“In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar. But Er was a wicked man in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord took his life.”
Genesis 38:6-7 NLT
James Boice once wrote that a question that should be openly asked – and answered – is why can’t we sin just a little? Well, here’s as good an example of it as any. The power of sin to destroy is never really thought all the way through. In the flesh we often harbor the very false and dangerous notion that “a little sin” is fun…or even good for us. It’s like the young person thinking they can live on their own for a while, have “a little bit of fun”, and then turn more to the Lord in their 30’s. Or something like that. This exposes a reticence to truly grasp the nature of sin…and God.
In Chapter 38 of Genesis, otherwise known as the “Judah interlude” because it appears to interrupt the narrative of Joseph, we see that Judah has left his family and gone to live in the pagan world. We know already that Judah and his brothers have deceived their father and that Joseph has been taken away to Egypt. Jacob thinks that his beloved son is dead. And Judah knows the truth. Oh, what wretched secrets we keep in order to hide our iniquities! And how those secrets drive us from each other. This is how we find Judah and his family now. He’s tried to run from the memories of his betrayal and sin; he’s tried to separate from his brothers. But he does so in the twisted logic of unrighteousness. God’s path to restoration is always repentance and then, gloriously, forgiveness and grace. Man’s path is either to run, or to seek vengeance. It’s easy to miss this but it’s true: outside of Jesus Christ, no worldview has or offers forgiveness. Some, like Zen Buddhism, will simply pass the ball, so to speak, and say that all is an illusion. But a moral vacuum can’t exist in reality. We aren’t called to passivity in the face of shame, regret, anger, and betrayal. We’re called to Christ and His cross!
So, Judah has gone someplace to start all over. But, in truth, we can never start anew and keep our sin. In Christ, and only in Him, the Christian can start all over right here, right now. On your knees, filled with tears, your heart open completely to Him…cry out to be restored. Cry out to be saved. Cry out to Him who will stop to hear your cry (Mark 10:49). Yes, He will stop and ask you, “what do you want me to do for you, child?” (Mark 10:51). Cry then for the sweet forgiveness that is yours in Christ and His Spirit will lift you up. He will dust you off; He will cleanse you. He will make all things new even and especially in the same town, the same house, and the very same room. It is sin that needs to be cut off from us in order to be renewed. Our feet can’t outrun the guilt or the consequences.
But Judah goes to the new place and brings the old sin with him. Here is what’s recorded for us to know from the previous chapter.
“Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.”
Genesis 37:26-28 ESV
And so life begins in a new place with all the hopes one has for glorious beginnings and benevolent futures. Think for a moment of promises of success and bliss. Are your hopes in Christ or in the flesh? Are you running from your past or have you left your vices and sins there at the cross, to be nailed there with Him? Do you think you can avoid repentance and still start all over? Do you think that “moving on” is a physical thing, not spiritual…not in Christ? If so, you’re deceived and your sin will trip you, cast you down, and take more from you then you can possibly bear. This is Judah’s reality as he discovers that Er, his firstborn son, whom he must love as a father loves a son, has walked in evil ways even more wicked than he had. Isn’t America finding this out now, as her sons and daughters grow into sins unfathomable just a generation ago? Well, Er is so wicked that the Lord executes him. How? No idea. But he’s taken. Maybe it was an accident. Perhaps it was a sudden illness. Whatever the case, we’re told that the death sentence was a direct response to Er’s sinfulness. To be sure, we’re warned to come to Christ now. We’re warned that evil will always come back to us or it will go to the cross. God is both just and justifier. Let’s not forget this. Unrepentant sin can’t be outrun. It can’t be “distracted away” by video games or scrolling on social media. In Judah’s case, his horrible sin against his little brother, born from envy, and then his abominable lie to his dear father, are still with him. Moving hasn’t changed his heart. A change of zip code might bring better weather or even a better job, but only Christ brings a new heart.
In all, Judah’s children suffer from his sins and then outpace him in that ugly department. So, where are you right now? Is there unrepentant sin in your life? Has your love of Christ grown cold? Do you harbor bitterness or resentment or great anxieties? Go to Him, child…go and be refreshed totally. Don’t dabble with a sin; and don’t think that because of sin you can’t go…you must go, because it’s only in Christ that you can be restored. It’s a terrible error to think that you can forget the past and thereby defeat it. No. Sin is only “forgotten” in faith by the atoning work of Christ. Don’t delay anymore. Today can be your new day and new start. But only if that day is on the other side of the cross. There is no forgiveness, nor restoration, nor future, on “this” side of the cross, which is to say, without repentance. Please…go to Him. He’s there and will welcome you and shower you with kindness and love and a forgiveness that’ll melt your heart completely. Why should you throw away all your tomorrows? Why should you send Er into such a bleak and broken future?
Indeed, the greatest thing any man or woman can do for their family is to place their trust in Jesus Christ…personally and totally.
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