Observation: This lineage echoes back to one of the strange events in Genesis. Er dies and widows Tamar, who is then married to Onan who dies, so she is then obligated to Shelah but Judah fears he will die too. So Tamar poses as a prostitute and lures in Judah in order to have children. From this, the line of Judah, through Perez, leads to King David and thus to Jesus.
This passage eliminates the full story, but provides a new detail ... Er was killed by God because he was "so wicked". While the Lord had a plan to advance his eternal purposes through the tribe of Judah, he killed Judah's first born due to his evil ways. Yet that death didn't even derail God's plan, as Tamar still had a child and propagated the lineage. Death and evil didn't slow or redirect - let alone stop - God at all!
Application: I trust that God has plans for my life, but I often wonder if I have missed them. I have done so little that would count as progressing ... anything. My life is often just a stagnant set of worldly activities, and I don't see how I'm contributing to God's kingdom. Sometimes I think that God probably had things he wanted me to do, but I have failed, so he's moved on to his Plan B.
However, nothing can stop God's plan. Er's wickedness couldn't. My failure can't. It's more likely that God hasn't even changed any plans, and my future activity will simply be what the Lord intended all along. Yes, I would like a better idea about my purpose, and specifically about God's purpose for the back half of my life. However, I can't really mess up God's purposes.
Prayer: Lord, I do seek your direction, but in the little matters of today, and in the larger sense of mission, purpose, and plan. I desire to align myself to you. I would rather be Tamar, the person who figured out how to get things done for your purposes, than Er, a man who needed to be removed due to his evil ways. May I walk hold your hand today and every day. Amen.
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