As Genesis 37 shifts the focus from Jacob to Joseph, Genesis 38 quickly shifts the focus from Joseph to Judah. And, if I’m honest, it seems like it’s really out of place… almost as if Moses has a little ADHD. But, what you’ll see when you read this story in light of the grand story of the Bible is that it’s intentionally there to show us the faithfulness of God.

If you’re familiar with the story of God’s people, you know that Scripture progressively reveals the family line through which the promised Messiah will come. Back in Genesis 12, God called Abraham and promised that through his offspring, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Through Abraham’s line would come the One who would make things right. He would be the promised Serpent-Crusher of Genesis 3:15.

Well, later, in Genesis 49:10, as Jacob blesses his sons, he says this concerning Judah, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

So, Jacob is saying that royal authority will come through Judah. There’s a king who is going to come through Judah and he will receive the obedience of people from every tribe, tongue, and people. And the author of Hebrews links this promise to Jesus, “For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah (Heb 7:14).” Likewise Revelation 5:5 describes Jesus as, “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David.”

So, Moses here deliberately interrupts the story of Joseph to tell us about Judah… because the Messiah wont come through Joseph, he will come through Judah. Joseph will play a significant role in preserving God’s people through a coming famine, but the promised King… the serpent crusher… will come through Judah’s family line.

And here’s what’s gripping about this chapter. Judah is a deeply flawed man. His life is filled with selfishness, broken relationships, sexual sin, and hypocrisy. Yet God’s purpose will not fail.

Now, this chapter is relatively short. But, it highlights a large section in time. In these 30 verses, Judah will establish a family, lose two sons, neglect his daughter in law, and eventually confront his own guilt. So, these 30 verses will highlight rough 20-25 years in time.

Let’s dive in.

“[1] It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.”

So, after Judah and his brothers sold Joseph into slavery, they came home and gave Jacob Joseph’s coat… leading to Jacob weeping and mourning deeply. And it’s around this time that Judah leaves his family and goes to live around a man named Hirah, who was an Adullamite.

The text doesn’t tell us why he leaves. But, I think we can speculate. It could be that he was troubled by what had happened to Joseph. It could be that he was struggling with the consequences of his own actions. It could be that it was something else. We simply don’t know.

But, we do know that rather than comforting the father he’s helped wound, he’s moved away from home he’s fractured.

Friends, it’s sometimes easier to run from our problems than face them, isn’t it? We can distance ourselves from the people we’ve hurt. We can avoid difficult conversations. We can convince ourselves that if we put enough distance between ourselves and our past, we won’t have to deal with it. But distance doesn’t erase guilt. And running away doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve dealt with our sin.

While Judah is living in this new area, verses 2–5 tells us that he sees the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, takes her as his wife, and has three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah.

The progression here mimics the progression in Genesis 3. In Genesis 3, there was a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But, then Eve saw, took, and ate.

Likewise, in Genesis 24, there was a command to not marry Canaanite women. But, here Judah saw, took, and married. He’s done the very thing he shouldn’t have done. And through this marriage, Judah has three sons.

And then in verse 6, Judah took a wife named Tamar for his firstborn son, Er. “[7] But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.”

We don’t know how he was put to death. It could be that this was a natural death like a sickness. It could be that this was a lightning strike. We don’t know how, but we know why. He was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.

I’ve encountered some speculation over what Er is guilty of in this instance. Some believe that he was guilty of some type of sin against Tamar, his wife. They come to this conclusion because of what happens with his brother in a moment.

If that’s the case, then husbands this reiterates a truth that we should all understand. God cares deeply about how you treat your bride, and he will not tolerate a husband treating his wife unfairly. We must always treat our bride like a weaker vessel who needs your love and protection.

But, whether that’s the sin Er is guilty of or not, I want us to see clearly the justice of God. Do not be deceived, God will not be mocked. You will reap what you sow.

There may be times when it seems like the wicked are getting away with their sin. But, let this moment in history serve as a reminder that God will not tolerate sin. Judgment is coming. And sometimes that will happen now, and sometimes that will happen later.

So, Judah’s firstborn son is dead because he was wicked. Let’s see what Judah does as a response.

“[8] Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”

Let’s pause here for a moment. Chances are some of us have no clue what’s going on here. This is what we would call a levirate marriage.

During this time, if a husband were to pass away without a son, it was his brother’s duty to take his brother’s wife to be his own wife and provide a son for her. This was intended to preserve the brothers family line and provide for a widow who might otherwise be left vulnerable.

When the law was later given to God’s people, you can see greater detail of this law written in Deuteronomy 25:5-10.

So Judah tells Onan to fulfill this responsibility toward Tamar. But Onan refuses to do so in the way required.

Look how Onan responds, “[9] But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. [10] And what he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also.”

Let’s pause here for a moment because there’s a lot here that I think might be worth unpacking for us as a church.

When it comes to the topic of contraceptive usage within the church, this passage is one many will point to. There are some who will draw a direct line between Onan’s actions and the action of using any type of contraception.

They would do so because Onan wanted the benefit of sex without the fruit of sex. He was willing to partake in intimacy without fulfilling his duty as a brother.

Because of this, many will hold to the belief that it is sin if we (like Onan) seek to enjoy the act of sex without a willingness to fulfill our duties to be fruitful and multiply.

Now, I think there’s some legitimacy to this here, and I do not want to dismiss this. But, I don’t want us to make this passage say something it doesn’t already say.

The emphasis of this passage seems to be Onan’s selfishness, doesn’t it? The child would not be regarded as his heir, so he didn’t want the child to exist. His actions reveal a heart that values personal benefit over responsibility to others.

And, that, my friends, is something we need to make sure doesn’t exist within ourselves.

If we’re not careful in our American dream society, we will fall into the same wickedness. We live in a culture that teaches us to organize our lives around our own comfort, ambitions, and dreams. And if a child is a threat to those things, then it’s ok to waste our semen on the ground!

Church, may we be careful to never view other people… especially kids… as obstacles to the lives we want to build.

So, church, are we willing to sacrifice our own desires for the good of others? Or are we only willing to serve when serving benefits us?

Onan wanted the benefit without the responsibility. He wanted what he could gain without considering what he owed to his brother and Tamar.

And the Lord judged him for his wickedness. Because of the wickedness of Onan, God put him to death.

So, before we continue to read, let’s make sure we’re tracking with what’s happened up until this point. Tamar’s first husband died because of his wickedness, leading to her marrying Onan. And now Onan has died.

I don’t say this flippantly. Tamar doesn’t have a great track record with men here, which leads to Judah saying to her, “[11] Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ‘Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up’—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.”

This is a selfish action covered in selfless reason. He’s not looking out for Tamar; he’s looking out for himself.

Judah’s words may sound like a reasonable arrangement, but his motives are not what they appear to be. He is protecting himself from what he fears rather than faithfully fulfilling his responsibility to Tamar.

As we see in the text, Judah feared that Shelah would die like his brothers… which is why he sent Tamar back to his father’s house. He’s basically kicked Tamar out of his house with the superficial promise that he will return to get her later.

Well, during that time, Judah experiences more heartbreak.

Look at verse 12, “[12] In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.”

So, his wife has died, he’s mourned her death, and now his time of mourning has ended (Judah was comforted). And now he’s going up to Timnah to his sheepshearer with his friend Hirah.

A sheepshearer was someone who was responsible for shearing sheep (obviously). Put more simply, they were responsible for cutting the hair (wool) off of a sheep. This was important because wool served as a valuable resource that could be used to make clothing and other things.

So, let’s see what happens next in verse 13, “[13] And when Tamar was told, ‘Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,’ [14] she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. [15] When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. [16] He turned to her at the roadside and said, ‘Come, let me come in to you,’ for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, ‘What will you give me, that you may come in to me?’ [17] He answered, ‘I will send you a young goat from the flock.’ And she said, ‘If you give me a pledge, until you send it—’ [18] He said, ‘What pledge shall I give you?’ She replied, ‘Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.’ So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. [19] Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.”

This is a weighty section of Scripture.

Judah has failed to keep his promise. Tamar is still a widow without children. She’s waiting day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year for Judah to deliver his promise.

And now Tamar is taking matters into her own hands. She removes her garments of widowhood and covers herself with a veil.

Her intentions seem to be clear. She’s seeking to be seen by Judah.

And Judah sees her. Not realizing she’s his daughter in law, he turned to her at the roadside, thinking she was a prostitute. And he says, “Let’s go find somewhere private.”

And, before she agrees, she makes sure she will receive something in return. Judah promises a goat from his flock. And as a guarantee that he will bring her a goat, he loans her a signet, cord, and staff.

A signet would have been a personal seal that would have been used to authenticate documents marking ownership. The cord was likely what held this signet, something like a necklace. And the staff would have been like his walking stick or rod. These would all be personal possession that could identity him.

Judah then sleeps with Tamar, and she conceives.

This is a deeply uncomfortable passage, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise. Tamar is taking matters into her own hands through deception. Judah is engaging in sexual immorality while failing to fulfill his responsibility to Tamar.

The Bible doesn’t hide the messiness of what is happening. And yet the narrator has made sure we understand the injustice that led to Tamar’s actions: Judah had withheld Shelah from her.

Tamar is wrong. But, the ultimate blame is intended to fall on Judah’s shoulders.

Let’s continue reading and see what happens next, “[20] When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. [21] And he asked the men of the place, ‘Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?’ And they said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’ [22] So he returned to Judah and said, ‘I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, “No cult prostitute has been here.”’ [23] And Judah replied, ‘Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.’”

So, Judah sought to be a man of his word. But, he couldn’t find her.

So, he says, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”

Judah is seemingly more concerned with his reputation than his morality. He doesn’t want to be embarrassed by having people laughing at him.

Oh the danger of being more concerned about being found out than about actually doing what is right. Oh the danger of spending more energy protecting our reputations than examining our hearts.

Let’s continue reading, “[24] About three months later Judah was told, ‘Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.’ And Judah said, ‘Bring her out, and let her be burned.’”

So, Judah was ready to literally burn Tamar at the stakes because of her sin of immorality. He’s likely thinking, “That was his daughter in law who was going to (one day) be given to his son! How could she do this to him?!”

Side note, we’re often the most vocal about the very sins we’re guilty of ourselves aren’t we?

Well, let’s keep reading, “[25] As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, ‘By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.’ And she said, ‘Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.’ [26] Then Judah identified them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.’ And he did not know her again.”

So, Judah realizes that he’s equally as guilty as Tamar. The act she was guilty of, he was guilty of. But, more so, he was guilty of not giving her to his son, Shelah. He was an unrighteous man, guilty of great sin.

Church, there’s a little beauty here in the fact that Judah acknowledges his guilt. He doesn’t shift the blame. He doesn’t make excuses. He confronts his wrongdoing.

Church, there’s freedom that comes when we stop hiding and making excuses and confess our sins before God.

Let’s continue reading, “[27] When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. [28] And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, ‘This one came out first.’ [29] But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, ‘What a breach you have made for yourself!’ Therefore his name was called Perez. [30] Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.”

So, like with Rebekah, Tamar gives birth to twins: Perez and Zerah. And like with Rebekah, there’s a shuffling of the order of their birth.

Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 1.

“[1] The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

[2] Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, [3] and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram….. [15] and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, [16] and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.”

Church, the Bible tells us that Jesus knew no sin. He was spotless and blameless, never doing any wrong.

Unlike Judah, Jesus never acted selfishly. Unlike Judah, Jesus never needed to confess his own guilt. He lived in perfect obedience to his Father.

Yet, he came through a line of broken and flawed individuals.

Think about that for a moment. The promised Messiah comes through the line of broken and selfishness people.

Now, in no way, shape, or form does God approve of the sins of this chapter. But, the sins of this chapter were incapable of thwarting God’s good plan. No matter what, God would remain faithful to his promises.

Human sin does not possess the power to overthrow God’s redemptive purposes.

Now, why did Jesus come? Because SINNERS NEED A SAVIOR!

God sent His Son to save people who could never save themselves!

Jesus lived the righteous life we have failed to live. He died the death our sins deserve. And he rose again so that everyone who repents and believes in him can be forgiven and brought into God’s family.

Our hope is not that we have lived a spotless life. Our hope is that Jesus is the spotless Lamb who gave himself for sinners. Jesus came to bring rest and freedom, not chains and bondage.

So, church, if there was grace for Judah’s complicated story, there is grace for your complicated story.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Judah’s life was marked by selfishness, sexual sin, and broken relationships, yet God’s redemptive plan continued through his family line. What does this chapter teach us about God’s faithfulness, and how should that shape the way we view our own failures?
Judah moved away from his family rather than facing the brokenness he had helped create. Why is it often easier to run from our problems than to confront them? What does genuine repentance look like when we have hurt others?
Onan wanted the benefits of intimacy without fulfilling his responsibility to his brother and Tamar. Where are we tempted to prioritize our own comfort, ambitions, or desires over the good of others? How does the gospel challenge that kind of selfishness?
Judah was quick to condemn Tamar for her sin while overlooking his own wrongdoing. Why are we often more vocal about the sins of others than our own? What can we learn from Judah’s eventual acknowledgment of his guilt in verse 26?
Jesus came through the family line of Judah and Tamar, despite the brokenness surrounding their story. How does this remind us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace? How should this truth shape the way we treat people whose family histories are marked by sin, brokenness, or shame?
Judah was deeply flawed, but Jesus lived in perfect obedience, died for sinners, and rose again to bring us into God’s family. Why is it important to recognize that our hope is not in our own righteousness but in Christ’s? How does this truth bring both freedom from shame and motivation to pursue holiness?