Because man is tempted by sin, it is easy to put pleasures before God sometimes.
Because man is tempted by sin, it is easy to put pleasures before what is right. Doing what is right, does not bring you personal salvation because we are saved by faith in what Christ did for us in comparison to the Old Testament, but doing what’s right will save yourself and others from complications that otherwise could have been avoided by wisdom. God blesses obedience, and encourages us to do good works. We should “be a doer of the word and not just hearers only”. James 1:22
The account of Onan is found in Genesis 38:8–10. Onan did not refuse to carry on his own lineage. He refused to produce offspring for his deceased brother, as required by the custom later formalized in the Mosaic Law as levirate marriage (see Deuteronomy 25:5–10).
Here’s what happened:
- Onan’s brother, Er, died without children.
- Judah instructed Onan to have children with Er’s widow, Tamar.
- Any son born from that union would legally continue Er’s family line and inherit in Er’s name.
- Onan knew that such a child would not be considered his heir, so he deliberately prevented conception while maintaining the sexual relationship.
Genesis 38:9 explains his motive:
“But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his…”
His actions were driven by self-interest. He wanted the pleasure of the relationship without fulfilling his duty to his brother or Tamar. As a result, Genesis 38:10 says that what he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, and God put him to death.
The central issue in the passage is Onan’s deliberate refusal to fulfill his family obligation and his deception, not merely the physical act itself. The narrative emphasizes his unwillingness to preserve his brother’s lineage and provide an heir for Tamar. His obedience to God in this situation mattered most.
