3 Men and a goat and the triumph of God over evil Genesis 38 3 Men and a goat and the triumph of God over evil

Go Forth and (Refuse to) Multiply Er erred Onan (sort of) refused Judah chickened out Tamar is left with nothing

That’s When the Goat Got Involved

Déjà vu All Over Again Leaving the homeland Trouble bearing an heir Trickery and deception with wives A need for life to come from death The birth of twins The younger chosen over elder This all means that the story of Judah and Tamar is part of a bigger story of God and the world

The Bigger Story It Bounces Through Ruth It Lands in Matthew Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah. This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron . . . . and Jesse the father of David.  …and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

It Tells of God’s Victory Over Evil ‘Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him

The Plight of the Powerless Capitulate Subvert

The Call on Christians “The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”