The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/genesis/38.htm

There are so many times when I think, “Maybe the Bible isn’t meant to tell us how to live, but rather how not to live.” In this chapter, we start with a bit of the genealogy of Judah, and we find that ended up marrying a Canaanite woman, against the wishes of God and the wishes of his fathers. And once again, God wasn’t against the Canaanites because of race, or creed, or color, it was simply because they were pagans who worshipped idols, and He was afraid they would lead His people astray, which is exactly what happened.

And maybe that was just another test of faith, like eating the forbidden fruit; maybe His wishes not to marry a Canaanite was simply a test to see if we would choose good or evil.

So this chapter tells about Judah and his sons, and how he took a wife, named Tamar, for his firstborn son named Er. But Er was wicked, and Verse 7 says, “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.”

Pretty wicked, huh? The Bible isn’t clear on these things, and since God gives us freedom of thought, here is what I think. I do not think God is a vengeful punishing God. My God is a loving God who wants the best for us. Later in the Bible, we will read where Aaron, a brother to Moses, his sons did something against the Will of God, and it says that “fire” came down and killed them. But then it immediately says Moses gave the command to carry them outside of the camp, and they were “carried out by their tunics”. Now how can you be consumed by fire, yet your tunic, your coat survive?

It is my opinion that Aarons son were killed by the sight of God and their wickedness would not allow them to withstand God’s Glory. I believe that if we are good and righteous, we will be able to stand the Glory, or brightness, of God, and if we are wicked, we are unable to withstand it and we die.

So it’s not so much that “God killed” someone, it’s a matter that we allow sin to separate us from God and we are then not worthy of His presence. Just my opinion.

And the Bible also doesn’t elaborate on The Flood, but I believe that when the locals were laughing and scoffing at Noah, that Noah was giving them the chance to save themselves, to turn from their evil ways, back to God, and get on the boat. God gave them a choice and they chose wrong.

So for those Pastors that try to “scare” us into church, and “scare” us into Heaven, I say, “If God is a vengeful punishing angry God, then I’m not sure I want to go to Heaven and live in eternity with someone like that.” But I know that my God is not like that. He loves me, and it is my choice as the whether I live a life that enables me to withstand His glory or not.

In those days, it was customary to take care of widows. If a husband died, it was the responsibility of the next of kin, the next brother, to take his brothers wife and multiply and keep the family name going. So Judah told his second oldest son, Onan, to go to Er’s wife Tamar, and fulfill the tradition. But Onan did not want to. And trying not to be graphic, instead of “depositing his seed” into Tamar’s womb, he “emitted” onto the ground. So he too, was “killed” by the Lord.

Judah had a third son that was too young to marry, so he told Tamar to go and live with her father until his third son was old enough to fulfill the responsibilities of the family.

Now Judah’s youngest had grown, but he had still not given him to Tamar. And once when Judah was traveling to shear his sheep, Tamar dressed as a harlot and sat along the route that she knew Judah would be taking. And when Judah saw “the harlot”, he asked to be with her, and Tamar asked what the payment would be. Judah said that he would send a goat to Tamar, but she asked for a pledge to ensure he would send a goat. So Judah gave her his signet and his staff. And Judah slept with her.

Now Judah fulfilled his promise and sent a goat, but Tamar was no longer there and when the servant asked, no one knew of any harlot in the area. So Judah decided to let “the harlot” keep his pledge so he would not be shamed.

Three months later, word came to Judah that Tamar was with child, and Judah became angry. Tamar was to keep loyal for Er’s youngest brother, and Judah demanded to know whose baby she was pregnant with. And he had plans to burn her.

And when she arrived, she showed Judah the signet and staff, and said they belonged to the man that impregnated her. Then Judah remembered the error of his ways and that it was his fault that he did not send his youngest to be Tamar’s wife.

And Tamar had twins, the eldest named Tamar.

Let’s digest all of this for a moment. How much sin do we have going on here. It doesn’t say what Er’s sin was, and we know Onan didn’t want to fulfill the custom of taking care of his brothers wife. Then we have Judah not only breaking the family tradition, but engaging a prostitute as well.

And we have Tamar, being deceitful with Judah, playing a prostitute, and not only laying with her father-in-law, but conceiving as well. Then Juda plans to burn Tamar for her infidelity.

The more I think about it, the more I believe these lessons are a lesson on how not to live.

“Lord, let these stories be a lesson to us, to direct us to leading a wholesome and righteous life. Amen.”