Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Genesis 38:24-26 wherein we are reminded of how our sins find us out and are challenged to live with integrity.
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.” 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.” 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.
The Israelites were told by Moses many years later as they were given instructions about entering back into the land of Canaan that if they were disobedient, each one could be sure [his] sin [would] find [him] out (Numbers 32:23). Well, backing up again, this had been a very bad season for Jacob’s son, Judah. Oh, he had been enjoying himself in many ways as he sought to do things his way and satisfy his lusts. But through providence and Tamar’s planning, he was about to be found out. Thankfully, what we end up seeing in him is an attitude of humility and repentance. Tamar was a girl who was desperate and hurting. Two of Judah’s sons had her as a wife and each had been struck down by the Lord for their wickedness. Shelah, the third son, was promised to her but never given which put her back in her dad’s house to mourn as a widow indefinitely. She must have known Judah’s weak spot though and was able to, with her face apparently covered the entire time, be taken aside by him as a prostitute.
His sensual secrecy was really all but over at that point, for his sin was very soon to find him out. Tamar’s actions were dirty, but God used them to bring her a bit of justice and Judah under great conviction over his faults. Just as when Nathan confronted King David through a pwerful back-door approach to expose his wickedness, so Tamar makes everything inexcusable for her father-in-law in this instance. We see such things happen all around us today to “respectable” people in the lime light. Adultery, gambling addictions, embezzlement, and the list goes on and on. Each one is usually practiced in secret until somebody speaks up or forgets to cover his tracks. The problem though isn’t just something that happens among the heavy hitters in the world. Although they might face unique temptations in some of the areas mentioned, we simply don’t hear as much about the same stuff taking place among us commoners. But that doesn’t mean we won’t face consequences for our sin. That doesn’t mean we won’t hurt and disappoint many people (not to mention our Lord Jesus who was crushed for our iniquities) when our dark secrets are exposed or drag us into something even more terrible. Let us learn a lesson from men like Judah. Let us remember that nothing is ultimately hidden; from our thoughts to our words to our all-out wicked exercises, their invisibility is an impossibility. Let us thank God for His wonderful forgiveness through the work of Jesus and live with integrity today.
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