Genesis 38:1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.
Joseph was just sold into slavery, so today’s scripture feels like a bit of a non sequitur. Why are we focusing on Judah? Why aren’t we following Joseph to see his fate? Yes, we will get back to Joseph in this narrative, but I find these questions that come to mind interesting to ponder.
Genesis 38:2-3 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.
Isn’t that the way it goes sometimes, though? We feel like we are in the middle of something and, out of left field, there is this tangent, seemingly unrelated, that soaks up all of our attention. It can be tremendously frustrating, but what if that’s God, inserting something into our lives that we need to grow or grow closer to Him?
Genesis 38:4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.
Precious Savior, Thank You for Your wisdom, grace, and compassion. Thank You that You already know the end of our story, that You know what we need to be able to draw closer to You, to shine Your light more brightly. Help us to be patient with what we see as the interruptions in our lives. Draw us closer. Amen.
Genesis 38:5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
Have a blessed day.