Tuesday: Judah and Tamar
The story of Tamar is not out of place here. This incident follows chronologically the sale of Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 38:1), and it is consistent with the fact that Judah has just left his brothers, which points to his disagreement with them. In addition, the text shares a number of common words and motifs with the preceding chapter, and it carries the same theological lesson: an evil act that will be turned into a positive event linked to salvation.
Read Genesis 38:1-30. Compare Judah’s behavior with that of the Canaanite Tamar. Who of the two is the more righteous, and why?
Image © Erik Stenbakken at Goodsalt.com
Judah finds a Canaanite wife (Genesis 38:2) with whom he has three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. Judah gives the Canaanite Tamar as wife to Er, his firstborn, in order to ensure proper genealogy. When Er and Onan are killed by God because of their wickedness, Judah promises his last son, Shelah, to Tamar.
When, after some time, Judah seems to have forgotten his promise, as he goes to comfort himself after the death of his wife, Tamar decides to play the prostitute in order to force him to fulfill his promise. Because Judah has no cash to pay the prostitute, whom he does not recognize, he promises to send her later a goat from his flock.
Tamar, meanwhile, requires that he give her, in the meantime, as an immediate guarantee of payment, his signet and cord and his staff. Tamar will get pregnant from this unique encounter. When later, accused of playing the harlot, she will show to the accuser Judah his signet and cord and his staff. Judah understands and apologizes.
The conclusion of this sordid story is the birth of Perez, meaning “breaking through,” who, like Jacob, was born second, and became first, and was named in salvation history as the ancestor of David (Ruth 4:18-22), and ultimately of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:3). As for Tamar, she is the first of the four women, followed by Rahab (Matthew 1:5-6), Ruth (, Matthew 1:6), and the wife of Uriah (Matthew 1:6) who genealogically preceded Mary, the mother of Jesus (Matthew 1:16).
One lesson we can take from this story: just as God saved Tamar through His grace, transforming evil into good, so will He save His people through the cross of Jesus. And in the case of Joseph, He will turn the troubles of Joseph into the salvation of Jacob and his sons.
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Studying family history can lead to some rather surprising stories. My great grandfather died before I was born and my grandmother never told her children or us about him. When my generation was old enough to be interested in family history, my grandmother and most of her generation had died. My brother-in-law was a minister in the part of New Zealand where my grandmother grew up when one of her sisters died. My brother-in-law was asked to take the funeral service and after the service, some of the family members asked my sister if she would like to meet some of the relatives she did not know about. She met Uncle Charlie, Grandma's half-brother, a Maori. Apparently, my great grandfather had had a relationship with a Maori woman that had started even before his first wife, my great grandmother, had died. He had had several children with her. In fact, we know that several of the male descendants were very good Rugby players.
Obviously, my grandmother was ashamed of this relationship and never mentioned it. She grew up in an era when many people thought that being related to Maoris was a stigma. One of my grandmother's younger sisters was still alive when we found out about this relationship and she had provided me with a couple of faded photographs and a few faded memories. It has also provided an insight into some of Grandma's attitudes that we grew up with.
The story of Judah and Tamar is an ancestry insight into the human family history of Jesus. He did not descend from some pure "Seed of Abraham" stock but included Caananites, adulterers and others. If nothing else we can learn that God's love is both extensive and inclusive.
Thoughts -
Since Jesus bore all humanities sins in his fleshly body, both Jew and gentile, it would seem appropriate and possibly even a legal issue to cosmic powers that he was the perfect sacrafice to carry ALL fallen humanity in himself and subsequenly share in his inheritance to Jews who had the covenant and Gentiles who had not. Jews having first right of refusal !
1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 9:28, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Romans 1:13-15, Ephesians 1:9-14, Romans 11:13-24, Colossians 1:26-27.
Galatians 3:27-29 (CSB)
27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.
28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:28
Jews and Gentiles into one body !
Shalom 🙏
Out of marriage sex is still something that can cause a lot of troubles to a family... it is not different then, as it is not different now! Unfortunately, men continue to make that mistake nowdays! Fortunately, God can even turn the consequences of evil into something miraculously blessed! Praise be to God Who can change our forever destiny of death to eternal life of peace within His presence, because He paid a very expensive price!
Jesus is the only flawless and righteous person that has ever lived. Compared to Jesus, both Tamar and Judah are less than flawless!
Had Jesus got a DNA test, pre his death, it would have shown both Jewish and Gentile heritage. I think that's the main point the lesson is making about Mary's genealogical heritage, as Maurice mentioned above !
Showing God's love is both extensive and inclusive !
Shalom 🙏
I do not want to sound insensitive - though the body of Jesus is traced back through the lineage of Tamar, that means what? How is that important in the relationship with our Creator who is worshiped through living by His Spirit and Truth?
We are told by Scripture that Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, was not the progenitor of the child Jesus. I believe that both parents were chosen to raise the child Jesus because He saw in them the providers of a loving, caring, industrious, productive, and God-fearing environment.
I believe that in this save environment He wanted to have His child grow up to eventually become the ‘Son in whom He is well pleased’. It is the heart and mind which is important to our heavenly Father, the true Father of Jesus by His spirit.
To my understanding, the body does not count for much other than to be the vessel to carry the spirit of God so man can communicate with his Creator and love Him, engendering more of His spirit’s love to be spread about.
I do not think it right to always look for 'judgement' lessons regarding individuals whose lives are highlighted in the Scriptures. Judah and Tamar were people who lived their lives at that time according to the best way they knew how. If anything, we can learn from them that our heavenly Father is always watching and finding the way to bring mankind closer to Himself.
Thank you for your thoughts, Brigitte, but the idea that "the body does not count for much other than to be the vessel to carry the spirit of God" is a philosophy that has intruded into Christianity from paganism. The Bible demonstrates a different evaluation: Our Creator God personally formed the body of the first human in every exquisite detail, and He specifically said that He was creating that human in His own image. I can't think of anything that could count for more than being made in the image of God. And Paul specifically warns against defiling the body, which was intended to be a temple for God to indwell. (1 Cor. 3:16,17) The Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible sees each human being as a whole entity - not as a body shell inhabited by a divine spirit. That is a pagan teaching. (That said, the Roman Catholic church adopted that viewpoint - and that teaching bore fruit in the damnable monastic system, and it led earnest souls like Luther to attempt to beat their bodies into submission.)
Rather than the body "not counting for much," the bodies of God's followers will be redeemed (Rom. 8:23). We are taught to glorify God in our bodies. And Paul prays that all parts of our nature, including our bodies, would be sanctified wholly.
To address your main point, which appears to be that the genealogy of Jesus is inconsequential, the Bible does not treat it so. For one thing, ancient peoples found much of their sense of identity in their family lineage, and that is still true for a lot of people today even in the Western world. But, more importantly, the genetic lineage of Jesus demonstrates at least two things:
1.) God keeps His promises.
2.) Jesus had no genetic advantage over other people in His society. He developed a perfect character the same way we may - by a constant connection to His Father - the same connection Paul recommends when he exhorts us to "pray without ceasing." (1 Thess. 5:17)
This story gives a bit of an insight into Joseph's character. When he found out Mary, his betrothed, was with child and it wasn’t his, he wanted to put her away quietly. Whereas, Judah said ‘burn her’ when he discovered his widowed daughter-in-law was pregnant.
The study author states, “an evil act that will be turned into a positive event linked to salvation.” Given her position of powerlessness in the culture in which she lives and her precarious future (no son to support her in her old age), I am struggling to understand how the actions of Tamar are “evil” and “sordid,” as asserted by the author.
Instead, it appears that she acted bravely with resourcefulness to ensure the family line did not die out. The story censures none of her actions, but does the actions of the male actors. In the end, Judah confesses that Tamar “is in the right. I have failed in my obligation to her—I should have given her to my son Shelah in marriage.” (Genesis 38:26 GNT.)
Imposing the cultural norms of our time and place on a person of another time and place seems prejudiced. It appears again that the Canaanite is more righteous than a son of Israel. Perhaps God is calling out a lesson for us in this story and in our time and place.
It seems to me that an act of prostitution is 'evil' in itself, no matter what the circumstances. (If we imposed "cultural norms of our time," no sexual act outside of marriage would be "evil.") As Judah himself acknowledged, he was much more to blame than Tamar.
I agree. Right and wrong are of far less importance In a shame and honour based society, Continuing the family line was paramount. In those times, if an only son died before he had a son, his father would try and produce one with his daughter-in-law. Tamar was just exercising her lawful right to have a child which Judah had deprived of by intentionally withholding Shelah from her.
By the way, a baby who puts out an arm, then pulls it back and comes out after his brother is not born first. Perez was born first - surely divine intervention.
I am so glad that although humans form opinions and often 'judgments' based on outward appearances, God looks upon the heart in each individual situation and circumstance (as per 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Corinthians 4:5).
King David was 10 generations from his ancestor Judah, Jacob’s 4th son with Leah. Or said another way, David was Judah’s great (x8) grandson. [And Jesus came from Judah’s line. Both Mary and her husband Joseph were from Judah’s line. Mary came from Nathan, David’s child with Bathsheba. Husband Joseph came from Solomon, David’s youngest son with Bathsheba.]
Why would God want Jesus to come through Judah’s line, who had these character defects recorded in the Bible? Why not have Jesus come through Jacob’s son Joseph’s line, who is shown as a Christ – type figure in the story? And why not through Rachel’s line, who was the wife that Jacob intended to marry?
I don’t know the definitive answer but God‘s grace is obviously shown here. Also, we’ll see in the lessons next week, that Judah did have a fine Christlike hour through God’s Spirit, showing redemptive love as a big brother. Judah offered himself in his brother Benjamin‘s place should anything happen to Benjamin in Egypt.
Genesis 43: 8–9 says, And Judah said unto Israel his father , “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live and not die, both we and thou and also our little ones. I will be surety ( or bear personal responsibility ) for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee , and set him before thee , then let me bear the blame forever… “
This family which had been fractured and suffered greatly by seeing their father Jacob in deep misery over all those 13+ years now had one brother step up to the plate so that the entire family would not perish because of the famine. This was Judah showing God’s self-sacrificing heart! He was willing to take the place of Benjamin as a suitable Substitute in Genesis 44:33“Now then , please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy ( Benjamin ) and let the boy return with his brothers.”
Esther: Once before, in the 60's, while at La Sierra University, I heard that Mary came through David's line, but I didn't ask about it. What is your source for a genealogy of Mary?
Hi Leilani (love your name!),
I found several genealogy charts online showing how David’s line continued on to both of Jesus‘s parents… Here’s one of them for example… https://www.conformingtojesus.com/charts-maps/en/genealogy_of_jesus_chart.htm
Wikipedia’s contributors suggest Mary (“Mary, mother of Jesus”) could be from both David’s and Levi’s line: According to the writer of Luke, Mary was a relative of Elizabeth, wife of the priest Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah, who was herself part of the lineage of Aaron and so of the Tribe of Levi.[59] Some of those who believe that the relationship with Elizabeth was on the maternal side, believe that Mary, like Joseph, was of the royal Davidic line and so of the Tribe of Judah, and that the genealogy of Jesus presented in Luke 3 from Nathan, is in fact the genealogy of Mary, while the genealogy from Solomon given in Matthew 1 is that of Joseph.[60][61][62] (Aaron's wife Elisheba was of the tribe of Judah, so all their descendants are from both Levi and Judah.)[63]
I had done a little research to see if perhaps one of Jesus’ parents came from OT Joseph’s line, being that he seemed to be the spiritual leader of Jacob’s children. 1 Chron. 5:2 tells us that Joseph did receive the rights of the firstborn.
Thanks for asking because it made me dig a little deeper! God’s Blessings to you!
Thank you so much Esther.
Thank you for all your comments, they show a lot of study and are appreciated.
God's plans for us shall never be diverted. If God intended for Jesus to come from the house of Judah, as he did, and the evil one tried to divert this cause, God intervened even in the ugliest scene to fulfill purpose.
Again, God promised us in Jeremiah that he knows the good plans He has for us, to make succeed and not fail. This promise is fulfilled in Tamar's situation.
Regarding the death of Judah's 1st 2 sons, we know God as patient, long suffering, rich in mercies, yet he killed because of their wickedness. Unlike their father Judah, it appears they didn't know what repentance and seeking forgiveness.
I am a sinner. We are sinners. May we seek Gods face, repent and we shall be forgiven, else, like Er and Onan, we shall die.
Shalom
Excellent discussions!
Great to see your perspectives!
Gentile or Jew does not matter as demonstrated by the people we learn in this lesson!
It is God alone and salvific work that is supreme! Knowing this will I allow Him to work in me “according to His good pleasure?”