Why all the ugliness?

Why does the Bible tell such ugly stories sometimes?

Have you ever wondered that? The story with Judah and Tamar certainly is a horrible story. And there are other horrible stories recorded in the Bible too.

The short answer is: it’s human history. And human history is filled with ugly stories.

The Bible doesn’t show us an idealized humanity. It shows humanity in all its sinfulness.

But it also shows a God who is able to redeem humanity, no matter its ugly sinfulness.

As ugly as this story is, ultimately, our Savior himself came through the line Judah and Tamar produced. (See Matthew 1).

You may see a lot of ugliness in this world. You may see a lot of ugliness in your life.

But there is no person or situation that God cannot redeem, if we’ll just put our trust in him.

As Paul wrote,   

For I am not ashamed of the gospel,, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… (Romans 1:16)