Our Savior’s Ancestress: Tamar
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
12/8/2019 PM
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Text:
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Matthew 1:3a;
Genesis 38
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Psalters: |
267, 382, 123, 230 |
- Great sin.
- Judah (the fourth son of Jacob) was the promised line of Christ (Gen. 49:8-12).
- But Judah was not morally better, for Scripture records also his sins.
- Judah left his father’s house (38:1), lived with the Canaanties and married one of them (38:2) having three sons (38:3-5).
- After his wife dies (12) he satisfies his fleshly desires with an harlot (16) and becomes an illegitimate father (24).
- It was God’s grace that Abraham’s descendants were taken from Canaan and went into Egypt.
- For the sake of accuracy and honesty God has this history carefully recorded.
- God’s purpose was and is to show the greatness and glory of His grace.
- The Savior’s presence is a wonder of grace – a life out of the dead.
- Abraham begat Isaac after he and Sarah were “dead” (Rom. 4:19).
- It is all of grace for man only sins and does nothing which merits with God; grace alone explains the coming of Christ.
- Further this history demonstrates the need which also God’s people have for atonement.
- Matthew records this (to Jews) to rebuke Jewish ancestral and national pride.
- This passage emphasizes the urgency that we do all we can to have our children marry in the Lord.
- This record of Judah’s sins is a proof that the Bible is of divine authorship, not human.
- The world glorifies its heros, but the Bible shows them for what they are.
- The Bible treats sin as sin: something abhorrent to God and to the sanctified conscience of God’s children.
- Sin is the back drop for the glorious and great grace of God.