[[-SOAP HUB]] | [[-Genesis Overview]] | [[Genesis 38]] ## Title: The Importance of Self-Awareness ## Scripture: (Genesis 38:26) Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He was not physically intimate with her again. (NET) ## Observation: This chapter covers something that was very important for the time. It was called the levirate law. Because there was no social safety net to protect and care for the most vulnerable people in the community, the levirate law was established. This law meant that someone would step in and care for a widow by providing them with a child. This gave the woman status within the extended family unit and provided a possible future with a continued family of her own. There were many benefits to this law, and it was designed to care for widows who would become destitute without help. Judah should have done this, but chose to care more about himself and what he considered important rather than Tamar. When Judah realized what had happened, he had enough self-awareness to acknowledge his sin and not condemn Tamar. In life, we will not always get it right. The only thing worse is to continue to defend a sinful position because we are unwilling to measure ourselves the same way we measure others. When we realize we are not perfect, we open the door to see from the point of view of others and increase our compassion. ## Application: How can you increase your self-awareness today? ## Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for growing us in many different ways.