Bible in a Year, Day 26: God Works in Your Mess

Today's reading

Today's reading is Genesis 38, the story of Judah and Tamar, and Pastor Jack Graham draws our attention to one verse in it.

Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.

(Genesis 38:26, WEB)

Reflection

Right in the middle of the story of Joseph, the Bible stops and shows us something ugly. Graham points out that this is Judah's chapter, not Joseph's, and that it is a terrible mess. Judah fled his brothers and plunged into a godless life. He married a Canaanite woman, and two of his sons died: the first struck down for evil, the second for refusing his sacred duty.

That left Tamar, his daughter-in-law, widowed twice. Graham says Judah betrayed her, yet she refused to disappear. She disguised herself, and she became pregnant by her father-in-law. When Judah found out, he was ready to burn her alive.

Then Tamar produced his seal, cord and staff, and Judah stood exposed. Graham says this is where grace breaks in. Judah said "she is more righteous than I am," and Graham calls that a confession of sorts: Judah owning his failure and confessing his sin.

From that broken moment came Perez. From Perez's line came Boaz and Ruth, then David, and from David's line came Jesus. Matthew did not hide Tamar's story when he gave the genealogy of Jesus; he put her name right there in chapter 1. As Graham put it, "God doesn't clean up our family trees. He works through them."

Graham names two truths in this chapter. The first is that "your sin will always find you out, always." The second is that no sin is too hideous for God to forgive. Judah met both in a single scene, and Graham reminds us that God brings us back to himself because we cannot climb out of our sin on our own.

If you carry shame from your past, or your family history is a mess, this chapter is for you. Graham says, "Jesus came for people exactly like you, and his very bloodline proves it." And he adds, "Grace doesn't wait for you to deserve it. Grace meets you where you are."

Take it with you

• Is there something hidden that you need to own, the way Judah finally did?
• What part of your past or your family story makes you feel too broken for God?
• Where do you need to receive grace as a gift today, instead of trying to earn it?

Prayer

Lord, you see the parts of my story I would rather hide, and the parts of my family's story that still carry shame. I confess my sin to you and stop trying to pull myself up on my own. Thank you that your grace reaches into the mess and brings forgiveness. Help me trust that nothing can turn your heart away from me. Thank you for Jesus, who came for people exactly like me. Amen.