Showing posts with label Zerah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zerah. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Asa Seek the LORD, Defeats the Ethiopians
Asa succeeded Abijah as King of Judah and he followed in the ways of the LORD. He urged people to turn back to God and tore down the idol worshipping places. As a result, God gave him and Judah rest. During this time, Asa built up cities and fortified them. In addition, the army was also strengthened with a total of 300,000 from Judah and 280,000 from Benjamin.
In one encounter with Zerah the Ethiopian, 1,000,000 were brought against Judah. Asa cried to the LORD for help and committed the battle to God praying that "do not let man prevail against You". The LORD and His army intervened and the Ethiopians were defeated. So Judah defeated the Ethiopians and carried away vast amount of spoils.
It is worth noting that since Judah and Israel split, not all kings in Judah were evil. In fact there were a number of kings in Judah who obeyed God and walked with Him. Throughout various periods there were victories and revival for Judah.
2 Chronicles 14
1 So Abijah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David. Then Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land was quiet for ten years.
Asa Reigns in Judah
2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God, 3 for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to observe the law and the commandment. 5 He also removed the high places and the incense altars from all the cities of Judah, and the kingdom was quiet under him. 6 And he built fortified cities in Judah, for the land had rest; he had no war in those years, because the LORD had given him rest. 7 Therefore he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and make walls around them, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the LORD our God; we have sought Him, and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered. 8 And Asa had an army of three hundred thousand from Judah who carried shields and spears, and from Benjamin two hundred and eighty thousand men who carried shields and drew bows; all these were mighty men of valor.
9 Then Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and three hundred chariots, and he came to Mareshah. 10 So Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!”
12 So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the LORD and His army. And they carried away very much spoil. 14 Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them. 15 They also attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Judah and Tamar produces Perez
The tales of adultery and perversion continues even in the line of God's chosen people. We need to be careful how we interpret this. The main event described here seem to be how Tamar, the daughter in law of Judah, tricked Judah into laying with her. Some background to this even shows the wrongdoing of various parties, perhaps a greater sin than Tamar's.
- Judah married a Cannanite woman, despite the fact that his immediate ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, avoided this, due to God's advice against marrying pagans in the land.
- Judah's first son Er, husband of Tamar, was so evil that it was recorded that God killed him.
- Judah's second son, Onan, whose duty was to marry his brother's widow and produce an heir, chose otherwise because of selfish reason. This displeased the Lord enough to get him killed.
- Judah's sin in witholding his younger son, Shelah, from marrying Tamar because he feared his younger son might die too.
Later on, Tamar tricked Judah into sleeping with her by pretending to be a prostitute. By modern standard, this event seem quite perverted. But notice the response from Judah. Initially Judah was furious that her Tamar acted like a prostitute, not knowing yet that he slept with her. But when he found out that she was the one he slept with, Judah's response was that his sin is greater than hers. Judah explained that his sin was not to have given his younger son to Tamar as his custom required. So it seemed that Tamar's act was not for pleasure nor money but rather she was after the seed to produce a child.
The result of Judah and Tamar's act was twin offspring, whose birth mirrored that of Jacob and Esau as they were fighting to come out of the womb. The one who would be second became first, this time it was Perez.
These events may be uncomfortable reading for the moral audience in modern society but it is from Judah and Tamar and from Perez that our Lord Jesus comes from. Not only does this line of kings come from Tamar, a non-Israelite, but in came from an immoral union. What else can we do but in awe of God's Amazing Grace, and his Total Sovereingty in choosing whom He pleases, and ultimately:
1 Corinthians 1:27
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Genesis 38
Judah and Tamar
1 It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. 3 So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. 5 And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.
6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him. 8 And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.
11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
12 Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. 16 Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.
So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”
17 And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.”
So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?”
18 Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?”
So she said, “Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?”
And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.”
22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.”
24 And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.”
So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”
25 When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.”
26 So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again.
27 Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. 28 And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Perez.[a] 30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.
- Judah married a Cannanite woman, despite the fact that his immediate ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, avoided this, due to God's advice against marrying pagans in the land.
- Judah's first son Er, husband of Tamar, was so evil that it was recorded that God killed him.
- Judah's second son, Onan, whose duty was to marry his brother's widow and produce an heir, chose otherwise because of selfish reason. This displeased the Lord enough to get him killed.
- Judah's sin in witholding his younger son, Shelah, from marrying Tamar because he feared his younger son might die too.
Later on, Tamar tricked Judah into sleeping with her by pretending to be a prostitute. By modern standard, this event seem quite perverted. But notice the response from Judah. Initially Judah was furious that her Tamar acted like a prostitute, not knowing yet that he slept with her. But when he found out that she was the one he slept with, Judah's response was that his sin is greater than hers. Judah explained that his sin was not to have given his younger son to Tamar as his custom required. So it seemed that Tamar's act was not for pleasure nor money but rather she was after the seed to produce a child.
The result of Judah and Tamar's act was twin offspring, whose birth mirrored that of Jacob and Esau as they were fighting to come out of the womb. The one who would be second became first, this time it was Perez.
These events may be uncomfortable reading for the moral audience in modern society but it is from Judah and Tamar and from Perez that our Lord Jesus comes from. Not only does this line of kings come from Tamar, a non-Israelite, but in came from an immoral union. What else can we do but in awe of God's Amazing Grace, and his Total Sovereingty in choosing whom He pleases, and ultimately:
1 Corinthians 1:27
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
Genesis 38
Judah and Tamar
1 It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. 3 So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. 5 And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.
6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him. 8 And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.
11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
12 Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. 16 Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.
So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”
17 And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.”
So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?”
18 Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?”
So she said, “Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?”
And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.”
22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.”
24 And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.”
So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”
25 When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.”
26 So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again.
27 Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. 28 And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Perez.[a] 30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.
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