Good Morning Yamom Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:
Genesis 38:9 “And Onan knew that the seed should not be his and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.”
Mordecia Ham (a nice kosher name) was a great evangelist who lived and ministered in the early 20th Century. He traveled through the deep South holding revival meetings and thousands upon thousands came to salvation through the efforts of Mordecia Ham. Churches were known to double and triple in size after Mordecia Ham passed through with his revival meetings. He was so used to hundreds coming forward during his invitations to receive Jesus as their Savior that when he held a revival in Charlotte, North Carolina and just a handful of people found Jesus, Mordecia Ham was convinced the power of God left him and that his ministry had ended. He wrote in his diary that it seemed his only convert in the meeting was a skinny little farm boy. This was proof positive to Mordecia that his ministry was over. However, by the next crusade he was again seeing hundreds of people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus through his preaching. Once again Mordecia Ham
realized that he had become too focused on the here and now, his reputation, the numbers and not on God’s perfect will. Recommitting himself to just do the will of God and not focus on his numbers he continued for many years to be mightly used of God.
Oh, by that way, that skinny little farm boy? His name was Billy Graham.
Onan was from the tribe of Judah. Hebrew law required that if his brother were to die and not leave an heir, he was to marry his sister in law and give her a child who would receive the birthright which included the family estate. Onan was very focused on the here and now. He knew full well that if he gave a child to his sister in law he would not possess the birthright of his older brother, that it would go to that son. So every time he was to perform his duty in giving a child to his sister in law he would spill his seed on the ground. God was so displeased with this act of disobedience that he lifted his hand of protection from Onan and he died leaving another who would be obedient to give the woman a child.
Oh, by the way, that child would father another child who would father another child who would eventually become King David, who would father a child, who would father another child who would eventually become Jesus, the Messiah.
There is a word used here in the Hebrew which reveals the nature of Onan’s sin. The Bible says: “lest that he should give seed to his brother.” It is that word “give” that shows the extreme selfish nature of Onan, who wanted the family estate for himself and not share it with an heir. You see that word “give” in Hebrew is Nathan. It means to give but there is much more wrapped up in that word. The word is spelled Nun, Taw, Nun. The Nun represents fertility, growth, the Taw represents a completion of a cycle. The final Nun; which represents growth, has no foot on the bottom of the letter or no foundation so that what has been produced falls out at the end to be shared with others. This is a picture of Onan’s sin. Actually, his refusal to share his seed with his brother’s wife was preventing the completion of a cycle that would bring a Savior into the world to be shared with the entire world for all generations.
Another little thing about this word “to give” or Nathan. In Hebrew it is spelled the same backward and forward. In other words when you give you begin a cycle of giving that is poured out and then returned back to you to be given out again.
You do not see the word “Nathan” used that often in the Old Testament, it is actually used more in the Aramaic. I believe the reason is because this word is a very powerful statement about giving and it is not used lightly. Because Nathan or the Nun, Taw, Final Nun teaches us that when we give we can expect a return, but that return is meant to be used to be given out again to continue the cycle of blessing.
Onan broke that cycle in trying to keep it all for himself. Mordicai Ham gave and when he did not get the return he wanted he was ready to pack up his marbles and go home. He never stopped to realize that maybe God got the return He was looking for.
Just keep giving and if you get a return, give it out again. If you don’t get the return you are looking for, just remember, Nathan teaches there is always a return, it may just be the return that God wants and not the one you want.
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