#350 Thank God For His Mercy!

The Book of Genesis

Day 350

Ge 38:1 It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. 3 So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. 5 And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him. 6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him.

So, Judah “bends away” from the ways of his people. He “morally deflects” to the godless ways of the Canaanites. He marries an unbelieving Canaanite woman. She bears him three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. Time passes on and Judah arranges a marriage for his firstborn, Er. But Er was wicked in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord killed him! Man! That must be some kind of wicked!

The Bible doesn’t spell out any specific acts of wickedness on Er’s part, but as we look at the Hebrew word for “wicked” here, it is synonymous with “evil.” It is an evil that permeates, in other words Er was evil through and through. The root word from which the word for evil is pulled means, “good for nothing.” It carries with it the idea of something being spoiled or ruined by being broken into pieces. Er was a clay pot fashioned by God, that went bad, and God, (the Potter) exercised His prerogative here and decided to humpty dumpty him and leave him for the street sweepers.  He slew him!

I know some people have a problem with that action on God’s part. “How can a loving God do such a thing? How dare He kill anyone? I’m not going to worship such a cruel God!”

Yet we read in De 32:39 'Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.” Jesus added to that thought in  Mt 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” And let us never forget the biblical picture of God being the Potter and we are the clay.

It is an utterly absurd thought that we clay pots have the right to be angry with our Maker over anything! He is God! If He chooses to take out Er, That’s His business. Who knows what might have happened to those in Er’s world, should God have allowed him to continue in his evil ways.

Rather than get angry at God, we ought to be awed and humbled, and then marvel at His grace, because truth be known, without God and His grace at work in our own lives we are all just as evil as Er, and deserve to be taken out! But God has extended mercy to each and every one of us who are still here. Praise Him for His mercy, and thank Him for His grace!