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Okay, we are studying the Old Testament because in doing so we better learn what the apostolic writings are saying.
And we discover an enormous amount of foundational information which aides us in interpreting what was happening in and through Christ.
And what is now complete. Today we will dive right into this idea.
Genesis 38.16-end part II
July 2nd 2023
And I am going to offer some things to you that I have discussed with some brothers in the faith and they are NOT what is the typical view of so-called Christians.
So in the standard mindset of believers (and unbelievers) – but especially believers – most of them read the news or tap into the steady stream of information we are constantly fed from all around the world, and say:
“The world is the worst it has ever been.”
Par for the course is they cite things like mass shootings, gender identity wars, growing popularity of Pride parades and the disconcerting attitudes of our youth – especially relative to the kids of the first half of the 20th Century.
Suicide rates are discussed along with all of the evils of modern civilization, pollution and changing weather – and they are propped up by a decline in educational and religious effectiveness.
Typically speaking, the great promoters of this view are Evangelicals who appeal to Jesus words in Matthew 24 and the depictions in Revelation as happening.
If you believe this, you are in the majority and have that right. But I want you to try and take a minute and consider some of the facts about the human existence that stand counter to this popular view.
Did you know that in Jesus day 1/3 of the worlds population died by violent means? One THIRD.
So, of the 7.88 billion alive on earth today, and with 67.1 million deaths in 2022, 1/3rd of that number is about 22 million of those deaths being violent if the same rates were assigned to our day as His.
In 2020 world deaths by violence were 531,000 with 221,000 of them occurring by gunfire.
531,000 violent deaths in our day verses 22 million violent deaths by comparison in Jesus’ day. That’s a 900 percent decrease in violent deaths since His day and age.
Did you know that poverty before Christ was the way of life for the vast majority of people on earth – like 96% – hand to mouth, and that incurable illness – like infections, strep, cholera, leprosy, polio, and all the rest had zero options available for help?
Did you know that medical skills, only going back just a couple hundred years were pretty much barbaric and we did all sorts of things to “help” people who lived in states of utter hopelessness?
That laundry, dishes, floors were all cleaned by hand until not to far back, that indoor plumbing arrived in the US in the 1840’s, and that it wasn’t until the 17th and 18th centuries that many new modes of transportation were invented such as bicycles, trains, motor cars, trucks, airplanes, and trams.
That it wasn’t until 1906 that the first car was developed with an internal combustion engine. And that many types of transportation systems such as boats, trains, airplanes, and automobiles were based on the internal combustion engine developed in that day.
Yes, we have fallout from being oil dependent and our pollution problems are on the rise but even that is comparatively speaking because we have made vast improvements and progress that have prevailed over the attidudes of people in the industrial revolution which saw the world as its garbage dump!
Some look at our drug problems and I admit, they are a thing but substance abuse has ALWAYS been a thing and I would challenge the claim that we are worse that against the history of alcoholism, nicotine addictions and even opium addictions that have always been a problem of man.
Some would say, “what about the child molesting?” I would say there is nothing new under the sun. Pornography? Far more ubiquitous and very damaging to people because of technology but they found pornography on the walls of Pompei and the Old Testament speaks openly of beastiality and all sorts of sexual depravities that were ubiquitous among peoples outside and even within the Nation of Israel.
What about the gays? People scream!
They’re just liberated and more open. Ancient Greece and Roman society was filled with it – and in some cases, like the Spartan warriors, demanded it among themselves to bring unity in their ranks.
What does the scripture say? Remember that Solomon wrote
Ecclesiastes 7:10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.
Or that he said, “there is no new thing under the sun?” Ecclesiastes 1:9
There is truly no new things, folks, under the sun. Human beings will always seek out, in one way or another, a way to be debased.
Did you know what Paul wrote
1st Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.
Do we not remember that the very first son of Adam and Eve was a murderer? The first child of the human race.
Sure, our spiritual inclinations and drives may be lesser today – unfortunately waning in many lives compared to previous generations and that is the true unfortunate fact – but the world, at large, I suggest has gotten better – not worse – and listen – this is especially since the death, resurrection, ascension and return of Christ our Lord.
This view is REALLY important for so-called Christians to consider as we ought to be leading the world in terms of sharing hope, peace, and love with others rather than clinging to the archaic notion that the world is rotten to the core and Jebus is coming back to destroy it.
He is NOT coming back to destroy anything. Ecclesiastes says it best:
Ecclesiastes 1:4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides for ever.
Our study of the scripture helps us see what God has done to ensure this. (REPEAT)
As we continue on with the story of Tamar something will come up in the picture it provides relative to this view of the earth abiding forever.
Last week I read where God tells the Nation of Israel (to whom He was married) that she was guilty of adulty (which was idolatry) and He said in Ezekiel 16:
‘Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. Were your acts of harlotry a small matter, that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?
These were the Children of Israel, God’s wife, who in leaving Him in the dust would literally take their own children and offer them up to death by burning.
I want to ask you – how many people on earth today – gay, straight, family oriented, or not, would condone, agree or participate in sacrificing children and babies to molten fire?
These practices and beliefs were ubiquitous in the world prior to Christ and have done nothing but fade from acceptance from most people today – whether believer or not.
How about women, their treatment and rights? My friend points out that every town in settled America had a whore house in the not to distant past (including Salt Lake ) and just fifty years ago women were only seen as baby machines.
Are we still this way? Of course. Sure. But haven’t we become a little more universally compassionate by comparison?
I think we need, in the face of fulfillment, to try and rethink what is commonly just assumed about this world. I will support why in a moment.
So, Tamar is out trying to seduce Judah, dressed the way a harlot would and out standing in the way where she knows he is going to be walking – let’s, continue forward beginning at verse 16
16 And he (Judah) turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it.
18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.
23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.
26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
Alright back to verse 16
16 And he (Judah) turned unto her by the way, and said, “Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee;” (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? (meaning the promised animal)
The word used here pledge describes something given in earnest which was not be part of the agreed price between them. Instead, the pledge would be held until the animal was given and then the items were to be returned.
Interestingly, the word here for pledge in Hebrew is the same word the Greeks used to describe the same concept.
The Hebrew word is “arawbone” and the Greek term is “ar-rhab-own” – same word.
We have all heard of buying something on layaway which is when (I don’t know if stores still offer this) but its when someone puts a part of the price down on an item to hold it for themselves and the item would be held for them until they paid the rest of the amount owed (less the deposit made).
So, while Tamar asked for a deposit what she was asking for was really asking for was more like Judah leaving his drivers license with her until he made good on the deal and brought her a kid.
But the concept of earnest pledges and earnest deposits are very similar in the scripture.
When we get to the Apostolic Record Paul says something interesting using this Hebrew/Greek word (Arabown) in 2nd Corinthians 1:22 which is
Now he that establishes us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God;
22 Who has also sealed us, (stamped us) and given the earnest (Arrabon – in both Hebrew and Greek) of the Spirit in our hearts.
In other words, the Saints who made up the Bride in that day (if true) were both sealed (stamped) and then given an earnest deposit of the Spirit.
This is not a one-off reference to the act as Paul will, four chapters later add
2nd Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest (arrabon) of the Spirit.
In harmony with that day, we read even more explicitly in Ephesians 1:13-14 where Paul writes
In whom you also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, you were sealed (stamp) with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest (arrabon) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
And then he reiterates the notion three chapters later saying
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed (stamped) unto the day of redemption.
Tamar asked for a pledge (arrabon) (deposit) until she would receive the promised kid (lamb) from the flock of Judah.
But in Paul’s day, they were given the seal (stamp) and the earnest (pledge) of the Spirit that would “keep them” until their last day when He would return and take them up to what Paul says is in Galatians 6:4 “the New Jerusalem above”as the very pure Bride of Christ which operated under a New heaven and a New earth that has existed ever since.
A heaven and earth that operates completely differently than that former world of despair, misery, woe and ravages.
Yes, we still suffer. Yes, the Dark wages war against the Light – but the world has only gotten better since Jesus had his victory, not worse.
So, it seems that the arrobown of the Holy Spirit served as an earnest deposit in the lives of that BRIDE (who waited patiently for that day of Redemption.
Which arrived because the former age under the Law and in the clutches of Satan needed to be wrapped up even though Christ had paid for sin, resurrected and ascended with the promise to return.
Until He did, this sealing of the Holy Spirit was an earnest deposit was in the lives of those who were His.
Then Yeshua existed the Holy of Holies above, where He had taken His blood into the presence of His Father, and He showed himself to His own, bringing both reward and judgement on the House of Israel at that time as promised.
And what comes after? Paul tells us, saying in 1st Corinthians 15:22-28 the following
1st Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he (Yeshua) must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Has death been destroyed? Completely.
Even in Paul’s day he wrote to Timothy speaking of the arrival of Christ to them as promised he said
2nd Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
And John wrote in Revelation 20, which Jesus said over and over was happening quickly,
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
So physically, through the resurrection, death has been overcome and then spiritually it was overcome by Him dying a spiritual death for us on the cross!
Now listen to what Paul adds then –
27 “For he has put all things under his feet.”
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, (which would happen completely upon His promised return) then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
These verses explain how the second Adam, Yeshua of Nazareth, overcame all the things introduced to humanity by the first Adam, as Paul wrote in
2nd Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Ostensibly, because Jesus has had the victory over sin, death, Satan, hell and all of it has been overcome once and for all, His Bride has been taken and the world has – listen- the WORLD has been returned to the Garden of Eden state with every single persons sin paid for by Christ and with every one of us having been restored spiritually to a place of choice.
What choice? To believe and receive what Christ has done and live accordingly as the Spirit of Reconciliation in all of us decrees OR . . . to live according to our own will and ways by choosing to continually eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
If Jesus has not had the victory, meaning He has not returned to put the finality on all of the former things then the WORLD remains in the same state it was in when Jesus ascended, and believers are given the earnest of the Spirit, and the world has NOT BEEN RECONCILED to God.
I mention this because it is very easy to read about the earnest of the Spirit and to believe that we are in the same place as the Bride was in before He returned to them. And that we only have an earnest of the Spirit and we are all waiting to have the fullness.
But IF Jesus has in-fact had the victory, all people – all – have been reconciled to God, Jesus has exited the Holy of Holies, has returned to take His Bride, has destroyed all aspects of the Law, has put an end to Satan and his Reign, has cast Him and hell into the Lake of Fire (which is the second death) and every human being on earth ever since has the Spirit (like Adam and Eve did prior to the fall) and we are now all responsible before God for how we choose to live our lives – just like Adam and Eve were held responsible for their choices on how they lived theirs.
In other words, I suggest that all people since the work of Christ have the Spirit and all souls are individually deciding how to respond to God’s outreach to them in light of it.
When someone surrenders themselves, or seeks, or merely desires to know Him and relate to Him, that spirit begins to unfold and to take form and become more and more clear as they are willing to pursue.
My point is that I suggest that the earnest deposit of the Spirit was especially given to them/then which they were promised to receive the full amount when Jesus returned, just like Tamar was promised to get the full amount when Judas returned for his things.
When Jesus walked the earth and was calling only to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel, we read the following in Matthew 15 beginning at verse 22
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
I suggest, in our day and our world, with Jesus having had the victory over all things that once stood in the way of all souls, restoring the World back to spiritual Eden, God, who is now all in all, just may possess the same attitude toward the world.
I say this because in the face of the labors of the Nation of Israel, and then the labors of His suffering Son, and then the demands that His Bride be holiness and spotless, that all of us ever since, having been reconciled to God, are like the Canaanite woman and God is initially, shall we say, different to us.
He may ignore us at first or may treat us like Jesus treated this woman just to see who really loves Him, who really seeks Him, and who sincerely wants a relationship with Him.
He has blessed all of us and He is not out to punish anyone as sin has been paid in full and hell and Satan the accuser cast away, the world is left with the choice on how to live our lives.
To me, God seems slower to respond to rote prayers and an unbelievers foxhole request; He seems less willing to be puppeted about by people using His name or trying Him out without really believing. No, today, He seems to be a straitly and strictly personal God, relating to the general world through His spirit but reserving response and eternal relationships for only the devout in heart.
We can’t blame Him, really. After all, He has done His part spanning over a period of thousands of years. And in love He has overcome everything that separated us by being in Christ. So now, as with Adam and Eve, we, full of capacity and freedom to choose, are left with a word many do not want to embrace:
Responsibility.
It seems to me that the presence of the Holy Spirit in full and tapping into it is a matter of choice, desire and longing to know Him in spirit and truth.
The presence of His Spirit in every person in the world ultimately speaks to why I see the world as getting better and why most sane people today, irrespective of beliefs or not, are deeply offended by child sacrifice and human suffering in every form.
I mean what rational person would endure a child being slapped let along rolled into the molten arms of a burning idol?
This universal change was entirely made possible through the Victory of Christ alone and seems to have very slowly entered into this world around the first century.
Having been made in His image scientific, medical and technical advances have all unfolded and originate from Him. Something lost in this Godless world. But His mercy and love is extended to all is because of His Son.
Our job as believers today, instead of condemning the Dark is to light a candle of hope.
To encourage people to consider Him and His existence and to support those who sincerely want to know and follow Him.
Its not to play religion because in this day and age God says that all will know Him – by His Spirit!
So, back to the early narrative of how and what happened as God worked through the Nation of Israel
18 And he (Judah) said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
It was customary for Hebrew men, along with those of other nations to have signet rings which were a form of personal identification. We know such rings were used to press into wax and to seal communications and to prove who sent them. It is said they existed as far back as 3500 BC in Mesopotamia.
Where it says bracelets, we tend to think of rings (and such) around the wrist, but this is better translated a cord, which was woven together with threads and hung the signet ring around the wearers neck.
And a staff was often used as an aid in walking but also a means to drive animals away and to defend oneself from enemies.
All of these would serve to help identify Judah to others. So, with the promise of a young goat or lamb made, and an earnest deposit given, sexual relations were had, and Tamar gets pregnant – this would secure her place in the family of Judah.
19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive (back) his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
Again, and unlike the earnest deposit made of money which was deducted from the total price, Judah wanted his deposit back upon delivering the animal as promised.
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