Originally posted 12/10/24
Gen 38:11-26
We find Tamar’s story in the middle of Joseph’s story. Judah is one of Jacob’s sons. As a refresher, Jacob tricked his brother, Essau, out of his birthright. If you have ever heard the phrase, “the apple didn’t fall far from the tree’, this is definitely a time where that might apply.
Judah is able to secure Tamar as a wife for Er, his oldest son. In Genesis 38:7 we read, “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.”
We learn about the custom of the time as recorded in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. And if the man does not wish to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to perpetuate his brother’s name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.’ Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ then his brother’s wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’ And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’”
Judah directed his son, Onan, to have relations with her to carry on his brother’s line. Onan was not obedient and God takes his life also, (Genesis 38:10).
At this point Judah tells her to return to her father’s house and wait until his son, Shela, is grown. It was understood that she would marry Shela. During this time, Judah becomes a widower. Tamar takes matters into her own hands to move the process along. She hears about where judah will be and goes to wait for Judah. She is aware that Shela has grown but has not been given to Tamar. She removes her widow clothing and places a veil on her face and sits and waits.
Judah sees Tamar sitting by the side of the road and thinks she is a prostitute. He askes to have relations with her. She asks what Judah will give her. He promises a goat, but Tamar wants something as a guarantee until she gets the goat. Tamar asks for his signet ring, cord, and staff. This would have been used in business deals. It is assumed that his staff had markings on it that would identify him. Judah was unable to find her to give her the goat.
During their time together, Tamar conceived a child. Judah sends for Tamar to determine the father of the child. Judah seeks to punish her for being immoral. She sends the items to Judah. We read in Genesis 38:26. “Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.” Judah attempts to punish her for her immorality, when it is actually Judah who has been immoral.
Why is Tamar important? Through her, Jesus is born. Had she not born a son, our Savior’s line would not have been complete. Judah does decide to make it right for Tamar by providing for her. Her children do inherit Er’s portion of his father’s property.
This story is another example of what can happen when we take things into our own hands. For some reason, we think we need to help God. We allow our lives to get messy because we are impatient. God is capable of taking care of things himself. His plans are always better than ours. The genealogy in Matthew 1 shows us that God’s plan was not thwarted.
[Matthew 1:3-6, 17 ESV] 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, … 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
No matter how you think you have messed up your life, God can always work it out. He takes our messes and creates a beautiful new thing. All we have to do is let God be God in our lives.
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