The story of Tamar, in Genesis 38, seems such a sordid story. And yet, the Holy Spirit devotes a whole chapter to it. I'm sure all kinds of applications, good moral lessons, could be drawn from it. But in so doing, we miss perhaps the key point. This sin of Judah with his daughter-in-law was akin to that condemned by Paul in the Corinthian church. And yet, we arrive at Ruth 4:12, and find the elders at the gate blessing Boaz with an abundance of offspring "like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah". Gasp!! We would hide such a scandalous part of our history in the dark recesses of the family tree, and yet here it laid out for anyone to explore. And horror of horrors, the genealogy that introduces us to our Glorious Redeemer, Matthew records that, "Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar"!!
So what's the point? The testimony of Tamar & the whole Old Testament is, If God didn't use sinners & overrule sin, He would have nothing in human history to work with!! Lo and behold, Boaz's offspring even exceeded that of Perez, the bastard offspring of Judah and Tamar, for according to this genealogy, the Offspring is Jesus whose seed is as the sand of the sea and the stars of the sky!! We need to put off the "Sunday fancy dress" of our religious profession & practice and admit we are undone sinners & our Jesus & His Righteousness is our only Hope!! As the old hymn says, "I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but WHOLLY lean on Jesus' Name. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand!!!"
So what's the point? The testimony of Tamar & the whole Old Testament is, If God didn't use sinners & overrule sin, He would have nothing in human history to work with!! Lo and behold, Boaz's offspring even exceeded that of Perez, the bastard offspring of Judah and Tamar, for according to this genealogy, the Offspring is Jesus whose seed is as the sand of the sea and the stars of the sky!! We need to put off the "Sunday fancy dress" of our religious profession & practice and admit we are undone sinners & our Jesus & His Righteousness is our only Hope!! As the old hymn says, "I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but WHOLLY lean on Jesus' Name. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand!!!"
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