Sinful hearts when they suffer from God’s hand are apt to vent it upon creatures.
2. Carnal relations grow quickly weary of showing kindness when their aims are crossed by God.
3. Hard fathers-in-law, for their own ends, spare not to lay the hardest terms upon allies.
4. Such oppressors deal subtilly, though cruelly; they pretend fair at least.
5. Wicked hearts are apt to be jealous, and transfer faults and ill successes to others that are innocent.
6. Sinful fathers are willing to save children from death, but take bad ways to do it.
7. Widowhood is a solitary condition that binds souls to sit at home.
8. God overruling, natural hearts may be content to submit to hard injunctions from others when they cannot help it. So it was with Tamar when Judah layeth hard injunctions on her (Gen_38:11). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Injuries to daughters-in-law God may repay upon men’s wives.
2. Days may seem many before God’s visit, but visitation will come for sin.
3. God may make death to be a just recompense of men’s hard dealings.
4. Vain and sinful hearts are soon comforted after the death of wives.
5. Comforts carnal hearts do seek by fleshly feasting and employments.
6. Bad companions and opportune places bad hearts delight in to enjoy their lusts (Gen_38:12). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. A lustful eye will quickly turn the foot out of the way to sin. Connection (Gen_38:15).
2. Men of lustful hearts turn of their own accord to evil with others without invitation.
3. Digression from men’s lawful way tends to transgression against God and man.
4. Lust is a hard solicitor for its unclean enjoyments.
5. Lust runs blindfold even to defile near relations, and enquireth not.
6. Sometimes lust is put to it to pay a price for its pleasure. The whorish custom (Gen_38:16).
7. Unclean persons stick not to lessen their flock for increase of lust, so of estates.
8. Adulterous spirits are not credible with their own paramours; a price or pledge must be given (Gen_38:17).
9. Wicked hearts stick not at pledge or price unto whorish women for enjoying lust.
10. Unclean creatures are subtle to have a great pledge for a small price.
11. Be it ever so great, lust will give it to the whorish woman for its pleasure.
12. Blind lust doth not only solicit but violate nearest relations when it can.
13. Providence denieth not conception sometimes to the most incestuous mixtures of men and women.
14. It is the order of providence that conception should be for Judah as well as by him (Gen_38:18). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Sinful lust, when its turn is served, makes out of sight speedily.
2. Guile and deceit are usual adjuncts to lust of uncleanness.
3. Guileful harlots stay not long in common places, where they may be discovered.
4. Lust teacheth souls to put off, and to put on, any signals which might either discover or conceal them (Gen_38:19). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. Pawns may make naughty hearts careful to pay their debts for sin.
2. Wicked affairs are best trusted to hands of wicked friends.
3. Payment of debts by sinners is accounted just to take up pawns.
4. It is no rare thing for partners in sin to deceive each other; to get out of the way when they should be found.
5. Under Providence the debt of lust is not always paid, nor the pawn of iniquity restored (Gen_38:20).
6. Sinners are diligent to inquire about their sinful affairs.
7. Sinners are impudent to ask openly after harlots in the high way; to bewray the worst matter.
8. Under wife providence, such inquisitors have an answer of frustration (Gen_38:21).
9. The trustiest messengers of sinners may return bootless to such as send them.
10. Objects of uncleanness maybe found to ensnare persons to sin, but not to satisfy demands.
11. God sometimes ordereth the frustration, of sinners with a witness (Gen_38:22).
12. By patience perforce, unclean sinners may be content to sit down with loss.
13. Fear of shame and reproach make sinners willing to be losers.
14. Uncleanness is a reproachful thing in the account of the worst adulterers.
15. A self-conceit of having done their duties make wicked ones sometimes content to sit down losers (Gen_38:23). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Lessons
1. There is a season of bearing ordered by Providence and to be observed Ecc_3:2).
2. Providence may order abundant fruitfulness unto incestuous mixtures. Twins to incest (verse 27).
3. God sometimes returneth unto unclean conceptions bitter travails.
4. Cross coming of children to birth is God’s ordering to mind of sin sometimes.
5. Creatures may be deceived in marking that for first which cometh last (verse 28).
6. It is God’s prerogative to make first and last in births, and other conditions.
7. Even in the fruit of the womb God makes one child retreat that the other may come forth.
8. The breaking out of the fruit of the womb is sometimes wonderful to creatures.
9. The wonders of God are reasonably prepetuated in the very names of children (verse 29).
10. The first in man’s thoughts is many times last in God’s.
11. Safe births are great mercies, whether first or last; all come forth under providence.
12. Such mercies should be made known in the very names and beings of creatures (verse 30). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
