Week 35, Day 3: Double Standards…

Today’s Reading:  Genesis 38:1-30

Some thoughts from the reading…

We are given an interesting story in Genesis chapter 38.  Judah, one of Jacob’s sons, went among the Adulalmites and took for himself a wife.  He then had 3 sons.  To the first, he gave a wife, Tamar.  This son, however, was wicked and punished by being struck dead by the Lord.  The second son of Judah was sent to Tamar to rise up a son for his brother, but also sinned against the Lord.  He too was struck dead.  Judah promised Tamar that he would give her his third son, when he was old enough to be wed to her.  But, when that third son was old enough, he withheld him from Tamar so that he too would not be destroyed by the Lord.

As time progressed, Judah’s own wife died, and he went to Timnah to shear his sheep.  There, Tamar disguised herself as a harlot, and went to Judah to seduce him into her bed.  He gave her his signet ring and his his staff as a pledge for the goat that he would send in payment.  Tamar disappeared after their tryst and took Judah’s “pledge” with her.  Later, when it was discovered that Tamar was expecting a child, Judah was angry.  He called for her to be brought out so that she might be burned to death.  However, when she was brought out, Tamar presented him with the signet ring and staff that he had left with her, proving that he was the father of the children she was going to bear (she would have twins).

One thing I find very interesting in this passage is that Judah was going to punish Tamar for committing the very same sin he was guilty of.  Surely he remembered that he had gone in to a harlot (even if he didn’t know who she was at the time).  This is an obvious example of having a “double standard.”  There was one standard that would be imposed for Tamar, and a second one that would be imposed on Judah.  Obviously, Judah was not going to impose any kind of judgment on himself for his sin!

This type of idea is not good for anyone, and is certainly not biblical.  God has given one standard for which He will hold all people accountable.  We cannot try to hold some people accountable under certain rules, and then turn around and do the same things ourselves!  Jesus conveyed this very idea when he said (Matthew 7:1-5):

7     “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

We cannot have “double standards” today.  We have the responsibility of teaching the one standard, and living by it.  We should not try to make exceptions for ourselves, or others.  Let us remove the plank from our own eyes!

Question: In what way have you seen a “double standard” imposed today?

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