Dr. Tom Hover
June 27, 2021
Genesis 37:12-36 / Genesis 38:1-30
Shattered Dreams? / Judah’s StoryÂ
UNDAY AM
Shattered Dreams?
Genesis 37:12-36
Introduction
Have you ever experienced the heartbreak of a shattered dream? Everything was set! You were sure things were going to turn out a certain way, and then the bottom fell out from under everything. I wonder how Joseph felt as the events of this passage worked themselves out. I wonder if he questioned the dreams God had already given him, Gen. 37:5-10.
I. Jacob's Demand Genesis 37:12-14A. His Command
1. They were in Shechem. It was here that Simeon and Levi had murdered an entire village to avenge the rape of their sister Dinah, Gen. 34:1-31.
2. His sons had proven that they were not trustworthy.
Joseph had already had to bring his father an "evil report” regarding some of his brothers whole they were on shepherd duty.
B. His Confusion Genesis 37:4
II. Joseph's Devotion Genesis 37:13-17
A. It Was Immediate Genesis 37:13
In this regard Joseph is a type of Jesus.
Our lives ought to be marked by the same level of obedience.
Nothing demonstrates our love for Jesus any more than out willing obedience to His will: John 4:15,I John 5:2
B. It Was Insistent Genesis 37:15-17
Again, Joseph is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We should have that same desire within our own hearts.
III. The Brother's Depravity Genesis 37:18-30
A. The Brother's Plot Genesis 37:18-20
First, they have a desire in their hearts to kill Joseph. They hate him so much that they are willing to put him to death to get rid of him! Then they ridicule him because of his words. They call him “this dreamer”.
Of course, this is what would happen to Jesus when He came.
The people He came to save rejected Him, John 1:11, and hated Him for His words, Matt. 26:65-66. We would all do well today to examine our hearts.
B. Reuben's Proposal Genesis 37:21-25a
C. Judah's Plan Genesis 37:25b -28, Genesis 42:21
After all, he is their brother, v. 27. The rest of the brothers like this idea and that is just what they do. Joseph is sold for “twenty pieces of silver”, v. 28. That was the price of a crippled slave. His brothers sold him like he was a piece of trash! They sold him for 8 ounces of silver! This comes to $98.24 in today's money! Psalm 105:17-19 tell us that Joseph's experience as a slave was anything but pleasant! Psalm 105:17-19
Again, Joseph is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 26:15-16, Hebrews 13:2-3
IV. Reuben's Panic Genesis 37:29-30
V. Jacob's / Israel’s Despair Genesis 37:31-35
A. The Brother's Scheme Genesis 37:31
B. The Brother's Severity Genesis 37:32
Philippians 2:3-4, Galatians 6:2, Matthew 22:39, I John 3:14, I John 4:8, 4:20
C. Jacob's Sorrow Genesis 37:33-35
D. The Brother's Shame Genesis 37:35,I John 1:8-9, Proverbs 28:13
Conclusion This is a sad place to step out of this story. Joseph is gone, sold as a slave, and headed off to Egypt in chains. Jacob is heartbroken and inconsolable. What appears to be a hopeless situation is merely setting the stage for hope in the future! In times like that we must not despair! Instead, we must cling to the precious promises of our great God: Romans 8:28, Psalm 37:23-24, Job 23:10 Let Him give you hope in hanging on to them. They threw the Savior into the pit of death and buried His body. Three days later, He came out of that tomb victorious over all His enemies! He fulfilled the dreams of the Father and of His followers. He fulfilled your dreams and mine too. Do you have any dreams you need help with today? If so, come talk them over with Jesus right now!
SUNDAY PM
Judah’s Story
Genesis 38:1-30This story parallels the record of Joseph and shows the history of the son of Jacob who received the Divine-prince portion of the birthright (Joseph got the double portion part of the birthright). This Divine-prince portion of the birthright is the part of the birthright that includes the promise and lineage of the Messiah, which is why this chapter is included in the Scriptures. To the casual reader of Scripture, this chapter seems to have no purpose other than to relate some sordid details of Judah's life. But the chapter is related to the all-important lineage of Jesus Christ. Genesis 38 can be divided into four major parts as follows:
I. The Separation by Judah Genesis 38:1
1. The Calendar in the Separation Genesis 38:1 "It came to pass at that time."
2. The Cause of the Separation Genesis 38:1 "Judah went down from his brethren."
3. The Companion in the Separation Genesis 38:1"Turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah."
4. The Country of the Separation Genesis 38:1) "Adullamite."
II. The Sons of Judah Genesis 38:2-11
1. The Wife Bearing the Sons Genesis 38:2-5
Judah's marriage occurred in the land of Canaan when Joseph was still at home.
• A forbidden wife. (Genesis 38:2) 2 Corinthians 6:14).
• A fruitful wife. "She conceived, and bare" (Genesis 38:3) a total of three sons. Judah names the first one (Ibid.) but she named the second and third son (Genesis 38:4,5).
2. The Wickedness of the Sons Genesis 38:7-10 The first two sons of Jacob were very wicked men. The third son, Shelah was apparently of different character.
• The details of the wickedness. Genesis 38:7,9
• The discerning of the wickedness. Genesis 38:7
• The defining of the wickedness. Genesis 38:7
• The displeasing by the wickedness. Genesis 38:10
• The death for the wickedness. Genesis 38:7,10
3. The Widow of the Sons Genesis 38:11 Twice Tamar, the widow, lost a husband. Twice she was prevented from having children. • The promise for the widow. "Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown" (Genesis 38:11). Judah promised Tamar that when the next son of the three was older, he would give him to her for a husband.
• The prominence of the widow. Tamar finally got a child in the line of Christ, but it was not through Shelah but through Judah as we will see later. This gave great prominence to Tamar, for she is one of four women found in the Matthew's listing of the human genealogy of Christ (the other three are Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba).
III. The Shame of Judah Genesis 38:12-26
Half of this chapter is taken up with the shame of Judah. His shame is in his having a child with Tamar his daughter-in-law.
1. The Environment for the Shame Genesis 38:12
• The sorrow in the environment. "In the process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died." • The sheepshearing in the environment. "Judah... went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath." Sheep-shearing time was a time of celebration like harvesting time in olden days.
2. The Enticement for the Shame Genesis 38:14-16
• The apparel for the enticement. Genesis 38:14
• The area in the enticement. Genesis 38:14
• The alacrity to the enticement. Genesis 38:15,16
• The aggravation for the enticement. Genesis 38:14
3. The Exposing of the Shame Genesis 38:24-26
Judah's shameful conduct was soon exposed to all.
• The prediction of the exposure. That Judah's sin would be exposed is predicted in Scripture. "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23) is one place it is predicted.
• The pregnancy for the exposure. Genesis 38:24
• The punishment encouraging the exposure. Genesis 38:24
• The presentation for the exposure. Genesis 38:25,17
• The product of the exposure. Genesis 38:26 This is the best part of the story in this chapter. It reports Judah truly repenting of his evil.
IV. The Successor of Judah Genesis 38:27-30 The grace of God overruled Judah's moral mess and out of it produced Judah's successor, that is, the one who succeeded him regarding the birthright blessing, especially the important Divine prince birthright. Since Er (firstborn in line for the birthright) and Onan (Er's intended successor) died without any sons, Judah's only offspring for the birthright were through Tamar (the wife of Er then Onan) by his immoral affair.
1. The Birth of the Successor Genesis 38:27-29
• The company in the birth. Genesis 38:27
• The complications in the birth. Genesis 38:28-30
• The calling at the birth. Genesis 38:29 Pharez was born after the other twin had stuck its hand out of birth channel far enough so the midwife could put a red thread on the hand to mark it. In being born after his brother had already stuck his hand out of the birth channel is described as a "breach." This word is translated from the Hebrew word which describes both power and a tearing or ripping of something.
2. The Benefactor in the Successor Genesis 38:29 Pharez being the first-born son of Judah, inherited the birthright which means from his seed would come the promised Messiah. That this is so found in the genealogies of Christ given in the New Testament. Pharez appears in both (Matthew 1:3 and Luke 3:33). This fact explains why this record of Judah is found in the Scripture—it speaks of the line of Christ. Christ is the main theme of the Scripture, and sometimes passages of Scripture like this one may seem out of place or strange or unnecessary, but such passages will be found to be of great value because they are focused on Jesus Christ. Genesis 38:29
