Godly Offspring Aren’t an Accident

January 30, 2026January 29, 2026Todd R Leave a comment

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” – Genesis 1:28
“Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth.” – Malachi 2:15

The first recorded words that God spoke to man and woman were “be fruitful and multiply”. So, as close to man’s beginning as you can get, God created the family. If God’s intention from the start was to build His kingdom, it needed people in it for Him to love. Malachi confirms: “what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring”. He wanted a family for Himself, and for each other.

After this early command, one might expect the Old Testament between Genesis (the first book) and Malachi (the last) to be an instruction manual on having a Godly family, and many are only familiar with the “hero” stories learned in Sunday School. In total though, it’s difficult to find examples of good parents in the Bible. There are plenty of examples of bad parents, but the most striking story is perhaps that of Judah in Genesis 38. (And here I feel I should provide a warning that this story has a lot of sexual content. The full Bible is not a PG movie)

The story[1] starts with Judah taking a foreign (Adullamite) wife, named Shua, against God’s guidance to only marry Israelites so as not to be tempted by foreign gods and religious practices[2]. Judah fathers three sons by Shua, named Er, Onan, and Shelah. Judah takes Tamar to be Er’s wife, but Er died before having children. Preserving the family line through descendants was extremely important in ancient Israel, and a brother would marry his fallen brother’s widow to bear children in his place[3]. Therefore, Judah told his second-born, Onan, to take Tamar, but Onan would “waste the semen on the ground” because he selfishly didn’t want the children to belong to his older brother. Onan also died before having children. Having lost two sons, Judah sent Tamar to live with her father instead of giving the last son, Shelah, to her. Judah claims that the reason was that Shelah was not old enough, but it’s implied in the story that Judah thinks Tamar is somehow responsible for the two son’s deaths. Judah had created his own narrative to explain his misfortune as Tamar’s fault, when it was really God’s judgment for the sins of Judah and his sons. Genesis makes it clear that God was displeased with Judah marrying a foreigner, that Er died for his own wickedness (verse 7), and that Onan died for avoiding his responsibility as a brother (verse 10).

When Judah’s wife died, he waited a while, but then decided to seek a prostitute. Tamar, having never been wed to Shelah even though he was now old enough, sought offspring by disguising herself as a prostitute and soliciting Judah. He did not recognize Tamar, and she conceived a son by him. Prostitution was common in the land then and was often associated with cult fertility rituals for local gods. Not only did Judah commit a sexual sin, but he was probably also worshiping other gods. Later, when Tamar is clearly pregnant, Judah accused her of immorality, but she was able to prove that Judah was the father by producing items he left with her when she was disguised. Ashamed of being discovered, he “did not know her again”.

In just one chapter, we have the command to produce Godly offspring violated by: foreign marriage, wickedness, refusal to conceive, refusal to offer the third brother, and prostitution. God must be frustrated with His struggling family, but He does not give up.

In the last chapter of Malachi, shortly after the “Godly offspring” reference and before going silent for 400 years, God ends the Old Testament with:

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” – Malachi 4:5-6

A restoration of proper family relations is the promise that ends the Old Testament. “Elijah the prophet” is later revealed as a reference to John the Baptist, also spoken of in Isaiah 40:3 as the one who would prepare the way for the Lord Jesus. The same Jesus who is announced in the genealogy that opens the New Testament in the gospel of Matthew:

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.…and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram” – Matthew 1:1, 3

Here is the miracle of the grace of God: the children born of Judah and Tamar were twins named Perez and Zerah[4]. Matthew could have chosen only those “heroes” of the Bible taught in Sunday School to show Jesus’ superior lineage, but instead chooses to highlight the story of Genesis 38. Why include these people? Because there is no other kind.

God’s purpose in creating His kingdom, populated by His family, will not be thwarted by sin because sinners are the only people available to join His family and to raise His family on earth. Isaiah 53:6 declares:

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Through the death of His only begotten Son on the cross, God became Father of His people through adoption into His eternal family.

But if God’s purpose is inevitable, then why should we bother to be good parents and people?

In the movie Tenet, released in 2020 during the pandemic, there is a scene where one character sacrifices himself for another. The movie revolves around a technology called “inversion” which allows objects and people to be reversed in time. Near the end of the story, two characters have a conversation “before” one character travels backward to sacrifice himself to save another character, but “after” the other character has been saved. They both realize the sacrifice was essential to victory, but also that in the “before” character’s timeline, it hasn’t happened yet. Can the sacrifice be avoided? Then comes one of the best quotes of the movie: “What’s happened, happened. Which is an expression of faith in the mechanics of the world. It’s not an excuse to do nothing.”

In God’s view from eternity, “what’s happened, happened”, but He has taken into account all the sins and successes of mankind. The choices we all make, including the mistakes, are part of the “mechanics of the world”. All the mistakes will be borne in judgment either by the sinner, or on the cross with Christ. But we also know “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10). Doing God’s work is His will, is our purpose, and will be rewarded in heaven. Doing nothing is not an option.

[1] The following two paragraphs summarize Genesis 38
[2] Deuteronomy 7:3-4
[3] Deuteronomy 25:5-10
[4] Genesis 38:27-30

When Our Seeds Only Grow Thorns

January 29, 2026Todd R Leave a comment

Sometimes we feel like we’re putting in a lot of effort but getting no results from it. We’re sowing good seeds but not reaping any harvest. At times, it seems disappointment is our only reward. Often this can just be the way things are at the time – we’re doing nothing wrong but it’s just not obvious what God is doing at that time. We don’t need to change anything. But there may be times where we’re not reaping good things because we’re deceived that what we’re sowing is what we’re supposed to be sowing.

According to the prophet Jeremiah, the nation of Judah had this problem and as a result they ended up in exile. In the first half of Jeremiah 12:13, the prophet says of Judah:

“They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.”

The nation of Judah thought they were sowing good seeds, but they weren’t and there are several examples in Jeremiah’s book.

First, Judah thought they were on the right side politically, with powerful friends and therefore secure.

The nation of Judah allied itself alternately with Egypt and Assyria, who they thought could protect them from Babylon. Surely these powerful nations could keep Judah from doom at Babylon’s hands. However, in Jeremiah 3:36 the prophet says:

“How much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall be put to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.”

Because Judah had trusted these nations, other than God, for their salvation God would put them to shame by His own hand, from which there is no escape. While there are many good ways to work with others, we should never trust anyone with the help that only God can provide.

Next, Judah thought they had the right cultural heritage.

The people of Judah wouldn’t listen to Jeremiah’s prophesies of doom for the nation because they thought God wouldn’t destroy what they saw as His own nation. Israel had been taken into captivity by Assyria, but Judah thought it could never happen to them because they were the heirs of Jewish culture. The people would repeat the phrase, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD,” to remind themselves that they were special because they had the temple, but Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 7:4,

“Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’”

The temple was provided as a way to approach God, but Judah thought of it like a magical talisman that would keep God happy so they could do their own thing. However, God doesn’t want us to follow a checklist – He wants us. All cultural and political institutions – including ones provided by God – are useless outside of God’s purpose for them. What He provides He can take away if we abuse it. When Judah was taken into captivity by Babylon, the temple was torn down and burned.

Last, Judah thought they had the right religion and were diligently practicing it

Judah’s religious leaders and people were diligent in observing the practices laid out in God’s ceremonial law. They faithfully made the morning and evening sacrifices, observed the three main Jewish festivals, and followed many other ordinances, but in Jeremiah 7:22-23, the prophet said:

“For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’”

Because Judah was putting observance above obedience to God, He would therefore discipline them. The sacrifices were not the objective – the relationship was the objective, but the people made their religion about the sacrifices themselves, not the relationship they were designed to restore.

Do we sometimes practice similar things in the modern church? Of course we do.

The modern-day equivalent of Judah’s first mistake is when we expect from a political party what only God can give. Our expectations of them become idolatrous, and we become more likely to compromise God’s principles to support them. We commit the second mistake when we are convinced our denomination has it all right – the right history, traditions and doctrine – and therefore God will always favor us. The last mistake happens when we put external religious observances ahead of internal devotion to God. We may be executing the acts and rituals our religion requires of us, and our peers expect from us, but not giving ourselves fully to God. We may go to church, but when we leave the church building we don’t take Jesus with us.

Sometimes we think through our political, cultural, and religious activities we should reap wheat, but what is happening when we keep reaping thorns? Sometimes we need to check that we aren’t repeating Judah’s mistakes.

“They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns;
they have tired themselves out but profit nothing.
They shall be ashamed of their harvests
because of the fierce anger of the LORD.”

The God Over All Government

January 28, 2026Todd R 2 Comments

We’d all like to live under a better government, but the only perfect, Godly government we’ll ever see is a monarchy under Jesus in heaven. Until then, like it or not, we all have to live under imperfect governments. We hope and pray for our government to be more Godly, more like the perfect government, and we should, as Paul wrote:

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” – 1 Tim 2:1-2

In addition to praying, there are many ways we try to influence our government. In a democracy, we can seek to do this: by voting, by contributing money to political candidates, by working on a candidate’s campaign, by donating to lobbying organizations, by convincing others to vote differently, etc. God may lead different people to participate politically in any of these ways, not at all, or in other ways.

However, none of these actions will be effective unless God is behind them, and the outcome we seek is what He also wants. Only He can decide what are the right actions for us to take, and only He can decide which outcomes are best for His people, who He seeks to make perfectly Godly by His own definition of the word. His purposes are to purify His people for eternity, not to bring about a perfect government in this broken world. His purposes may not be our purposes, and where our influence is limited, His is unlimited. Proverbs 21:1 tells us:

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will.”

Therefore, regardless of whether we think our government is Godly, our government is actually Godly in one way: that He is in charge behind the scenes regardless of how it looks to us.

There are a couple of verses in the book of Ezra that acknowledge this, but first just a little background. Ezra was a priest and scribe who likely wrote the Old Testament book bearing his name, in addition to Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and possibly Psalm 119. It is also thought that he helped compile the Old Testament canon (the list of which books do and don’t belong).

Ezra lived at the end of the Babylonian captivity of the nation of Judah, an exile that ended not because of the vigorous efforts of Judah to break free, but because God used foreign kings to free them, and later to pay for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem.

After returning to their own land, the people of Judah were thankful for King Cyrus and King Darius, but ultimately, they knew God was behind it, and they determined to worship only Him, not Cyrus, Darius, or any other gods or men. Ezra 6:22 says:

“And they kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for the LORD had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.”

Ezra repeats the point in Ezra 7:27, referencing the principle from Proverbs 21:1 –

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem”

Our government is always in God’s hands, and He can do whatever He wills with it. Pray that He will use it to bless God’s people, but also praise Him for all the benefits we may have, even under a hostile government. Remember that God was behind Israel’s defeat by the Assyrians and Judah’s by Babylon, not just the return from exile. It is by worshipping only God, not particular people or forms of government, that God’s people find their joy and peace.

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will.”

God Knows Where the Grass is Greenest

January 26, 2026January 25, 2026Todd R 1 Comment

The Old Testament book of Numbers has a story about Balak, the king of Moab. Scared of Israel after seeing their military success, he was desperate to find a way to avoid defeat himself. Balak sought out Balaam, known as a prophet who spoke oracles, to curse Israel for him. After repeatedly paying Balaam and making many sacrifices, Balaam refused to curse Israel because God told him to bless Israel, not curse them. Balak would not give up, and before a third try, “Balak said to Balaam, ‘Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.’” (Numbers 23:27)

Where did Balak get the idea that changing location would get God on his side? That changing location would change God’s mind or bring God’s blessing to Balak (in the form of a curse on Israel)? Doesn’t it seem naïve? God’s character doesn’t change with location, or any other circumstances.

However, how often do we think a change in circumstances will bring God’s blessing? How often do we pray that God change our situation because we think the grass is greener somewhere else? Maybe if I lived in a different place, God would bless me. Maybe if I got a better job, would it be a blessing? Maybe if I went to a different church? Maybe if I was in a different relationship? Maybe if God would put us where we want to be, that He will bless us then? Are we saying “come with us God to another place, and perhaps it will please You to bless us there” in another way?

Warren Wiersbe wrote that “We are prone to think that a change in circumstances is always the answer to a problem. But the problem is usually within us and not around us. The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.”[1]

^{Photo by Ochir-Erdene Oyunmedeg on Unsplash}

God calls each of us for specific reasons, and the circumstances may be part of the reason. Referencing whether it is better to be married or single, circumcised or uncircumcised, slave or free, the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:24, “So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.” In other words, God wants to bless you in, or even through, your present circumstances. He may change them, but He may not.

In God’s plan, the grass is usually greenest right where we already are. If we can faithfully be the blessing needed in our circumstances, God will be faithful in His time and place. He will bless His people, only sometimes with better circumstances, but always with spiritual fruit.

God always says: “Come now, I will be with you where you are. It pleases me to bless you in all situations and circumstances.”

The grass is greenest where He is.

[1] Wiersbe, Warren. Be Wise (1 Corinthians) (1982).

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Tag Christianity

Godly Offspring Aren’t an Accident

When Our Seeds Only Grow Thorns

The God Over All Government

God Knows Where the Grass is Greenest