Genesis 38:12-23 – Taking Matters Into Her Own Hands

Judah’s wife dies, and he has not kept his word to Tamar and given her his third son. When she sees this she decides to take matters into her own hands. If she can’t have a child by the son, she will have it by the father. She pretends to be a prostitute in order to trap her father-in-law. But if Judah had tried to live in a godly way, he would not have been trapped. But he is quick to turn to a prostitute, and this sin will have many consequences he just doesn’t see at the time. If we are conscientious about doing what we say we will do and living in a godly way, we can avoid many of the snares and traps of others. Our sins often have unseen consequences that we only discover later.

Judah tries to send his payment to the prostitute, but she has disappeared, and he doesn’t push the matter. He doesn’t want his actions to become public knowledge and be talked over by others. He also doesn’t want others to laugh at him for entrusting his seal and staff to a prostitute. He is not worried about his sin or need for forgiveness. The only thing that concerns him is the potential for embarrassment in the situation. There are many people who care more about having a good reputation with men than they do about having a good reputation with God. They care more about being embarrassed than about the fact that their sins are condemning them in the eyes of God.