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Genesis Chapter
Thirty-eight
Genesis 38
Chapter Contents
The profligate conduct of Judah and his family.
This chapter gives an account of Judah and his family,
and such an account it is, that it seems a wonder that of all Jacob's sons, our
Lord should spring out of Judah, Hebrews 7:14. But God will show that his choice
is of grace and not of merit, and that Christ came into the world to save
sinners, even the chief. Also, that the worthiness of Christ is of himself, and
not from his ancestors. How little reason had the Jews, who were so called from
this Judah, to boast as they did, John 8:41. What awful examples the Lord
proclaims in his punishments, of his utter displeasure at sin! Let us seek
grace from God to avoid every appearance of sin. And let that state of humbleness
to which Jesus submitted, when he came to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself, in appointing such characters as those here recorded, to be his
ancestors, endear the Redeemer to our hearts.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Genesis》
Genesis 38
Verse 1
[1] And
it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and
turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
Judah went down from his brethren — Withdrew for a time from his father's family, and got intimately acquainted
with one Hirah an Adullamite. When young people that have been well educated
begin to change their company, they will soon change their manners, and lose
their good education. They that go down from their brethren, that forsake the
society of the seed of Israel, and pick up Canaanites for their companions, are
going down the hill apace.
Verse 2
[2] And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was
Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
He took her-To wife. His father, it should
seem, was not consulted, but by his new friend Hirah.
Verse 7
[7] And
Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew
him.
And Er was wicked in the sight of the Lord — That is, in defiance of God and his law. And what came of it? Why God
cut him off presently, The Lord slew him. The next brother Onan was, according
to the ancient usage, married to the widow, to preserve the name of his
deceased brother that died childless. This custom of marrying the brother's
widow was afterward made one of the laws of Moses, Deuteronomy 25:5. Onan, though he consented to
marry the widow, yet to the great abuse of his own body, of the wife he had
married, and the memory of his brother that was gone, he refused to raise up
seed unto his brother. Those sins that dishonour the body are very displeasing
to God, and the evidence of vile actions. Observe, the thing which he did
displeased the Lord - And it is to be feared, thousands, especially of single
persons, by this very thing, still displeased the Lord, and destroy their own
souls.
Verse 11
[11] Then
said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house,
till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his
brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
Shelah the third son was reserved for the
widow, yet with design that he should not marry so young as his brothers had
done, lest he die also. Some think that Judah never intended to marry Shelah to
Tamar, but unjustly suspected her to have been the death of her two former
husbands, (whereas it was their own wickedness that slew them) and then sent
her to her father's house, with a charge to remain a widow. If so, it was an
inexcusable piece of prevarication; however Tamar acquiesced, and waited for
the issue.
Verse 14
[14] And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a
vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to
Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to
wife.
Some excuse this by suggesting that she
believed the promise made to Abraham and his seed, particularly that of the
Messiah, and that she was therefore desirous to have a child by one of that
family, that she might have the honour, or at least stand fair for the honour
of being the mother of the Messiah.
She covered her with a veil — It was the custom of harlots in those times to cover their faces, that
tho' they were not ashamed, yet they might seem to be so: the sin of
uncleanness did not then go so bare-faced as it now doth.
Verse 17
[17] And
he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me
a pledge, till thou send it?
A kid from the flock — A goodly price at which her chastity and honour were valued! Had the
consideration been thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil, it had
not been a valuable consideration. The favour of God, the purity of the soul,
the peace of the conscience, and the hope of heaven: are too precious to be
exposed to sale at any such rates. He lost his Jewels by the bargain: He sent
the kid according to his promise, to redeem his pawn, but the supposed harlot
could not be found. He sent it by his friend, (who was indeed his back-friend,
because he was aiding and abetting in his evil deeds) the Adullamite; who came
back without the pledge. 'Tis a good account, if it be but true, of any place
that which they here gave, that there is no harlot in this place, for such
sinners are the scandals and plagues of any place. Judah sits down content to
lose his signet and his bracelets, and forbids his friend to make any farther
enquiry.
Verse 23
[23] And
Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid,
and thou hast not found her.
Lest we be shamed —
Either, 1. Lest his sin should come to be known publicly, Or 2. Lest he should
be laughed at as a fool for trusting a whore with his signet and his bracelets.
He expresses no concern about the sin, only about the shame. There are many who
are more solicitous to preserve their reputation with men, than to secure the
savour of God, lest we be shamed goes farther with them than lest we be damned.
Verse 28
[28] And
it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the
midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out
first.
It should seem the birth was hard to the
mother, by which she was corrected for her sin: the children also, like Jacob
and Esau, struggled for the birth-right, and Pharez who got it, is ever named
first, and from him Christ descended. He had his name from his breaking forth
before his brother; this breach be upon thee - The Jews, as Zarah, bid fair for
the birth-right, and were marked with a scarlet thread, as those that come out
first; but the Gentiles, like Pharez, or a son of violence got the start of
them, by that violence which the kingdom of heaven suffers, and attained to the
righteousness which the Jews came short of: yet when the fulness of time is
come, all Israel shall be saved. Both these sons are named in the genealogy of
our Saviour, Matthew 1:3, to perpetuate the story, as an
instance of the humiliation of our Lord Jesus.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on
Genesis》
38 Chapter 38
Verses 1-7
Judah
The character of Judah -
I.
FAITHLESSNESS
TOWARDS GOD.
1. In his separation from his brethren (Genesis 38:1).
2. In his marriage with an idolater (Genesis 38:2).
II. A STRONG
SENSUAL NATURE (Genesis 38:12-18).
III. AN UNDERLYING
SENSE OF JUSTICE.
IV.
SELF-DEPENDENCE. (T. H. Leale.)
The lessons of Judah’s history
I. GOD’S CAUSE
HAS IN IT THE SEEDS OF TRIUMPH EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS TO FAIL.
II. GOD’S
JUDGMENTS ON THE SIN OF UNCHASTITY.
III. THIS HISTORY
HAS AN IMPORTANT BEARING UPON GOD’S PURPOSE OF SALVATION. Considered in regard
to God’s redeeming purpose, this history shows--
1. That God’s election is by grace. Otherwise Judah would not have
been chosen as the ancestor of Christ. It shows--
2. The native glory of Christ, He derives all His glory from
Himself, and not from His ancestry. It shows--
3. The amazing condescension of Christ. The greatest and most
shameful sinners are found in His birth-register. (T. H. Leale.)
Lessons
1. Arbitrary is the Spirit of God in recording times of events;
therefore careful should we be to search them.
2. Wanton forward youths are apt to leave their station, brethren,
and fathers, where they should be ruled.
3. Such averseness from duty inclines foolish hearts to lose
acquaintance. So it was here.
4. Wanton youths choose to be familiar with worldly companions in
lust rather than to be with a good father.
5. Names of men and places of miscarriage by the sons of the Church
are noted for instruction (Genesis 38:1).
6. In bad company, and out of men’s places usually, are offered
baits of temptation.
7. Wanton hearts have wanton eyes by which they are carried out to
evil.
8. Daughters of the Canaanites may please the eyes of the sons of
Jacob to misguide them.
9. Violence of lust drives men to take their delights, never
desiring leave of God or man.
10. Lust desires no better marriage than a carnal enjoyment of its
pleasure.
11. Lust fears no law of God that forbids Jacob’s seed to marry with
Canaanites (Genesis 38:2). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Such as have been disobedient to parents are not willing their
children should be such to them.
2. It is the father’s right to provide and give wives to their sons.
3. It is natural for fathers to care mainly for the first-born son.
4. Providence orders wives from strangers to be registered in His
Church for His own ends.
5. The first-born of men’s hopes may prove most wicked, and greatest
crosses.
6. It is height of wickedness to dare the Lord to His face.
7. God Himself turneth executioner to avenge Himself upon daring
sinners.
8. Premature death is determined sometimes and executed upon
obstinate wicked sinners. (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Judah
Judah had taken to wife the daughter of a Canaanite, no doubt to
the grief and regret of his father (Genesis 26:35); he had done what hitherto
every member of the chosen branches of Abraham’s house had scrupulously
avoided; for even the sanguinary deed of Simeon and Levi had been dictated by
the desire of preserving the purity of their family. He left his brothers and
went to Adullam. This is a town in the plain of Judah, south-west of Jerusalem,
mentioned together with Jarmuth and Sochoh, or with Libnah and Makkedah; it is
one of the most ancient cities, and enjoyed an existence of unusual duration;
for in the time of the Hebrew conquest it was the seat of a Canaanitish king; a
cave in its neighbourhood was the refuge of David from the persecutions of
Saul; here his relatives joined him; here he assembled around his person a
large number of distressed but resolute men; and here he met a part of the
Philistine army. Adullam was fortified by Rehoboam; it was later counted among
the important cities of Judah; it was still inhabited after the exile; and
existed even in the time of the Maccabees. (M. M. Kalisch, Ph. D.)
Verses 8-10
Onan
The sin of Onan
I.
IT
WAS PROMPTED BY A LOW MOTIVE. It was as selfish as it was vile. Onan’s design
was to preserve the whole inheritance for his own house.
II. IT WAS AN ACT
OF WILFUL DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD’S ORDINANCE. Ill deservings of others can be no
excuse for our injustice, for our uncharitableness. That which Tamar required,
Moses afterward, as from God, commanded--the succession of brothers into the
barren bed. Some laws God spake to His Church long ere He wrote them: while the
author is certainly known, the voice and the finger of God are worthy of equal
respect.
III. IT WAS A
DISHONOUR DONE TO HIS OWE BODY. Unchastity in general is a homicidal waste of
the generative powers, a demoniac bestiality, an outrage to ancestors, to
posterity, and to one’s own life. It is a crime against the image of God, and a
degradation below the animal. Onan’s offence, moreover, as committed in
marriage, was a most unnatural wickedness, a grievous wrong, and a desecration
of the body as the temple of God. It was a proof of the most defective
development of what may be called the consciousness of personality, and of
personal dignity.
IV. IT WAS
AGGRAVATED BY HIS POSITION IN THE COVENANT FAMILY. The Messiah was to descend
from the stock of Judah, and for aught he knew from himself. This very Tamar is
counted in the genealogy of Christ Matthew 1:3). Herein he did despite to
the covenant promise. He rejected an honourable destiny. (T. H. Leale.)
Lessons
Vain parents take little knowledge of God’s judgments in the death
of one child when they have others.
2. Special law for the marriage of the deceased brother’s wife by
the brother was given of God for special ends.
3. Seed was much desirable and is so in the Church of God; for which
such laws were made (Genesis 38:8).
4. Wicked creatures are selfish in duty, therefore unwilling to seek
any good but their own.
5. Self-pollution, destruction of the seed of man, envy to brethren,
are Onan’s horrid crimes (Genesis 38:9).
6. Onans may be in the visible Church.
7. Such uncleanness is very grievous in God’s sight.
8. Exemplary death may be expected from God by such transgressors (Genesis 38:10). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Onan’s sin
It must be borne in mind that the propagation of the family name
formed one of the most sacred wishes of the Israelites; that “excision” was
looked upon as the most awful indication of Divine wrath; and that polygamy
itself was so long maintained, because it offers a greater guarantee of
offspring. The Hebrews were not a strictly practical people; sentiment and
indefinite aspirations had a large share in their religious views and social
institutions: at an early period embracing and fostering the hope of a
Messianic time, when all the nations of the earth would be united in love and
the knowledge of God, they are eminently capable of prizing the permanent
existence of their families. The agrarian character of the Mosaic constitution
added power to this idea. Landed property was the foundation of the political
edifice, and equality its main pillar. Each family was identified with a
certain portion of the sacred soil; its extinction was, therefore, more
strongly apprehended by the individual, and was injurious to the prosperity of
the state, as the accumulation of wealth in the hands of individuals threatened
to disturb the equality of the citizens. It is, therefore, impossible to
misunderstand the spirit and tendency of the law concerning the marriage with
the brother’s widow; it was neither dictated by the desire of preventing the
abandoned condition of the widow, or of counteracting some other fancied abuse;
its purport is distinctly expressed to have been to procure a descendant to the
brother (Genesis 38:8); “that the name of the
deceased be preserved upon his inheritance, and that his name be not erased
from among his brethren and from the gate of his town” (Ruth 4:10). It may suffice to add, in
this place, that similar customs prevailed among the Indians, Persians, and
some Italian tribes, and that they are still practised by the Tsherkessians and
Tartars, the Gallas in Abyssinia, the Afghans, and other nations. It was in
conformity with this law that Judah commanded his second son, Onan, to marry
the childless widow of his elder brother. But Onan was not more virtuous than
the family to which he belonged: unwilling to maintain his brother’s name, he
knew how to frustrate the hopes of Judah. God took away his life for that
reckless wickedness. (M. M. Kalisch, Ph. D.)
Verses 11-30
Tamar
Lessons
1.
Sinful
hearts when they suffer from God’s hand are apt to vent it upon creatures.
2. Carnal relations grow quickly weary of showing kindness when
their aims are crossed by God.
3. Hard fathers-in-law, for their own ends, spare not to lay the
hardest terms upon allies.
4. Such oppressors deal subtilly, though cruelly; they pretend fair
at least.
5. Wicked hearts are apt to be jealous, and transfer faults and ill
successes to others that are innocent.
6. Sinful fathers are willing to save children from death, but take
bad ways to do it.
7. Widowhood is a solitary condition that binds souls to sit at
home.
8. God overruling, natural hearts may be content to submit to hard
injunctions from others when they cannot help it. So it was with Tamar when
Judah layeth hard injunctions on her (Genesis 38:11). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Injuries to daughters-in-law God may repay upon men’s wives.
2. Days may seem many before God’s visit, but visitation will come
for sin.
3. God may make death to be a just recompense of men’s hard
dealings.
4. Vain and sinful hearts are soon comforted after the death of
wives.
5. Comforts carnal hearts do seek by fleshly feasting and
employments.
6. Bad companions and opportune places bad hearts delight in to
enjoy their lusts (Genesis 38:12). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. A lustful eye will quickly turn the foot out of the way to sin.
Connection (Genesis 38:15).
2. Men of lustful hearts turn of their own accord to evil with
others without invitation.
3. Digression from men’s lawful way tends to transgression against
God and man.
4. Lust is a hard solicitor for its unclean enjoyments.
5. Lust runs blindfold even to defile near relations, and enquireth
not.
6. Sometimes lust is put to it to pay a price for its pleasure. The
whorish custom (Genesis 38:16).
7. Unclean persons stick not to lessen their flock for increase of
lust, so of estates.
8. Adulterous spirits are not credible with their own paramours; a
price or pledge must be given (Genesis 38:17).
9. Wicked hearts stick not at pledge or price unto whorish women for
enjoying lust.
10. Unclean creatures are subtle to have a great pledge for a small
price.
11. Be it ever so great, lust will give it to the whorish woman for
its pleasure.
12. Blind lust doth not only solicit but violate nearest relations
when it can.
13. Providence denieth not conception sometimes to the most
incestuous mixtures of men and women.
14. It is the order of providence that conception should be for Judah
as well as by him (Genesis 38:18). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Sinful lust, when its turn is served, makes out of sight
speedily.
2. Guile and deceit are usual adjuncts to lust of uncleanness.
3. Guileful harlots stay not long in common places, where they may
be discovered.
4. Lust teacheth souls to put off, and to put on, any signals which
might either discover or conceal them (Genesis 38:19). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Pawns may make naughty hearts careful to pay their debts for sin.
2. Wicked affairs are best trusted to hands of wicked friends.
3. Payment of debts by sinners is accounted just to take up pawns.
4. It is no rare thing for partners in sin to deceive each other; to
get out of the way when they should be found.
5. Under Providence the debt of lust is not always paid, nor the
pawn of iniquity restored (Genesis 38:20).
6. Sinners are diligent to inquire about their sinful affairs.
7. Sinners are impudent to ask openly after harlots in the high way;
to bewray the worst matter.
8. Under wife providence, such inquisitors have an answer of
frustration (Genesis 38:21).
9. The trustiest messengers of sinners may return bootless to such
as send them.
10. Objects of uncleanness maybe found to ensnare persons to sin, but
not to satisfy demands.
11. God sometimes ordereth the frustration, of sinners with a witness
(Genesis 38:22).
12. By patience perforce, unclean sinners may be content to sit down
with loss.
13. Fear of shame and reproach make sinners willing to be losers.
14. Uncleanness is a reproachful thing in the account of the worst
adulterers.
15. A self-conceit of having done their duties make wicked ones
sometimes content to sit down losers (Genesis 38:23). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. There is a season of bearing ordered by Providence and to be
observed Ecclesiastes 3:2).
2. Providence may order abundant fruitfulness unto incestuous
mixtures. Twins to incest (verse 27).
3. God sometimes returneth unto unclean conceptions bitter travails.
4. Cross coming of children to birth is God’s ordering to mind of
sin sometimes.
5. Creatures may be deceived in marking that for first which cometh
last (verse 28).
6. It is God’s prerogative to make first and last in births, and
other conditions.
7. Even in the fruit of the womb God makes one child retreat that
the other may come forth.
8. The breaking out of the fruit of the womb is sometimes wonderful
to creatures.
9. The wonders of God are reasonably prepetuated in the very names
of children (verse 29).
10. The first in man’s thoughts is many times last in God’s.
11. Safe births are great mercies, whether first or last; all come
forth under providence.
12. Such mercies should be made known in the very names and beings of
creatures (verse 30). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》