Desire-Giver

I am reading through Genesis right now in my quality time with the Lord. Four ladies stand out to me who I'm sure can relate to each other. They each had a God honoring desire and each of them ended up bending the rules and resorting to deceit and trickery to get what they desired.

Tamar

Tamar (Genesis 38) was married to Er who was "wicked in the Lord's sight". He died and Tamar became a widow with no children. The law (Deut. 25) says the brother of the deceased husband is suppose to marry her and get her pregnant. So Judah gives Tamar his second son, Onan. But he was a jerk. He married her to keep up the appearance of honoring God but wouldnt actually get her pregnant. The Lord put him to death and Tamar is a widow again. 

Judah had one last son but he was afraid he die too, so he didnt give him to her. (He said he would when the son got older, but that was not the case.) Judah preferred disobedience and disgrace because he was fearful of his last sone dying. Very ironic since that is exactly why his other sons died, because of disobedience and disgrace.

Well, Tamar's desire for a child was good, a desire given by God. And her desire to have her husbands family provide that son was honoring to God. But the way she went about it...  not good. She pretended to be a prostitute after Judah's wife died and got pregnant by him. Then when he threatened to stone her, she revealed she was pregnant by him. When she didnt get what she wanted she resorted to trickery and deceit rather than communicating with Judah and trusting God.

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Sarai (Later re-named by God Sarah)

Sarai didnt even consider having kids in her old age. But in Genesis 16:2 we see her trying to make it happen by giving her maid-servant to her husband to sleep with. Sarai, like Tamar desired something good (In fact the desire wasnt even there until God told them she would have a child) but instead of trusting God, she bent the rules and went beyond and twisted what God had said to get what she wanted.


Lot's Daughters (Whose names aer not even mentioned)
Lot and his daughters were rescued from God's wrath poured out on Sodom, and lived in a cave with their father. They had a good desire, just like Sarai and Tamar to carry on their family line and have children. And thought this desire for children was not bad, the way they went about it was very destructive. They got thier dad drunk and slept with him. Then each of them gave birth to a son which resulted in Israels two greatest enemies and who were responsible for the most carnal seduction and human sacrifices.

Ugh. God's way leads to life and fruitfulness without end. Our way independant from Him leads to death.

* What desires has God given you?
* Will you yield them to Him if He requests that you do so? (Are you holding them loosely?)
* What woud it look like to resort to trickery, deciet or bending the rules in seeing your desire fulfilled?
* Why in the world would you trust God with these desires?

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