When the Bible Gets Messy

Hey Vineyard Fam! If you’re reading through the Bible in a year with us, then Genesis 38 probably made you pause. Judah’s story is intense. Death. Broken family lines. Moral failure. Cultural customs that feel foreign. Plot twists that feel like a Lifetime movie. Pastor Tess wasn’t exaggerating.

But Genesis 38 isn’t in the Bible to shock us. It’s in the Bible to show us how God works redemption through real people in real mess.

As modern readers, we often want explanations. Judah’s first son is killed by God because he was “evil,” but Scripture doesn’t tell us what he did. That can feel unsettling. But to an Old Testament reader, this wasn’t confusing. They would have thought:
“We don’t know what he did, but it must have been serious.”

The Bible isn’t trying to satisfy our curiosity. It’s establishing God’s holiness and justice.
Then Judah’s second son refuses to carry on his brother’s family line, something that was both cultural and deeply spiritual. It threatened the future God was unfolding through Judah. To him, it was no big deal. To God, it disrupted a redemptive plan that would one day include all of us. So God judged that too. It's heavy, but not random.

Here’s what makes this chapter powerful:
God’s plan of redemption was always meant to come through the line of Judah. We see it clearly in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1). The Messiah, the Savior of the world, would come through this family.
We see first hand that the family is… complicated.

Judah himself later fathers a child through Tamar in a morally messy situation. Nobody in this story is spotless. Nobody is the hero. And that’s the point. The Bible isn’t a book about perfect people doing holy things. It’s a book about a perfect God redeeming broken people.

We often read Scripture trying to find heroes. Genesis 38 refuses that approach. It forces our eyes toward Jesus. He is the hero. The family tree that leads to Him isn’t polished. It’s honest.

Another layer we can’t miss:
In Scripture, judgment and mercy are not opposites. Judgment is often God protecting something sacred.
What looks severe in Genesis 38 is actually God guarding the future.
No preserved lineage → no Messiah
No Messiah → no cross
No cross → no redemption

What looks severe in the moment was actually God protecting the future.

God isn't cruel. God is fiercely devoted to His redemptive plan.

And then there’s Tamar.
She’s not just a plot detail. Matthew 1 names her in the genealogy of Jesus. In a culture where women were often invisible, God honors her faithfulness and persistence. She becomes part of the story that brings salvation to the world. Tamar isn’t a footnote. She’s proof that God sees the overlooked and weaves their faithfulness into His story. That matters for every parent, every mom, every person who feels unseen or stuck in a complicated situation. God is still writing something meaningful.

Genesis 38 shows us something deeply comforting:
God didn’t wait for Judah’s family to clean itself up. He didn’t pause redemption until everything was perfect. He stepped right into the mess and kept going.
That’s grace!

God didn’t choose a perfect family to bring salvation into the world. He chose a real one.
And that’s how we know He can work in ours too.

So when the Bible feels uncomfortable… lean in.
When you don’t understand everything… don’t check out.
When the story feels messy… remember that redemption always starts in messy places.
The Old Testament isn’t ancient history. It’s the foundation of our hope. It shows us that God’s kindness, discipline, justice, and mercy are always moving toward restoration.
And if God could bring Jesus through Judah’s story…
He can absolutely work through yours.

I for one am thankful - God's plan is always bigger than our mess.

Blessings!

-Pastor Brian