new friend. He got himself a Canaanite wife and they had three boys. The first named Er (go figure) and the second, Onan. Well Er "erred" greatly in the sight of the Lord and so God slew him. That's all we know. So Judah, told Onan to take his brother's wife and preserve his brother's name by giving him an heir. Only one problem.....the baby wouldn't be his, it would be his brother's. This means that the inheritance of the first born would no longer go to the next in line, but to the new heir. Not to mention the great responsibility of providing for the child. Oh, don't get me wrong.....Onan was more than willing to take the wife. The Bible says Onan "spilled his seed" on the ground, that he refused to give an heir. And how did God feel about Onan's actions? God slew him also. A baby would change everything, and Onan knew that.
God had commanded His children to be fruitful and multiply time and again. How do you survive in a pagan land? Out-birth them! :) He tells us that "children are a blessing....the fruit of the womb a reward." God help us to take Him at His word!! We are told to nurture our children and bring them up in admonition of the Lord. Babies grow into strong warriors! Arrows to slay the enemies! God did something wonderful for us, He sent us a Baby. He sent our Savior through the bloodlines of these fallible people, because this Baby would change everything,God knew that! Have you met this Savior?
Good insight on some tough verses. I see the same mistake made here that is made over and over again in scripture and in our own lives. When we use our human reasoning to determine what is best (for us) we choose the wrong thing every time and sometimes like Onan, we suffer for it. We have to learn to make our decision based on what God wants us to do, even if that seems like the worst thing for us. God always has our best interest at heart. That is where faith comes in. Believing in a plan you can't see and ignoring the stuff the world puts in your way telling you to do what feels good or what makes sense to you.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that they put Joseph's story right after this. He is truly an example of doing the right thing even though it may lead to temporary troubles, God is working his plan in his time and His plan is bigger than any one of us.
That is why I am enjoying reading through the Bible. I have to read about people who did things the right way but also those that chose the wrong way. Being able to see many generations helps me remember that doing what I want to do now, may turn into something that harms my grandchildren years later.
Like Althea, I wonder what Joseph is thinking as he is going through this phase of his life in Egypt. He seems to just go along and consistely do the right thing... seemingly so easy for him. I greatly respect his integrity and confidence in interpreting the dreams. I love it that God continues to bless him!
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the cupbearer and chief baker did to make Pharaoh angry???
THE THING THAT STAYS WITH ME THROUGH ALL THE READING IS THAT GOD WAS WITH JOSEPH NO MATTER WHERE HE WAS OR WHAT HE WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF. HE WAS A PRISONER ACCUSED OF ADULTRY BUT HE WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF ALL THE OTHER PRISONERS BECAUSE GOD WAS WITH HIM.
ReplyDeleteNO MATTER WHERE I AM I WANT GOD TO BE WITH ME.
GOOD NITE
Joseph ran from evil, I love that he recognized it as a sin against God, first and foremost...."How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” What an example.
ReplyDeleteMore fantastic insights and comments ladies!!! I just LOVE this blog! Anyway, the whole situation between Judah and Tamar is very interesting to me. Tamar came up with a brilliant albeit deceiving plan to get an heir. This shows once again people taking matters into their own hands, however, which usually makes somewhat of a mess! But as Jaybrena said, through the line of these "messed up" people comes the Messiah! Which shows that God can use my "messed up" life for his purposes and this gives me GREAT hope! In contrast to Tamar's successful seduction of Judah is the unsuccessful seduction of Joseph by Potiphar's wife. The greatest lesson to me in this part of the Joseph story is to RUN from sin and temptation as fast as you can! What a great lesson we can glean from this! This great story continues!
ReplyDeleteMIndy, it IS a great story! And what I love is that we can see God's plan unfolding in such early chapters. At just the fourth generation after God makes the promise to Abraham that "all nations will be blessed through you" and "Kings will come from you", God includes a "foreigner" with Tamar. Not only that, but both David and Jesus are her direct descendants. And, it seems, God used Tamar to bring Judah back into a right(er) relationship with him. Anyone else notice that Judah decides to leave his family after returning from selling his brother into slavery? Guilty much? That decision led him to several others that caused him to turn his back on God. It was fairly obvious that he hadn't taken many pains to raise his sons to fear the Lord at all. His first son was just evil, his second used Tamar worse than her father did when he paid her as a prostitute. Forgive the bluntness- but Onan was basically using her as a sex slave. But God was looking out for her and for Joseph- no matter the wrong done to them.
ReplyDeleteOh! And if you want a really great "retelling" of this amazing story of Tamar I highly recommend the book by Francine Rivers "Unveiled". Francine Rivers is an amazing Christian author. Every book I read of hers is like going to church. "Unveiled" is a fairly short "novella" in a five part series "Lineage of Grace". These stories retell the stories of the five women listed in Jesus's genealogy. So- Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. All are amazing. Check them out!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Unveiled-Tamar-Lineage-Grace-No/dp/0842319476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296302961&sr=1-1
Great insight girls. I love doing this and getting so many ideas and thoughts on each day's reading. How much I have learned already and we're barely into "the BOOK!!"
ReplyDeleteJoseph doesn't seem to me to be phased by all the evil that surrounds and envelopes him. He just keeps going on and "the Lord was with him." What a marvelous sentence. Over and over it says, "and the Lord was with him." He is with us as well and what a comfort that is.
I REALLY APPRECIATE JAYBRENA'S COMMENTS AND ENJOY ALL THE FEED BACK THAT IS COMING IN. I AGREE WITH MINDY'S COMMENT THAT GOD CAN WORK THROUGH MESSED UP LIVES TO MAKE THEM HIS. I WANT TO READ THE BOOK "UNVEILED". NATALIE CAN SHE BORROW YOUR BOOK. I AM DOING THIS FOR JEANETTE NEWTON BECAUSE SHE IS HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING SIGNED ON.
ReplyDeleteAs Natalie said, Francine Rivers has a WONDERFUL series of books on women in the Bible which includes one on Tamar. They are FANTASTIC and are just novellas so they do not take a lot of time to read. I cannot recommend them enough!!! Thanks for reminding me about these Natalie!
ReplyDeleteLadies, I am enjoying all the insights in the daily Bible readings. Everyone has a view that is different but eye-opening. This blog has opened the Bible to me in a whole new light. Who knew that the old testament had such stories. God continually speaks to me through His word. Genesis reminds me that people (no matter the generation)were dealing with real struggles and consequences. At times I think "why did God not just punish all wrong doings". Then I am reminded of grace and mercy...
ReplyDeleteThis is so wonderful! I love chatting with you girls :) And, we could gone on and on about these chapters.....I'm so glad we're reading together. I love the encouragement you all give, sisters. I love Mindy's point about the successful and unsuccessful seductions. And, Natalie! When I was reading the chapters, I flipped ahead for that lineage again on Jesus....when we get to that passage, lets remember what all we learned about these ancestors.....
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