1. Your righteousness is not a prerequisite to be chosen by God. Judah and Tamar are the least likely candidates for parents of the year. Both took matters into their own hands, Judah by withholding his son to pass forward God’s covenant blessing and Tamar using deception to get what was rightfully hers. The point is this: God grace and mercy is bigger than your sin – You are not the hero of the story or even the point – God has something he is going to accomplish REGARDLESS of your obedience – in fact, he will use your disobedience if he has to – this is not a license to sin, but a reminder that God is sovereign and uses ALL things to accomplish his purposes.

2. Don’t assume you know the end of the story. Cancel culture is alive and well in the church today. We are so quick to shoot our wounded. This last year, podcast “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill”, an expose’ on Mark Driscoll, became one of the most listened to podcasts among Christian leaders – I listened to it from start to finish, and it drew some really strong conclusions about Mark – since then, Jeremy Foster from Hope City, Todd Wagner at Watermark, Matt Chandler at The Village Church – all made huge mistakes that have been widely publicized – and we are quick to grab the torch and pitchforks to storm the castle – and all of these men, while more like Judah than Joseph, could be in line for a God-transforming blessing – I am in no way condoning their decisions, but pointing to God’s power to use the worst stories for his purposes.

3. God’s way is worth standing firm. In spite of Judah’s bad example, Joseph sets a good one. In a “if it feels good, do it” culture, we seem way more prone to Judah than Joseph. But look at what Joseph keeps doing: THE RIGHT THING. He keeps standing firm IN SPITE of OPPOSITION, and IN SPITE of the consequences – Doing the right thing, following God’s path has landed him in a pit, sold into slavery and in prison, yet he continued to pursue God’s best. Remember Galatians 6:9: The harvest comes to those who don’t give up – Joseph was a plodder for the RIGHT THINGS, even when the result seemed counter-productive.

4. God will use both obedience and disobedience for his ultimate purpose. While Judah is a part of Jesus bloodline, Joseph will be used to preserve the nation of Israel – Both are incredibly important to the grand narrative of the Gospel, and God uses obedience AND disobedience for his purpose. 1 Cor 1:27-31

God will use the best of you and the worst of you – it keeps the focus off us and ON GOD.