Genesis 38
Devotional:
Judah recognized them immediately and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” And Judah never slept with Tamar again. (Genesis 38:26 NLT)
Out of all of Jacob’s children, who would you choose to be the forefather of Jesus Christ? Joseph, the favorite? Or how about Reuben, the firstborn? It’s not either of them, but rather Judah (Matthew 1:3) who made some major mistakes. We see him leave his family and traditions, marry a pagan Canaanite woman, raise three sons (two of whom were so evil the Lord put them to death), and proposition a prostitute (not knowing it was his daughter-in-law) and impregnate her. Having his sin uncovered, he confesses and repents. Tamar gives birth to twins, one of whom was Perez, the son whose family line Jesus descended from. The next time you’re tempted to think that you’re too marred or not as good as someone else to be used by God, think again. The beauty of the gospel is Jesus’s blood cleanses us from ALL sin. God has a special purpose for each of His children.
Judah recognized them immediately and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” And Judah never slept with Tamar again. (Genesis 38:26 NLT)
Out of all of Jacob’s children, who would you choose to be the forefather of Jesus Christ? Joseph, the favorite? Or how about Reuben, the firstborn? It’s not either of them, but rather Judah (Matthew 1:3) who made some major mistakes. We see him leave his family and traditions, marry a pagan Canaanite woman, raise three sons (two of whom were so evil the Lord put them to death), and proposition a prostitute (not knowing it was his daughter-in-law) and impregnate her. Having his sin uncovered, he confesses and repents. Tamar gives birth to twins, one of whom was Perez, the son whose family line Jesus descended from. The next time you’re tempted to think that you’re too marred or not as good as someone else to be used by God, think again. The beauty of the gospel is Jesus’s blood cleanses us from ALL sin. God has a special purpose for each of His children.
Pray it:
Father, thank you for choosing to use people in spite of their mistakes in the past. Help me recognize that whatever might be in my past does not exclude me from your love or from being used by you, and help me not write off those because of their past mistakes. Amen.
Father, thank you for choosing to use people in spite of their mistakes in the past. Help me recognize that whatever might be in my past does not exclude me from your love or from being used by you, and help me not write off those because of their past mistakes. Amen.
Share it:
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?
Who is someone you can share a verse or thought from this passage with?
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