Genesis 38

Self-righteousness has a way of coming back on us

Judah was not ignorant of the command given to his father and grandfather not to marry into the Canaanites. He finds a friend in Hirah, and while hanging out with him, instead of his own family, he finds a Canaanite woman, Shuah and marries her. With Shuah he has three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah. Er marries a woman named Timnah and lived his life in evil the bible says; so God slays him. Whether he is slayed by his own evil living or just outright struck down by God, I suppose it ends the same. Following Jewish custom, Onan is now supposed to marry her and raise up children in his brother Er's name. Onan wants no part of this and refuses to give her children in her brother's name and God slays him as well. 

Judah intervenes and tells Timnah to stay at her father's until Shelah is old enough to be her husband. Time passes and is so often the case, we forget our vows and promises and during this time Judah's wife dies. While trying to forget his sorrow he decides to go into a harlot, but the surprise is on him because he unknowingly lays with and impregnates his daughter-in-law who laid in wait for him. 

After time passes and word comes back to him that Timnah is pregnant, Judah, who hasn't lived a life for God since he left his family to go live with the Canaanites, gets fired up and says that his sinful daughter-in-law must be put to death to pay for her 'sins'. Timnah has a secret for Judah and when she presents him with the signets he left as a token to pay her for their rendezvous, he is immediately humbled and says out loud that she has been more just than he has.  

Timnah ends up having twins, Pharez and Zarah. During delivery Zarah puts him arm out and he is marked with a scarlet thread to show he was the first born, which is important to Jewish law and tradition. Astonishingly though, Pharez ends up coming out first. Pharez will become important because it is through his line that kind David and the Kind of Kings comes. The circumstances that brought you into this world do not matter as much as what you do in this world once you are here. 

Genesis 29

Jacob marries Rachael, eventually.

Jacob comes to a well after his long journey and with the help of God's guiding hand we comes to meet the servants of his mother's people. They are eager to see him and there are great tidings all around, especially after he meets Rachael. Did Jacob assume too much from the start? Considering that Leah, Rachael's sister would bare the for eldest sons of the Tribe of Israel, obviously the Lord had plans that he wasn't yet aware of. 

After Jacob meets Laban there is celebration and terms. Jacob says that he'll work seven years for the hand of Rachael. Laban agrees, but has other plans that he won't reveal to Jacob. Do I think God was in on this deceitful plan? God knows all things, but even through men's sins and mistakes, God can show his strength, which he does here. 

After seven years fly by because of Jacob's deep love for Rachael, the day of marriage comes and Laban slips in Leah instead of Rachael. Laban wants his eldest daughter married first and this was a custom that ran through different cultures all the way up past the middle ages. Jacob is upset, but agrees to work seven more years because he wants to marry Rachael. 

The Bible says that Leah was hated. This is an awful instance because Leah probably had no choice in the matter with her father Laban or Jacob. A lot like we treat so called unwanted pregnancies, we choose to hate one of God's creation through no fault of their own. Seeing this, God blessed Leah to have many male heirs while Rachael was barren. In our Christian lives, lets make sure we are holding to God's plans and not our own.