# 358 Be A True Friend

The Book of Genesis

Day 358

Ge 38:19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.  20 And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her.  21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, "Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?" And they said, "There was no harlot in this place."  22 So he returned to Judah and said, "I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place."  23 Then Judah said, "Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her."

Tamar dons the garments of widowhood again and goes back home. Meanwhile Judah seeks to find the harlot in order to pay her the agreed price of a goat, so he can get his staff and signet back, but she is nowhere to be found!

At this point, let’s talk about Judah’s friend Hirah. He was with Judah when Judah went off on his little tryst. Hirah clearly knew what took place, and being a trusted friend, he sends Hirah back with the goat to reclaim his signet and staff from the harlot. Hirah comes back empty handed and Judah shrugs his shoulders and decides to forget the matter.

Note his reply to Hirah, “lest WE be shamed.” There is a lesson here of shared responsibility. Hirah did not enter into the deal with the harlot, yet he is now included in the shame of the event. He is Judah’s friend, and he could have sought to restrain Judah from engaging in this act of sexual sin. A true friend would say something like, “Hey Judah, I know you miss the physical act of sexual gratification, due to the passing of your wife, but hold on, this is not the way to respond!”

Well, we shouldn’t be too hard on Hirah, he is a Canaanite and he doesn’t know any better. The world could care less about the restraints concerning sexual activity spelled out in the Word of God.

But, it ought to be a different story for you and I. We know better and if we have a Christian brother or sister who have laid aside their Christianity for the sake of temporary pleasures, we need to be true friends and call them out! True friends take a stand. True friends help their brothers and sisters stand strong in the face of temptation. True friends help them to see the error of their ways so they might turn from their folly.

Jas 5:19 Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,  20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

“Save a soul from death?” Whoa! A real friend seeks to turn his erring brother back!