On Saturday, July 12, I preached the evening vespers service at Lutheran Church of the Master in Carol Stream. My given text was Genesis 38. I think I would never have picked such a story had it not been assigned to me in advance. You can hear my twenty-minute sermon below.
https://soundcloud.com/act3network/the-shameful-story-of-judah
As I grow older I enjoy narrative preaching more than ever. This chapter in Genesis is so obviously narrative, with a clear dose of midrash going on, that it begs for the human imagination to work overtime putting various things together. It also begs another pressing question: “How or why do such lewd and bodacious stories get included in the biblical Canon?” Maybe our views of such things are far too prudish. If some Christians I know oversaw the arrangement of the Canon they would have left a great deal out I feel sure. This story would likely be at the top of their list. In very clear and offensive ways it is perverse to the extreme. I know of nothing else to say about that but it really does beg a lot of questions I rarely hear addressed.
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Thanks for sharing, good word.
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What a text to assign someone! On the other hand, it does make the point that no matter how badly we screw something up, God is able to redeem the situation.
Is there anywhere in the Scriptures where an example of a Levirate marriage is considered outside of the kingly line between Judah and Christ?
An example of it is in Jesus confrontation with the Pharisees about the woman and seven brothers
Thanks Rick. I was especially thinking of OT but didn’t make that clear. Thanks.
There’s no one specifically mentioned in the OT. The concept of having seven husbands mentioned by the Sadducees is likely an allusion to Tobit chapter 3.
Other than Judah and Ruth I can think of none, which is interesting because it involves kinsman-Redeemer links in the Messianic line.
RT @JohnA1949: The Shameful Story of Judah: On Saturday, July 12, I preached the evening vespers service at Lutheran … http://t.co/X8O9AP…
@JohnA1949 an outstanding sermon based on the Biblical narrative w/ very helpful applications for #unity and #missional churches.