with Elder Elico Manenji
Genesis 39:1-11: Marriage of Judah at an early age._*
The story of the Messiah is riddled with many strange occurrences, Judah from whom the family history of Christ is recorded went away from.amongst his brethren and took a wife from.the Canaanites and bore three sons, Er meaning Awake, Onan meaning Strong and Shelah meaning Petition.
Though the promised seed did not come from any of his three sons but from Judah by his incestuous relationship with his daughter in law, marriage with idolaters and Canaanites were forbidden, but Judah in his teens years, married probably being fourteen years old. His wife died whilst he was still young about twenty-seven years old and his incestuous relationship with Tamar whilst he was twenty-eight years of age.
In this story God shows that His choice is of grace and not of merit, that Christ came into the world to save sinners, even the chief of sinners who is not ashamed to call God on occasion of repentance.
It teaches us that the worth and worthiness of Jesus Christ the Messiah, the promise seed who would crush the head of the serpent , Satan is personal of himself and not derived from his ancestors. For He humbled Himself to be " _made in the likeness of sinful flesh,"_ that He was pleased to descend from some that were infamous, incestuous and idolatrous and even born in relations that were a result of fornication and lustful.
Text: "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace"(Romans 11:5).
Friendship with the world is enmity with God but the election of God is by grace. Otherwise Judah would not have been chosen as the ancestor of Christ.
The Apostle Paul says, "Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God"(Ephesians 2:5,8).
Genesis 38:12-23: Judah is widowed and he relieved himself by an unknown harlot, his daughter in law._
Two things are of note, two wrongs don't make a right.
I.Tamar wickedly prostituted herself as a harlot to Judah as she realized that Judah was not willing to give his last son to her to produce seed for her late husband Er.
So she conceived that if the son might not produce the seed, then the father might raise up seed to the deceased husband. Since she had embraced the true religion and believed in the promise made to Abraham and his seed pertaining to the Messiah, so she too was who was desirous to have a child by one of that family that she might have the honour of being the mother of the Messiah. The idea of Messiah was correct, the idea of deception and prostitution was wrong.
II.Judah's sin began in the eye , then lust turned into action, fornication just to relieve himself and conceal his sin but our sins will find us out.
He saw her, his eyes and hearts too was full of adultery and was taken in the snare, though it was ignorantly that he was guilty of incest with his daughter-in-law (not knowing who she was), yet he was willfully guilty of fornication whoever she was for he knew she was not his wife and therefore not to be touched.
Widows and widowers are not guiltless if they indulge in fornication and adultery, they rather marry to quench their desires and affections.
Text: "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. For some are already turned aside after Satan"(1Timothy 5:14-15).
Sinful lust when its turn is served makes out of sight speedily. Lust teaches people to put off and put on any signals which might either be discovered or concealed.
The wiseman says, "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep you from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a instruction strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in your heart; neither let her take you with her eyelids"(Proverbs 6:23 25)
Genesis 38:24-30: Birth of Pharez and Zerah to Judah by Tamar.
Evil doers are quick to condemn others of revealed sins but when theirs are uncovered they try to conceal the matter. Judah condemned his daughter in law to death, yet it became Judah's shame when it was shown that he was the adulterer.
Judah now being convicted that he was the guilt part by his own conscience and evidence of his belongings confessed his sin. He said, _"She has been more righteous than I"._
He forsook his sin and never returned to have intimate relationship qith her again, so he knew her again no more.
Text : "He that covers his sins shall not prosper: but whoever confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13).
All of Jacob's first four sons fell under very foul guilt, Reuben and Judah under the guilt of incest, Simeon and Levi under that of murder, yet they were patriarchs and from Levi descended the priests who represented the mediatory ministry of Christ and from Judah came the kings and Messiah.
These became examples of repentance and monuments of God's pardoning mercy. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven when we come to God confessing it, God is a God of mercy and justice.
The Psalmist says, "Justice and judgment are the habitation of your throne: mercy and truth shall go before your face"(Psalm 89:14).
️Appeal
God's appeal to mankind is, "Come now, and let us reason together, said the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool"(Isaiah 1:18). Amen!!!
Elico Manenji
(+263712952704)
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