The name of Judah is one that Christians hold in some esteem, if for no other reason than it is the tribe from which our Savior came. Sadly, though, the name of Judah is soiled in the Old Testament by idolatry and apostasy from God, so much so that only Jesus could redeem it and the rest of the world. When we go all the way back to Judah himself–the son of Israel who was the first of the clan–we might expect to find greater integrity and yet his character is marred both by the sale of Joseph into slavery and another more personally significant event. That event has to do with his sexual immorality, its attachment to the lifestyle of the world around him that he was gradually choosing over Jehovah’s, and the spoiling of his reputation.
Everyone knows the name of Abraham, including Jews, Muslims and Christians, for he is adored by members of all three religions as a father in the faith. It is Abraham to whom God promises to make a great nation, to bless with a land of promise and to use to bring blessing to men of every other nation. Abraham takes his faith and relationship seriously, passing tests that included the removal from his home country and his loyalty to his son or his God.
Moreover, Abraham watched out for the spiritual welfare of his children when it came to their relationships (Genesis 24:1-4). It was not race that concerned Abraham, but faith, for a Canaanite woman would be an idolater and the patriarch knew what a terrible and insidious influence that would be on Isaac and his children. Isaac was so blessed by this choice that he continued the tradition with his son (Genesis 28:1-2). The Canaanites were descendants of Noah’s son, Ham, and had a reputation of their own for sexual immorality (Genesis 9:20-25). In the Law of Moses, sexual immorality was condemned as “the doings of the land of Canaan” which Israel was not to follow (see Leviticus 18). The indiscretion of Ham toward his father and the way in which he mocked sexuality became the pattern of his offspring who waxed worse and worse in adultery, homosexuality, even incest.
Yet it is exactly this realm from which Judah chooses a wife, and here is where the Canaanite lifestyle choice catches up with Judah, who evidently was also adopting the fertility rituals of his wife’s people, participating in the harlotry and sexual rite that accompanied that pagan worship of false gods (Genesis 38:1-19).
Judah selected a roadside prostitute the way that we would pick a restaurant or gas station, not knowing that he was going into his own daughter-in-law in the process. The pledge she asks until the goat is delivered represented Judah’s identity and position–costly ornaments that would only be associated with one man, the son of Israel. Her plan hatched, Tamar waited to spring it on her father-in-law (Genesis 38:20-26). Judah intended to burn Tamar, but he was the one who actually got burned–burned by his own indiscretion and unrighteousness, his own weakness and deteriorating integrity. The Canaan lifestyle caught up with Judah, and although unjustified, Tamar had embarrassed and exposed him for his own sins.
Whether out of curiosity or a simple desire to rebel against his upbringing, Judah decided to depart from his brothers and choose a more exotic and unconventional lifestyle, one that sacrificed his spirit to appease his flesh. Most likely, he never could have imagined where that first step down into the foothills would eventually take him, but before it was over, Judah, the son of Abraham, was fornicating with harlots and participating in pagan worship rituals. One of life’s great tragedies is the passage from Point A to Point Z, getting from initial curiosity to ultimate apostasy. One of life’s even greater difficulties is getting back.
Focus on Judah’s signet, cord and staff, for they represent his identity and expose his true self against the person he should have been. The signet was a cylindrical seal that bore the owner’s name or symbol and was worn on a cord around his neck so that it could be seen by others and used to stamp his signature. His staff also identified him with some sort of insignia and just the customary sight of the person with the object so that they become identified with one another.
The society in which Judah found himself was charged with sexual immorality and ours is little different. Television programs, movies, music, magazines help to corrupt and pervert the holiness of sexuality into something dirty and shameful, something that Ham would find funny and tempting. Adultery grows more common for grown ups and fornication is deemed inevitable for their children, so that peer pressure leads many more to fall and school districts teach and equip them to sin “safely.” Judah had to do down into the foothills to find such immorality, but all you need to do is to flip a switch or sign on to the Internet or close your locker door.
It seemed that Judah was not much concerned about God’s will at the moment he made his prodigal choice and you see where it led him. God’s will for sexuality is that it can only be harmlessly and gloriously experienced within a marriage relationship (Hebrews 13:4). When husbands and wives commit adultery or when single people fornicate, they have abandoned the wisdom of God in order to obey the devil and there is always a price to be paid when that happens. The urges wrought by youthful curiosity, marital boredom or societal suggestion present a formidable challenge (Romans 12:1-2). Sexual sins seems to be irresistibly inviting and to many it appears that there are no consequences–no one will find out, prophylactics prevent all unwanted pregnancies, drugs cure all diseases, abortions pick up where prophylactics leave off, but that’s just the devil lying again (First Corinthians 6:13-20).
Signet, cord and staff is pretty old-fashioned language, but think of it as a representation of who you are–not only your name, but also your character. If someone calls your house and says that your ball cap was found in the bar downtown, your parents or spouse will instantly know that you have been somewhere you should not have been, but your signet, cord and staff is something greater than anything you own–it is your identity as a child of God who wears the name of Christ and is reputed to be a member of his body, this church.
Sexual purity is a major part of that signet, especially in an age when sexual perversion is so common (First Thessalonians 4:3-8). Before the gospel came, the Thessalonian men were in the habit of going to the pagan priestesses to participate in gross immorality and the Thessalonian women served in that capacity. They were rife with disease, disloyalty and unwanted children, but Jesus set them free. It becomes a matter of knowing how to possess your vessel–how to handle your body and keep it pure.
Opportunities will arise in dating, finding oneself alone with a boyfriend or girlfriend, being pressured by them or by peers, sensing your own curiosities and urges. Instead of making it dirty like Ham or taking it lightly like Judah, the challenge of sexual purity is serious (Second Timothy 2:22). The mess created by premarital and extramarital sex is not very easy to clean up; it destroys families, lives and hopes. It also threatens the spirit with permanent slavery (Revelation 21:7-8).
The Holy Spirit warns, “Do not be deceived. ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (First Corinthians 15:33). Judah got in over his head with sexual immorality because he was curious or rebellious or bored or something and we are all far from immune from those motivations. Judah found a place nearby where he could push the envelope and try new things, but he learned their ways all too readily and was on the verge of trading true Jehovah for pagan error. In choosing friends, people to date, places to go, things to do, clothing to wear, there is no room for buying into the influence of evil company. When you take the first step, you won’t be able to imagine how far down into the foothills of evil you might slip, but that is the time to turn around and come home to Israel. Don’t push it until it is too late (Hebrews 12:14-17).
We are fighting a daily battle against sexual temptation and every day the devil ratchets up the steam. The misery inflicted upon people who only wanted a few moments of experimentation and ecstasy lasts forever. Stay out of the foothills of temptation and choose better company with better habits. Flee sexual immorality and youthful lusts.
