Week 3, Day 3
Judah Exposed
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?... You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.†(Matthew 7: 3,5)
How many times have we fallen into this trap? In Genesis 38, we have an inside look at Judah as he struggles with the same issue. However instead of removing the speck out of Tamar’s eye, in anger he plans to have her killed.
Tamar is wanting to have children at any cost. Judah has been denying her marriage to his son for years. She has a plan to manipulate Judah into getting what she wants. Since Tamar can’t have children with his son, she will plan on laying with Judah himself.
Tamar hears that Judah is leaving to shear his sheep. Aware of Judah’s lifestyle, Tamar dresses as a prostitute and makes herself available to Judah as he travels by. Judah approaches Tamar to lay with her. When it comes time to pay for her “servicesâ€, he is unable to do so at the moment. He pledges to her some personal items such as his seal with its cord and his staff. When he pays her what was promised, he will get back his personal items.
Sometime later Judah sent a young boy to Tamar with the payment. They discover that the young lady is gone and she still has Judah’s personal items. Judah, wanting to avoid being humiliated by becoming the laughing stock, drops the matter and heads back home.
About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.†Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!†As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,†she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.†Genesis 38:24-25
Uh oh!! Judah has been exposed. Full of anger, Judah was ready to judge Tamar in her sin with no mercy. But he soon realizes that it was he who was the instigator in Tamar’s sin. He approached her and impregnated her. The attention from onlookers went from Tamar being a prostitute to Judah being the laughing stock as the initiator of these events. How easy it is to get angry as we judge the sins of others while overlooking the obvious sin in our own lives.
How many times have we fallen into this trap? In Genesis 38, we have an inside look at Judah as he struggles with the same issue. However instead of removing the speck out of Tamar’s eye, in anger he plans to have her killed.
Tamar is wanting to have children at any cost. Judah has been denying her marriage to his son for years. She has a plan to manipulate Judah into getting what she wants. Since Tamar can’t have children with his son, she will plan on laying with Judah himself.
Tamar hears that Judah is leaving to shear his sheep. Aware of Judah’s lifestyle, Tamar dresses as a prostitute and makes herself available to Judah as he travels by. Judah approaches Tamar to lay with her. When it comes time to pay for her “servicesâ€, he is unable to do so at the moment. He pledges to her some personal items such as his seal with its cord and his staff. When he pays her what was promised, he will get back his personal items.
Sometime later Judah sent a young boy to Tamar with the payment. They discover that the young lady is gone and she still has Judah’s personal items. Judah, wanting to avoid being humiliated by becoming the laughing stock, drops the matter and heads back home.
About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.†Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!†As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,†she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.†Genesis 38:24-25
Uh oh!! Judah has been exposed. Full of anger, Judah was ready to judge Tamar in her sin with no mercy. But he soon realizes that it was he who was the instigator in Tamar’s sin. He approached her and impregnated her. The attention from onlookers went from Tamar being a prostitute to Judah being the laughing stock as the initiator of these events. How easy it is to get angry as we judge the sins of others while overlooking the obvious sin in our own lives.
Reflection Questions
• What are some benefits of examining your own life?
• What planks need to be removed from your eye?
• What planks need to be removed from your eye?
Jase is one of our HGMs (Homegrown Missionaries) who leads the ministry organization Life Under the Son. He is a passionate discipler who helps countless people transition from a life of crime and drugs to become followers of Jesus and productive members of our community and church.
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2 Comments
For many years I have looked at others downfalls not ever thinking I was the issue it had to be everyone else. The day I realized I was running from myself is the day I encountered the truth about myself and that I needed a Savior Thank you Jesus!!! Living a lie most of your life is an extremely difficult pill to swallow to say least but finding and knowing what the truth is helps it go down. Well I didn't need God until He was all I had!!! Doing my way brought me to my knees in a trap house in Columbus,Ga it was the worse best days of my life. So yeah lying will absolutely destroy everything and to be honest I didn't even know I was living a lie I needed Jesus to show me The Way The Truth and The Life so I could stop living in the lie knew nothing about!!! All praise Glory and honor is Gods!!!!!!!!
• What are some benefits of examining your own life?
When we examine our own lives we benefit through healing, grow, self awareness and it allows us to give Grace gracefully.
• What planks need to be removed from your eye?
The planks that need to be removed from my eye is just sinning myself. I ask God for forgiveness and I'm so grateful for his grace and mercy.