Genesis 38:20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her.
Essentially, what happened with Tamar and her husbands has happened again here. Tamar married Er, “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death. (v7)” As was custom, Judah had the secondborn marry Tamar to beget children for Er, but he was also put to death by the Lord.
Genesis 38:21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.
Judah did not want to lose his lastborn, so he told Tamar to live as a widow and he’d send the last son when he matured, but then he never did. In the same way, he sent the goat with a friend, but when he couldn’t find the shrine prostitute, he felt like his duty was done. “Let her keep what she has…” Essentially, “Well, I tried…”
Genesis 38:22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’ ”
Precious Savior, I, too, am guilty of “trying” to do without being fully committed to following through. When a half-hearted try is involved, it’s easy to give excuses to let myself off the hook. Forgive me. Help me to know and to do Your kingdom work without excuse. Amen.
Genesis 38:23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”
Have a blessed day.