Bible Text: Gene\u00adsis 38 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | Judah is instru\u00admen\u00adtal in sel\u00adling his brot\u00adher Joseph into Egypt. After\u00adwards he goes down to Cana\u00adan. Cana\u00adan stands for love of the tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons of the world. After acting out his sexu\u00adal needs on his dis\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adsed daugh\u00adter-in-law Tamar, he rea\u00adli\u00adses his guilt and turns back. Now he is even wil\u00adling to lay down his life for his brother.<\/p>\n
Judah was a brot\u00adher of Joseph who arran\u00adged for him to be sold into slavery in Egypt (Gene\u00adsis 37:26f). Nor\u00admal\u00adly, the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing four\u00adteen chap\u00adters always focus on Joseph. But as in good fea\u00adture films, the\u00adre is a fasci\u00adna\u00adting sup\u00adport\u00ading role here \u2013 Judah. It could be the script of a cur\u00adrent, adult soap opera. \tWhat kind of life\u00adstyle does Kana\u00adan repre\u00adsent? How are you affec\u00adted by it? Bible Text: Gene\u00adsis 38 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | Judah is instru\u00admen\u00adtal in sel\u00adling his brot\u00adher Joseph into Egypt. After\u00adwards he goes down to Cana\u00adan. Cana\u00adan stands for love of the tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons of the world. After acting out his sexu\u00adal needs on his dis\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adsed daugh\u00adter-in-law Tamar,\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-2852","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nJudah descends
\n\u00abIt came to pass about this time that Judah went down from his breth\u00adren, and joi\u00adn\u00aded hims\u00adelf to a man of Adul\u00adlam, who\u00adse name was Hira\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 38:1 LU<\/span>). Judah sepa\u00adra\u00adtes from his ten remai\u00adning brot\u00adhers and goes his own way, down \u2013 to Cana\u00adan. This is not only to be unders\u00adtood local\u00adly, but also spi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly. Cana\u00adan is a pic\u00adtu\u00adre of the attrac\u00adtion of world\u00adly tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons: the desi\u00adre to satis\u00adfy one\u2019s sel\u00adfi\u00adsh desi\u00adres. It is about hedo\u00adnism, see\u00adking imme\u00addia\u00adte plea\u00adsu\u00adres. This is what John is tal\u00adking about: \u00abStop loving this world and what it offers you! For he who loves the world shows that the love of the Father is not in him\u00bb (1 John 2:15).
\n\u00abJudah saw the\u00adre the daugh\u00adter of a Canaa\u00adni\u00adte named Shuah, and took her to wife. And when he went in unto her, she con\u00adcei\u00adved, and bare a son, and cal\u00adled his name Ger. And she con\u00adcei\u00adved again, and bare a son, and cal\u00adled his name Onan. And she con\u00adcei\u00adved again, and bare a son, and cal\u00adled his name She\u00adlah\u2026\u00bb (V.2\u20135 LU<\/span>). The mea\u00adnings of the two names of the Canaa\u00adni\u00adte men men\u00adtio\u00adned are sym\u00adpto\u00adma\u00adtic: Hira (Judah\u2019s fri\u00adend; v.12) means nobi\u00adli\u00adty and Shua means wealth. Nobi\u00adli\u00adty and wealth are two typi\u00adcal repre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adves of this world\u00adly guild. Judah goes his own way, and a rather god\u00adless way at that. He does ever\u00ady\u00adthing that one should not do at that time and takes a wife from the wrong peo\u00adp\u00adle. Yet Judah has a com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly dif\u00adfe\u00adrent cal\u00adling. His name means prai\u00adse to God and he was to car\u00adry on the line of pro\u00admi\u00adse. Judah saw, took and ente\u00adred into the daugh\u00adter of Shuah. This reminds us of Eve who saw, took and ate (Gene\u00adsis 3:6) \u2013 and \u2013 ins\u00adtead of being hap\u00adpy \u2013 beca\u00adme frus\u00adtra\u00adted. In the cour\u00adse of time, his wife gave birth to three sons: Ger, Onan and Shelah.
\nErrors and confusions
\n\u00abJudah gave his first son Ger a wife named Tamar. But Ger disp\u00adlea\u00adsed the LORD<\/span>, and the LORD<\/span> put him to death\u00bb (v.6+7 LU<\/span>). Ger was so evil that God let him die. He did not want the line of his peo\u00adp\u00adle to con\u00adti\u00adnue through Ger. No one can go a wicked way with impu\u00adni\u00adty in the long run. What hap\u00adpen\u00aded also reflects bad\u00adly on Judah. The lat\u00adter did not pro\u00adtect him from the influen\u00adces of the Canaa\u00adni\u00adtes, but let him slide into a repre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble life.
\nAnd so Onan comes into play, who is sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to enter into a mar\u00adria\u00adge in law with Tamar, which was alre\u00ada\u00addy cus\u00adto\u00adma\u00adry at that time and was later regu\u00adla\u00adted in the law (Deut. 25:5\u201310). Onan is to take care of Tamar and car\u00adry on the fami\u00adly name. But Onan knew that the child\u00adren from this mar\u00adria\u00adge would not be con\u00adside\u00adred his own and that the inhe\u00adri\u00adtance would not go to him. Onan \u2013 also alre\u00ada\u00addy stee\u00adped in cove\u00adtous\u00adness, does the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing: \u00abBut Onan did not want to beget a son who was not his own heir. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, every time he slept with Tamar, he let his seed flow onto the ground\u00bb (v.9 NL<\/span>). Onan does mar\u00adry his sis\u00adter-in-law and is hap\u00adpy to satis\u00adfy his sexu\u00adal desi\u00adre, but he inter\u00adrupts sexu\u00adal inter\u00adcour\u00adse each time befo\u00adre eja\u00adcu\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon. In our lin\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adstic usa\u00adge, the word mas\u00adtur\u00adba\u00adti\u00adon has beco\u00adme estab\u00adlished as a syn\u00adonym for self-gra\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon. Ori\u00adgi\u00adnal\u00adly, howe\u00adver, it meant coitus inter\u00adrup\u00adtus, a con\u00adtracep\u00adti\u00adve method with low safe\u00adty. Onan is one like many \u2013 he satis\u00adfies his lust in a sel\u00adfi\u00adsh way wit\u00adhout taking respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty. By let\u00adting his brother\u2019s line die out, he com\u00admits a kind of fra\u00adtri\u00adci\u00adde. God also lets Onan die.
\nJudah is not under\u00adstan\u00adding and does not see his own fail\u00adure. On the con\u00adtra\u00adry, he loca\u00adtes the pro\u00adblem with Tamar. \u00abJudah said to his daugh\u00adter-in-law Tamar: \u00abReturn to your par\u00adents\u00bb house and remain a widow until my son She\u00adlah is old enough to mar\u00adry you\u00bb. For he feared that She\u00adlah would also die like his two brot\u00adhers. So Tamar retur\u00adned to her par\u00adents\u00bb house and lived the\u00adre\u00bb (v.11 NL<\/span>). Actual\u00adly, Judah is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for her wel\u00adfa\u00adre and also to see to it that she remar\u00adries. Ins\u00adtead, he sends her back to her father. Judah did not trust God and does not take respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty. He gave Tamar wise advice and post\u00adpo\u00adned the pro\u00adblem until later. But it came back. His weak\u00adne\u00adss and fal\u00adse\u00adhood caught up with him. Judah\u2019s wife died. After the offi\u00adci\u00adal mour\u00adning peri\u00adod, he went to ano\u00adther town to shear his sheep. \u00abWhen Tamar was told that her father-in-law was on his way to Tim\u00adnah to shear his sheep, she took off her widow\u2019s garm\u00adents and cover\u00aded hers\u00adelf with a veil. Then she sat down in front of the gate of Ena\u00adjim, which is on the way to Tim\u00adnah. For she knew that She\u00adlah was now grown up, but that she had not been given to him in mar\u00adria\u00adge\u00bb (vv. 13+14 NL<\/span>). Tamar sets about put\u00adting things right. She was appar\u00adent\u00adly more con\u00adcer\u00adned to con\u00adti\u00adnue the line of Abra\u00adham than Judah. The desi\u00adre of the phy\u00adsi\u00adcal urges can be reli\u00aded upon. Judah fol\u00adlows his unbrid\u00adled sexu\u00adal urges and slept with Tamar wit\u00adhout rea\u00adli\u00adsing who she was. He obvious\u00adly did this on a spon\u00adta\u00adneous whim. He did not even have any money with him. As pay\u00adment, he agreed with the pro\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte on a kid from his flock, which he would deli\u00adver to her. As a pledge, Judah had to lea\u00adve the signet ring with the cord and the staff. The\u00adse items unmist\u00adaka\u00adb\u00adly point to Judah as their owner and they are a sign that it is Tamar who recei\u00adves Judah\u2019s fami\u00adly and inhe\u00adri\u00adtance. In order to satis\u00adfy his phy\u00adsi\u00adcal desi\u00adre quick\u00adly, Judah was wil\u00adling to give any pledge.
\nThe very next day, his fri\u00adend Hira (gen\u00adti\u00adli\u00adty) was sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to deli\u00adver the kid. But the\u00adre was no pro\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte any\u00adwhe\u00adre to be found at the deli\u00advery address. Three months later, Judah heard that Tamar was pregnant. Being a man with a strong sen\u00adse of jus\u00adti\u00adce, he threw a tan\u00adtrum and deman\u00added that his daugh\u00adter-in-law be bur\u00adned to death becau\u00adse she had not remain\u00aded faithful. The sen\u00adtence was to be car\u00adri\u00aded out. But then Tamar\u2019s bril\u00adli\u00adant move paid off. Judah was con\u00adfron\u00adted with his own guilt. The pro\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte tur\u00adned out to be his own daughter-in-law.
\nJudah once decei\u00adved his father Jacob. A bil\u00adly goat and a dress play\u00aded a role: Joseph\u2019s robe was dipped in the blood of the bil\u00adly goat and Jacob tells that his son was kil\u00adled by a pre\u00adda\u00adtor. When Tamar decei\u00adves Judah, clo\u00adthes and a bil\u00adly goat also play a role: Tamar dis\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adses hers\u00adelf as a pro\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte and Judah offers her a bil\u00adly goat as a reward. Judah once pre\u00adsen\u00adted Jacob with the sign that was sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to pro\u00adve Joseph\u2019s death and asked his father to look at it careful\u00adly. Tamar now pres\u00adents Judah with the sign that pro\u00adves her inno\u00adcence and his guilt and asks him to look at it careful\u00adly. God leads Judah in such a way that he reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00ads\u00ades his guilt.
\nWe should also be atten\u00adti\u00adve when we are outra\u00adged by the beha\u00adviour and guilt of other peo\u00adp\u00adle. It may very well be that it is pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly in this that we are con\u00advic\u00adted by God of our own guilt.
\nJudah turns back
\nFor Judah, this expe\u00adri\u00adence marks the point of his rep\u00aden\u00adtance. Then Judah reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded it and said, \u00abShe is more righ\u00adteous than I, for I have not given her to She\u00adlah my son. And he had no more sexu\u00adal inter\u00adcour\u00adse with her\u00bb (v.26 SCHL<\/span>). Judah reco\u00adg\u00adni\u00ads\u00ades that Tamar acted right\u00adly and was con\u00adcer\u00adned about the con\u00adti\u00adnua\u00adtion of the fami\u00adly. He also con\u00adfes\u00adses his guilt in with\u00adhol\u00adding his son She\u00adlah from her as a hus\u00adband. This pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly also includes an admis\u00adsi\u00adon of guilt befo\u00adre God. From here Judah deve\u00adlo\u00adps into the true lea\u00adder of his brot\u00adhers. Towards the end of Joseph\u2019s sto\u00adry, Judah\u2019s trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon beco\u00admes evi\u00addent. When his youn\u00adgest brot\u00adher Ben\u00adja\u00admin is to be arres\u00adted for theft, Judah asks for his release: \u00abPlea\u00adse, my lord, let me stay here as a slave for my mas\u00adter ins\u00adtead of the boy, and let the boy return home with his brot\u00adhers\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 44:33 NL<\/span>). The trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon of Judah is an excel\u00adlent exam\u00adp\u00adle of how God can chan\u00adge a life. Young Judah is sel\u00adfi\u00adsh, disho\u00adnest and cold-hear\u00adted. The older Judah acts thoughtful\u00adly, sel\u00adfless\u00adly, respon\u00adsi\u00adbly and is full of com\u00adpas\u00adsi\u00adon. The young Judah deli\u00advers his brot\u00adher to the kni\u00adfe, the older Judah vou\u00adch\u00ades for his brot\u00adher with his own life.
\nBy the way, Tamar gave birth to twins. Jesus\u00bb fami\u00adly tree says: \u00abJudah was the father of Perez and Zerah (their mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hez\u00adron [\u2026]\u00bb (Matthew 1:3 NL<\/span>). Not only Judah, but even the Canaa\u00adni\u00adte Tamar found a place in Jesus\u00bb fami\u00adly tree!
\n
\nThis sto\u00adry shows the tri\u00adumph of grace. From for\u00adni\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon a holy seed is born. Judah beca\u00adme the pro\u00adge\u00adni\u00adtor of the Jews, of the lineage of David and of the Mes\u00adsiah. Jesus is even cal\u00adled the \u00abLion of Judah\u00bb (Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 5:5). God achie\u00adves his pur\u00adpo\u00adse through all human fail\u00adure. Christ, who laid down his life for you, can also make you a per\u00adson who lays down his life for others.
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 38<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat was God thin\u00adking when he sim\u00adply let Ger and Onan die? What is the mes\u00adsa\u00adge for us in this?
\n\tOnan and Judah only wan\u00adted to satis\u00adfy their own needs during sex. Talk to your spou\u00adse about this and how it is in your marriage!
\n\tJudah expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced a mira\u00adcu\u00adlous trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adti\u00adon. In what does it mani\u00adfest itself?
\n\tToday, the offer for quit\u00adting por\u00adno\u00adgra\u00adphy was pre\u00adsen\u00adted. Would that be some\u00adthing for you?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"