Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Genesis. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses you through this material.
Stacey
Take a few minutes to savor Genesis Chapters 38 & 39. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations…
38 – Sex isn’t to be used for manipulation.
38:1 – Did Judah leave because of Jacob’s sadness and his part in Joseph’s disappearance? Probably. See 37:35. He saved Joseph’s life in 36:26-27, but left when Israel couldn’t be comforted. Notice that Judah left home voluntarily whereas Joseph was forced to leave.
38:2 – Judah married a Canaanite woman. That’s a “no no”. So, he didn’t leave home to get alone with God. His heart is still not right, and will probably be turned further from God by his heathen bride.
38:5 – Kezib means deception. (NIVSB) That’s a common theme in this family.
38:8-10 – Onan sinned by refusing to produce an heir for Er (HAHAHA!) So, God put Him to death and allowed his “claim to fame” to be “onanism” – a form of birth control where semen is spilled on the ground.
38:12 – after a long time – Tamar knew Judah didn’t intend to give her to Shelah as his wife.
Judah had sheep. Had he prospered in Canaan?
Judah was still friends with Hirah the Adullamite. See 38:1.
38:13-19 – an elaborate deception involving a disguise. Sound like anyone else we know? Jacob. See 27:14-29.
38:20 – Hirah was entrusted with the responsibility to pay the prostitute and get Judah’s pledges back. This is a trusted friend, but not a trustworthy one. A true friend would have encouraged Judah to do the right thing in the first place.
38:23 – Judah didn’t pursue getting back his pledges because he didn’t want to be a laughingstock. Then maybe he shouldn’t have slept with a shrine prostitute.
38:24 – Ooh. Judah is quick to condemn Tamar’s actions when he himself is guilty. Sounds like one of his descendants. See 2 Samuel 12:1-6. (Do you think maybe David’s daughter, Tamar, got her name from this lady?)
38:25 – Judah recognizes his error. Was this the turning point for repentance in his life?
38:27-30 – Ooh, look, twins! Sound familiar? Once again, the first to appear will be a lesser character in future stories.
38:29 – Perez is Christ’s ancestor.
What attributes of God have you observed in your study today? How will this change your relationship with Him?
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