# 359 Kill Him! Burn Her!

The Book of Genesis

Day 359

Ge 38:24 And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry." So Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!"

Three months have passed since Judah’s adulterous tryst with his daughter-in-law Tamar and word gets back to him that she has played the harlot and is with child.  At this point he has no idea it is his child, all he knows is Tamar has broken the Law and he quickly brings it into play. “Let her be burned!” unborn child and all!

His reaction to Tamar’s sin is something we ought to pay attention to, because it is a trap that we can all fall into when we live under law rather than grace. It’s reminiscent of Nathan’s confrontation with David over his sexual sin with Bathsheba. Nathan tells David of a rich man who steals from the flock of a poor man and David immediately blurts out the Law,  “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die.”

“Kill him!” “Burn her!” The cries of those under the Law! Then Jesus comes along as a woman is caught in the act of adultery, “Stone her” cry those shackled to the Law, but Jesus the epitome of grace says, “Whoever is without sin, cast the first stone.”  One by one you can hear the stones tumble harmlessly to the ground, and Jesus says to the woman, “I don’t condemn you,” (grace never does) go and sin no more.” In other words, “go in the power of my grace, rely on Me, and I will help you to stay clear of sin.”

Judah, willfully committed sexual sin with Tamar, and willful sinners put themselves under the torment  of the Law and inevitably get around to judging others harshly. They fall into the trap of seeking to pry a speck out of their brother’s eye, forgetting about the log in their own.

If you find yourself quick to judge the sins of others, it may be a sign of too much Law and not enough grace in your spiritual journey. Perhaps you have forgotten  God’s unconditional forgiveness of your sins. Perhaps you have forgotten that neither you or anyone else can obey the Law of God perfectly. You can only turn to Jesus to plea, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Never forget the admonition found in Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.