Genesis 38:1

Genesis 38:1

At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 

One question?

 

Why?

Why did Judah leave his brothers and go down and stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.

The Bible is a long, often hard to understand book, and in many places it tends to go on longer than I would like as in “One guy begat another guy” and then “This guy begat this guy” and so on and so one….

But here is one place where I would like to have a little more. As in why did Judah leave his brothers, why did he to see Hirah, and why did he go now?

The Bible is the story of God, but it is also the story of people, and as we read through Genesis 38 we see the train wreck of what happens when someone walks away from what God wants. In this case Judah walks away from the family of God’s anointed Jacob/Israel and walks into a disaster.

A disaster of epic proportions.

In the 30 verses of chapter 38 we read that (after Judah left his brothers) the following happened to him:

                Married the “daughter of Shua.”

                They had a son Er.

                 They had another son Onan.

                Judah got a wife for Er. Her name was Tamar.

                Er was so bad that God killed him.

                Judah hooked  Tamar up with Onan.

                Onan was bad, and God killed him too,

                (Notice that God has killed Judah’s two oldest sons. – Now I am not a Bible scholar, but if God kills both your sons because they are so evil, that has to be bad.)

                Judah and his wife had a third son Shelah.

                Judah sent Tamar back to her dad until Shelah grew up.

                You can guess what Judah is thinking – third time and maybe my son won’t get smote.

                (Now this is where it gets very dicey.)

                Tamar hears that Judah is headed to town.

                Tamar gussies up like a prostitute.

                Judah hooks up with Tamar, not knowing that she was his daughter-in-law.

                Tamar (of course) gets pregnant.

                Judah learns that Tamar is pregnant.

                Judah gets judgmental “Burn her.”

                -Judah founds out that he is the impregnator of Tamar. Gulp.

                “Uh, never mind on that whole burning part.”

 

Crazy stuff.

But what I really want to know is “what made Judah say ‘hey, I think I am going leave my blessed family’ and head off to hang with my homey Hirah.”

This back story, human interest, what were they thinking is what interests me.

Cause I am the guy that has been/would be inclined to do stupid stuff and walk away from God.

Why?

That is the big question…