A RIPPLE EFFECT

• DAY 309
• FEAR FILE: JUDAH
• SCRIPTURES: GENESIS 38:11

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.

Judah has lost two of his sons and the common denominator is Tamar. They both died after they married this woman. He may have noticed His first son’s wickedness but he did not see what his second did in secret. In any case, he was their father so chances are he loved them no matter what. Now he has one son left and he’s afraid that if he marries this same woman chances are he will end up like his brothers. But there is a loophole, he is young, so he has an excuse to cover up for his fears.

On that note, he sends her home. He didn’t consider the cause of his sons’ death because fear had clouded his judgment so he blamed her and made it her responsibility and her fault. And the fact was If the last son did what was right, he would have lived. This decision he made had a ripple effect on his family and he ended up fathering a child with his daughter-in-law.

Listen, fear can make us put blame where it’s not supposed to be. We think that our fearful actions don’t have any effect on other people but it does. The actions we take out of fear can instigate somebody else to go do something that they were not supposed to do and Judah’s response from a place of fear put Tamar in a very difficult situation.

Pray that fear will not cloud your judgment and you’ll see things the way they are. That you won’t act out of fear but out of faith and courage. Amen.

Shalom.