Redeemer Presbyterian Church Sermons
Tamar
Near the beginning of Matthew’s genealogy we see Tamar—a most unlikely ancestor of Jesus. Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and had sex with her father-in-law Judah. But this is a tale of two sinners. Judah neglected to materially provide for Tamar despite the fact that she was a helpless widow, driving her to desperate measures. This story shows that the Bible is not a book about moral people who lived perfect lives worthy of emulation. Instead, we see how God uses broken people to bring about the only righteous person who has ever lived—Jesus.
Additional scriptural references made in this sermon are: Psalm 146:7-9; Psalm 68:4-5; Isaiah 1:17, 24-25; Hosea 4:14; Genesis 37; Genesis 44:33-45:3; Matthew 1:3.