Written by: Barry Jubraj and Rico Tice
Genesis 38 v 20-23
Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat to find the woman and
get back his seal and the walking stick he had given her, but Hirah could not
find her. He asked some of the people at the town of Enaim, “Where is the prostitute
who was here by the road?”
They answered, “There has never been a prostitute here.”
So he went back to Judah and said, “I could not find the woman, and the people
who lived there said, ‘There has never been a prostitute here.’”
Judah said, “Let her keep the things. I don’t want people to laugh at us. I
sent her the goat as I promised, but you could not find her.”
Notes
Does the story of Tamar and Judah appear to take a light view of prostitution?
It could seem so. Prostitution was common in pagan cultures, but the Bible is
clear that sex is only permitted within marriage.
After Tamar and Judah had slept together, their sin and manipulation become clear in today’s verses. Tamar had manipulated Judah in order to become pregnant, although we might have sympathy for her being denied the opportunity for a husband and children. She conveniently disappeared, hence the townsfolk not knowing of a local prostitute when questioned by Hirah. Tamar also gained the necessary proof of fatherhood. For his part, Judah had contributed to Tamar’s sin by denying her a husband, and he then attempted to conceal his own sexual sin. Genesis 38 v 23 tells us that Judah didn’t want anyone to find out what he had been doing because he was aware of his sin. Worryingly, however, there is no evidence of shame from either party.
Many of us struggle with sexual temptation, and some of us have succumbed to it. All of us have God-given consciences which should challenge us if we do sin, driving us to repentance and to seek God’s forgiveness. Are you suppressing your conscience which is challenging you in an area of sexual sin? It may not be prostitution, but what about lust or pornography? Or is there something that you know to be wrong in your life, even though you don’t feel ashamed? Take some time to look at this today and be ruthless in fighting that sin, as Jesus teaches in Mark 9 v 43. If you have sinned and asked God for forgiveness, be assured that He has forgiven you at the cross and that you can have a fresh start.
Prayer points:
· If there is an area of sin in your life that has been suppressed, bring
it to the Lord in prayer and repentance.
· Ask the Lord’s help in ruthlessly putting away that sin.
· If you have repented and sought forgiveness, thank the Lord in prayer
for His grace!
Genesis 38 v 24-26
About three months later someone told Judah, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is
guilty of acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant.”
Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned to death.”
When the people went to bring Tamar out, she sent a message to her father-in-law
that said, “The man who owns these things has made me pregnant. Look at this
seal and its cord and this walking stick, and tell me whose they are.”
Judah recognised them and said, “She is more in the right than I. She did this
because I did not give her to my son Shelah as I promised.” And Judah did not
have sexual relations with her again.
Notes
I wonder if you’re thinking that Judah was a hypocrite? He had sinned with Tamar
(see Genesis 38 v 15-19), and now that her sin was revealed, he was prepared
to have her burned! Judah had sinned grievously and had concealed that sin.
However, his initial reaction to his daughter-in-law was based on rightful concern for historical family bloodlines. Judah considered that Tamar was damaging the family line, because her child wouldn’t be Judah’s grandchild. Remember at this stage, Judah would not have realised that he was the father of Tamar’s child.
Once Tamar produced the evidence of fatherhood, Judah confessed immediately and realised that he had caused Tamar’s sin. We are told that he never had sex with her again, which is an important part of his confession. True repentance is always marked by turning away from the particular sin, not just by showing remorse.
Why did Judah initially react so harshly towards Tamar? Maybe he blamed her for his two older sons’ deaths, but there is no indication in Genesis that this was true. Or maybe it was her sexual sin that particularly angered him. Sometimes the sins that we cover up are those that anger us most when we see them in others. If this is the case, then Judah was guilty of judging Tamar.
Romans 2 v 1-3 tells us that we are all at risk of being religious hypocrites. If we judge others, we judge ourselves because we do the same things. In what particular area are you in danger of practising hypocrisy? Do you ever catch yourself judging others, whilst forgetting that you also fall short of God’s standards? Use Judah’s example and these verses from Romans to help you bring any hypocrisy to the cross, where you can receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing.
Prayer point:
Ask the Lord for help in turning away from any hypocrisy in your own life.
Genesis 38 v 27-30
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her body. While
she was giving birth, one baby put his hand out. The nurse tied a red string
on his hand and said, “This baby came out first.” But he pulled his hand back
in, so the other baby was born first. The nurse said, “So you are able to break
out first,” and they named him Perez. After this, the baby with the red string
on his hand was born, and they named him Zerah.
Notes
In the times of Judah, a red string was important for marking the firstborn
child. The firstborn son was entitled to the family birthright, which is explained
in Genesis 25 v 24-34 concerning Jacob (Judah’s father) and Esau.
So why is the account of Judah, Tamar and her twin children (in Genesis 38) so important to us? We see the answer in Matthew 1 v 3. Perez, the man conceived under sinful circumstances, was actually an ancestor of Jesus. The whole genealogy, or family line, of Jesus is described in Matthew 1 v 1-17. This family line contains another example of a sinful relationship which resulted in a child being born, namely King David’s adultery with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11.
Jesus Christ’s family line teaches us some important lessons. Firstly, it shows how God has overruled human sin to provide us with a Saviour. Some of us may feel that we don’t come from the “right background” to be acceptable to God. If you have ever felt this way, let Jesus’ own family line encourage you that your background doesn’t matter at all to God.
Secondly, Jesus’ family line shows us the importance of reading the Old Testament and becoming familiar with the history it describes. The Old Testament describes God’s work of salvation, as He works in the lives of historical figures listed in the first chapter of Matthew’s gospel. Would you be prepared to use the names listed in Matthew 1 v 1-17 to study the Old Testament and see how God has been planning our salvation from the beginning?
Prayer point:
Praise God today for planning our salvation from the time of Genesis, and for
His sovereign power in being able to overrule human sin to do so! Then consider
whether you trust God as Sovereign Lord in your own life.
Genesis 39 v 1-3
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar was an officer
to the king of Egypt and the captain of the palace guard. He bought Joseph from
the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and
he became a successful man. He lived in the house of his master, Potiphar the
Egyptian.
Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph and that the LORD made Joseph successful
in everything he did.
Notes
The account of Joseph’s life resumes in Genesis 39. He had been sold into slavery
by his brothers at the end of Genesis 37 and was now serving in a foreign land.
We aren’t told how Joseph felt about this, but just imagine how you would feel.
Scared? Isolated? Angry at your brothers? Angry at God?
As Joseph’s life in Egypt unfolds, we see that God was in control of the circumstances all along. Yet God also has the personal touch, as we see from today’s verses. Not only was God with Joseph personally, making him successful, but God was also able to make this fact evident to his pagan master. Joseph had undoubtedly been robbed of much when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. He lost his coat of many colours, a loving earthly father and his freedom. However, nothing could rob him of God’s presence and the personal qualities that the rest of Genesis describes.
It is clear from these verses that it is only God’s grace that allows us to be successful in anything. There is no such thing as a skill, ability or quality that comes from within ourselves. This principle is also stated explicitly in Deuteronomy 8 v 17-18. We must always thank and praise God for any quality that we have or skill that we achieve. If you “search for the hero inside yourself” you should only find Him.
These verses also tell us that even a supposedly poor servant may be blessed and used by God. What about you? Do you feel that God could never use you because you are too “ordinary”? If you are willing for God to use you, just ask Him. Remember that He is sovereign and can use you if you are prepared to obey Him.
Prayer points:
· Thank God for any abilities or success that you enjoy.
· Thank God for the high value that He places on you, regardless of any
low view of yourself or the negative opinions of others.
· Ask God to use you in His service and to give you the strength to obey
Him.
Genesis 39 v 4-6a
So Potiphar was very happy with Joseph and allowed him to be his personal servant.
He put Joseph in charge of the house, trusting him with everything he owned.
When Joseph was put in charge of the house and everything Potiphar owned, the
LORD blessed the people in Potiphar’s house because of Joseph. And the LORD
blessed everything that belonged to Potiphar, both in the house and in the field.
So Potiphar left Joseph in charge of everything he owned and was not concerned
about anything except the food he ate.
Notes
The account of Joseph could easily be seen as a story of his own success. Instead,
it is a story of God’s faithfulness to His own promises. For example, in Genesis
12 v 3 God promised Joseph’s great grandfather, Abraham, that all the nations
of the earth would be blessed through him. In Potiphar, we see a stranger being
blessed through Joseph and thereby an early fulfilment of God’s promise.
God always keeps his promises. It is worth getting to know God’s promises contained within the Old Testament, in order to see this for yourself. By becoming familiar with His eternal promises, we can be assured of our own future and will be able to see the ups and downs of our own daily life with an eternal perspective. We will then remember that, ultimately, we have an eternal Heavenly home to look forward to.
God blessed Potiphar for Joseph’s sake and ensured that Potiphar realised this (Genesis 39 v 3). The more we read about Joseph in Genesis, the more he appeared to be a hardworking and diligent sort of person, who knew his God and trusted Him. Because of this, Joseph’s desire was to serve God faithfully; he knew he had a responsibility to obey God and to follow Him.
Likewise, we should never be passive receivers of God’s grace and favour, but we should always seek to follow His ways. Our obedience and desire to honour God is a response to the grace that God has shown towards us. You can never earn God’s grace, but if you have accepted His free gift of salvation in Jesus, are you truly seeking to be faithful to Him in your daily life, as Joseph was?
Prayer point:
If necessary, seek the Lord’s forgiveness and help today as you strive to be
faithful to Him.
Genesis 39 v 6b-10
Now Joseph was well built and handsome. After some time the wife of Joseph’s
master began to desire Joseph, and one day she said to him, “Have sexual relations
with me.”
But Joseph refused and said to her, “My master trusts me with everything in
his house. He has put me in charge of everything he owns. There is no one in
his house greater than I. He has not kept anything from me except you, because
you are his wife. How can I do such an evil thing? It is a sin against God.”
The woman talked to Joseph every day, but he refused to have sexual relations
with her or even spend time with her.
Notes
Imagine what a difficult position Joseph was in. His boss’ spouse was making
advances towards him. Potiphar’s wife would have been a person of quality and
it would be Joseph’s place to obey and in his interests to oblige her. Slighting
her, as he did in this passage, would put his well-being at risk, and yet he
refused Potiphar’s wife for God’s sake (verse 9).
Yes, God’s sake. Joseph described such a sin as against God, not
against Potiphar, his wife or Joseph himself. It is wrong to say that extra-marital
sex is merely something that happens between two consenting adults, because
although it is true that the adultery is a sin against any partners involved,
ultimately any sin is against God.
Potiphar’s wife seems a persistent sort of person, in that she spoke to Joseph
day by day (verse 10). Desiring Joseph means that she committed adultery with
Joseph in her heart, and verses 6b and 7 indicate that Potiphar’s wife’s sin
began with the eye. How often does beauty act as our downfall! The Old Testament
servant Job (Job 31 v 1) recognised the risks of beauty and the eye. How are
your eyes?
Considering Joseph’s youth, good looks, singleness and good position, it is perhaps surprising that he resisted the considerable pressure for easy sex. Yet sensibly (verse 10) he physically avoided the temptation, because he recognised the sin involved. We live in a society obsessed by beauty, and sexual gratification is often seen as a goal to be pursued. What pressure are you under in this area? What steps should you take to flee the temptations?
Prayer point:
Remember that sex is God’s invention and He longs to help us resist our sinful
temptations. Bring these to Him today through prayer, and maybe talk about them
to a trusted Christian brother or sister.
Genesis 39 v 11-15
One day Joseph went into the house to do his work as usual and was the only
man in the house at that time. His master’s wife grabbed his coat and said to
him, “Come and have sexual relations with me.” But Joseph left his coat in her
hand and ran out of the house.
When she saw that Joseph had left his coat in her hands and had run outside,
she called to the servants in her house and said, “Look! This Hebrew slave was
brought here to shame us. He came in and tried to have sex with me, but I screamed.
My scream scared him and he ran away, but he left his coat with me.”
Notes
If you work or study, do you sometimes dread going out in the morning? Genesis
39 v 6-10 tells us that Joseph was pestered for sex by his master’s wife every
day. That must have been hard, when Joseph was trying to be faithful to the
Lord. Yet in verse 11, we see Joseph faithfully going to work. Maybe he took
a deep breath before work; maybe he gave himself a pep talk; but most of all,
I am sure that he prayed. Do you commit your day to the Lord every morning?
Do you ask that you might walk with Him and serve Him?
Joseph was resolute in refusing Potiphar’s wife, and God’s grace enabled him to overcome temptation by avoiding the tempter. Joseph fleed from this woman, even though he lost his coat in the process. Better to lose a good coat than a good conscience! Sometimes, merely trying to avoid temptation isn’t enough. There are times when we must turn and run, especially if temptation is strong, as it often is with sexual temptation.
These verses show the sort of woman that Potiphar’s wife was. She was an adulterer, a troublemaker and a liar. Having been slighted by Joseph, she was determined to look for an opportunity to get him into trouble. If you follow the Lord and do the right thing, you could get into trouble, because Satan will oppose you. In Joseph’s case, Satan used Potiphar’s wife. However, remember that you don’t have to face your trial alone. 1 Corinthians 10 v 13 tells us that God will be faithful in difficult times; this verse encourages everyone who is subject to temptation.
Prayer point:
Have a look at this verse today (1 Corinthians 10 v 13) and pray through the
areas where you are tempted. Think about how you might “flee” from them.
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken
from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993
by Word Publishing Milton Keynes