The Fascinating Scriptures! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Chronicles 2:3-4,

"The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah. These three were born to him by a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua. Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death. Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar bore Perez and Zerah to Judah. He had five sons in all."

We read the account of Judah, and the sons born to him in Genesis 38. How was it that Judah had the twin sons, Perez and Zerah, born to him by his own daughter-in-law? In Genesis we read that Judah got a wife for his oldest boy, Er. Her name was Tamar. We are told Er was a wicked man so the Lord put him to death.

According to custom, Judah told his next son, Onan to sleep with Tamar to provide an heir to his now dead brother. However, although Onan slept with Tamar, he refused to impregnate her because the boy would be raised as his dead brother's boy and not his. The Lord found this an evil so the Lord put Onan to death as well.

Judah refused to give his last son, Shelah, to Tamar for fear he would wind up dead as well. Tamar, left without a son and no heir for her part of the family, plotted an amazing strategy. She disguised herself as a prostitute and placed herself in Judah's path. He, unknowingly, propositioned her and it resulted in the twins born to him: Perez and Zerah. Tamar now had her family heirs.

Genesis provides a fascinating account - one that is referenced in what may be viewed as a tedious portion of Scripture, the genealogical listing in the beginning of 1 Chronicles. If you haven't read it lately, I highly recommend it.

The Scriptures are anything but boring, or dull, or dry. To think so betrays a lack of exposure to them. Sixty some years of reading all kinds of things (as many do) and nothing I have found can match the color, the richness, the fascination, the evocative impulses that the Scriptures provide. Of course, the greatest contribution the Scriptures provide is the revelation of our Creator who had these things written for our benefit.

Reading the Scriptures is not a chore, but an enchanting delight! No wonder - considering who the author is!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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