Over the past week, I have been swimming in Genesis 38. This is the odd chapter covering the family doings of Judah, Er, Onan, and Tamar. It is a pathetic story of folly, depravity, abuse, and self-righteous hypocrisy. God’s chosen and sanctified people — his family, saints, assembly, household, or church — they are so dirty and disgusting. His holy people, they are wholly depraved.
Er, the firstborn son of Judah, is so wicked that God executes him.
Onan, the second son of Judah, follows his brother’s lead. He persistently saves face in the community, pleasures himself, and harms Tamar. God is incensed, and Onan is taken out as well.
Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, she is consistently harmed by Er, Onan, and Judah. All the patriarchs in her church, they all do her wrong. Consequently, being damaged and desperate, she concocts a foolish and sinful plan. She plays the role of a prostitute, stealthily tempts her father-in-law, strikes a deal, and successfully finds herself great with child — actually two children.
And Judah, the patriarchal priest of his clan, he seems to be the fountainhead of transgression. He is:
- Thieving — He plunders the Shechemites and steals certain wives and daughters.
- Untrustworthy — He consistently receives bad scores for his work as a shepherd.
- Envious — He despises his earthly father’s and Heavenly Father’s elevation of Joseph.
- Hateful — He grows in loathing Joseph.
- Murderous — He plots the assassination of Joseph.
- Covetous — He leads in selling Joseph into slavery.
- Dishonest — He participates in lying to his father and engaging in hypocritical lamentation.
- Disconnected — He deconstructs and excommunicates himself from the covenant community.
- Foolish — He walks, stands, and sits with pagan scoffers; he gets in bed with a pagan spouse.
- Passive — He trains sons who are thoroughly wicked and helps them obtain pagan spouses.
- Dull — He, upon experiencing his sons’ deaths, ignores his wickedness and theirs, and blames Tamar.
- Dishonest — He promises his third son to Tamar but has no intention of seeing them wed.
- Heartless — He sends Tamar away from his family and returns her to live with her family as a widow.
- Lusty — He is easily enticed and proves to be a man lacking self-control; he can be counted on to fornicate.
- Self-Righteous — When Tamar is discovered to be pregnant, and when she is brought before him for judgment, he proves to be a hateful, self-worshiping, duplicitous, hypocrite. Pretending to be righteous, he delivers the harshest of verdicts, “Let her be burned!“
However, in this sordid story, there is one faithful individual. God is holy, just, and angry at sin. He sees it all and hates the sin and suffering of his people. And true to form, God is faithful even when his saints are faithless and foolish. God exposes Judah’s sinful transgressions. He works afresh in Judah’s heart and brings forth spiritual fruit from Judah’s lips. Perhaps the most poignant line in the chapter is Jacob’s confession. Here, the patriarchal priest looks at the prostitute and proclaims, “She is more righteous than I.“ This does not mean Tamar is righteous enough to earn God’s good favor. No, it only means that wherever a prostitute is on the scale of goodness, Judah is even lower than her. And God, from this time forward, continues the work he starts. Both Judah and Tamar are matured as worshiping disciples. They are both beautifully transformed and used in their Heavenly Father’s business. Yes, better days are ahead for Judah, Tamar, and their household.
Well friends, how am I personally impacted after taking a deep-dive into the debauchery of the “holy” family? Well, I feel dirty and disgusted. This is not because Judah, Er, Onan, and Tamar are so despicable. No, I feel dirty and disgusted because I — Joe Franks — am Judah. So much grace I have received. What fantastic benefits I have enjoyed as being an elect child of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus. And yet, despite my undeserved divine blessings, I have treaded upon and abused the grace of God in heinous and heartless ways. There is not one law I have kept. Every law has been broken. I have perpetually been more interested in reputation than character, and utterly gross and harmful has been my self-righteous, other-person-judging, hypocrisy. Like Er and Onan, I deserve divine execution. It is not unrighteous for God to declare about me, “Let him be burned.!”
However, rightly, I leave this passage rejoicing in the goodness, mercy, and grace of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Though deserving God’s just anger and fiery execution, I receive none of it because God is faithful. Jesus earned my righteousness and placed it upon my eternal account. I am now a “Holy Joe” only because of the substitutionary performance of Jesus Christ on my behalf. And then, after accruing all the goodness needed for me as his elect, Jesus was treated like the fornicating Judah and prostituting Tamar. He received my “hell” as the father pummeled him for my transgressions. All my guilt — past, present, and future — was placed on him. Jesus paid it all. And now, He who began a good work in me, he is bringing me to recognition, to confession, and he is finishing his good work according to his timing and in his way. God is working his plan through me, and better days are ahead.
Therefore, I preach and I offer the free Gospel of Jesus Christ to you right now.
Do you see your sin? Do you see your folly? Do you see the harm you have done to others? Feel dirty and disgusting? Sensing you have no right to judge another? Does it seem like you are the “chief of sinners?” That’s deserved! That’s progress! That’s part of repentance. That’s good — very good!
Now, do you see your Savior? He loves despicable saints like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Tamar, and Joe. So what should you do? Agree with him and have a good conversation. With your renovated heart and lips, confess your transgressions and confess your trust in his free righteousness.
And now, come join the band of saved and sinful saints. You can confess to us, and we will confess to you. With you, we will rightly judge that which is right and wrong, but we will not wrongly judge you to be a wicked hellion. Why? Because the Judge of the Universe, he declares that all who confess their sins, and profess their confidence in Jesus Christ, they are cleansed and righteous.
So run to Jesus, run to his Word, run with the Holy Spirit, run from sin, and run to win. Yes, abide in and keep step with the Holy Spirit and desire — more and more — to practice the righteousness of Jesus Christ that is your gift.
But also, run from your judgmental, legalistic, hypocritical, and duplicitous patriarchs, priests, and pastors who fervently throw your sin in your face. Pretending to love you and Jesus, they dishonor Jesus and damage you. Find a community of people walking around considering themselves to be the “Chiefest of sinners” and proclaiming, “Everyone else is more righteous than I,” and you have found a good Gospel community.
Got questions? Having a hard time putting these thoughts together? Send me an email and let’s talk. I have nothing but good news for you. Joe@horizonchurch.org
Unfathomable Grace 