Bible study · Genesis 38:1-30
Genesis 38: More righteous than I
Read Genesis 38:1-30 before you meet.
In a few lines
Judah left his brothers, lost two sons, and kept his daughter-in-law Tamar waiting for a son he never gave her. She found a way to bear children in his family, and when Judah recognized his own pledge he said, "She is more righteous than I". Her son Perez became an ancestor of David and of Jesus.
The verse to carry
“Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.”
Genesis 38:26
To talk about
1. Judah told Tamar to wait for Shelah, then didn't give him to her (38:11, 14, 26). What does this chapter show about the cost of leaving a word unkept?
2. Judah was ready to condemn Tamar until he saw his own signet, cord and staff. When have you judged someone else for something you were part of?
3. Tamar is named in Jesus' genealogy. What does it tell you that God worked through a family story like this one?