Genesis Chapter 38 Deep-Dive: Judah and Tamar

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Gen 38 Judah and Tamar THIS WILL BE A 10-20 YEAR PARALLEL NARRATIVE THAT TAKES PLACE IN JUDAH’S LIFE … THE 4^th SON OF JACOB, THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED THE BROTHERS SELL JOSEPH INTO SLAVERY … UGH … AND THE ONE WHO WILL INHERIT THE BLESSING

1It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite MOST LIKELY SIMPLY THE NAME OF A LOCAL TOWN, whose name was Hirah. SO, JUDAH LEAVES JACOB’S HOUSEHOLD AND LIVES WITH HIS PAL, HIRAH, 2There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her THAT MEANS HE MARRIED HER … AND BY MARRYING A CANAANITE HE’S MORE LIKE ESAU THAN JACOB, 3and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. 4She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. 5Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.  REMEMBER, AT THAT TIME YOU WERE CONSIDERED TO BE AN ADULT AND ELIGIBLE TO BE MARRIED ONCE YOU ENTERED PUBERTY AND WERE CAPABLE OF HAVING SEX, 12-14 YRS OLD.

6And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. ALL IS NOT WELL IN JUDAH’S HOUSEHOLD … REMEMBER, GENESIS IS THE PROLOGUE TO TORAH, THIS IS ANOTHER CAUTIONARY TALE ABOUT THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH MARRYING CANAANITES  8Then Judah said to Onan HIS SECOND SON, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”  THIS PRACTICE WAS CALLED LEVIRATE MARRIAGE – THIS WAS A VERYBIGDEAL IN THE ANCIENT WORLD AND IS FOUNDATIONAL TO UNDERSTANDING MUCH OF TORAH, LET’S TAKE A MINUTE AND DIG MORE DEEPLY INTO THIS: WIKIPEDIA HAS A SURPRISINGLY GOOD DEFINITION:

Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother's widow. Levirate marriage has been practiced by societies with a strong clan structure in which marriage outside the clan is forbidden.  Levirate marriage served as protection for the widow and her children, ensuring that they have a male provider and protector. Levirate marriage can be a positive in a society where women must rely on men to provide for them, especially in societies where women are under the authority of, dependent on, in servitude to or regarded as possessions of their husbands, and to ensure the survival of the clan. The practice of levirate marriage is strongly associated with patriarchal societies. The practice was extremely important in ancient times (e.g., Ancient Near East), and remains so today in parts of the world. Having children enables the inheritance of land, which offers security and status.

SO, JUDAH’S HEIR WILL BE ER’s FIRSTBORN SON, BUT NOW ER IS DEAD AND HE HAD NO CHILDREN ...  THIS TIES IN WITH THE QUESTION THE SADDUCEES PUT TO JESUS (MT 22:23-46) ABOUT A WOMAN WHO WAS MARRIED TO 7 BROTHERS IN SUCCESSION AFTER EACH ONE DIED.  LEVIRATE MARRIAGE WAS STANDARD PRACTICE AT THAT TIME AND ALSO BECOMES PART OF THE LAW OF MOSES OVER 400 YEARS LATER DURING THE EXODUS …. SO, THIS PRACTICE WAS PART OF THE CULTURE AND A BASIC MINDSET OF THE ANCIENTS. 

SO, WHEN JUDAH SAID TO HIS SECOND SON, ONAN; “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” … ONAN WAS THINKING; “IF I GIVE HER A SON I WON’T GET THE INHERITANCE, SOUNDS A LOT LIKE GRANDPA JACOB, AND GREAT-GRANDPA LABAN, ANOTHER SCAMMER, ALL ABOUT PERSONAL GAIN. 

BACK TO GEN 38:9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. 10And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. IT WASN’T THE ACT OF SPILLING HIS SEED ON THE GROUND THAT WAS EVIL IT WAS ONAN SCAMMING TAMAR BY LETTING HER AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY THINK HE WAS DOING HIS DUTY … WHEN IN REALITY HE WAS JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF THE SEX ACT.  AGAIN, ALL IS NOT RIGHT IN JUDAH’S HOUSEHOLD, HE’S PRODUCED TWO SONS WHOM THE LORD PUT TO DEATH BECAUSE THEY WERE WICKED.

11Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.

SO, NOW JUDAH IS CONCERNED ABOUT LOSING HIS THIRD SON AND IS AVOIDING HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE HIS THIRD SON, SHELAH, PERFORM THIS DUTY.

AGAIN, REMEMBER … THIS IS IMPORTANT … THE INHERITANCE IS ALWAYS PASSED THROUGH THE FIRSTBORN, OR, THE ONE “DESIGNATED” AS THE FIRSTBORN (GOD DESIGNATE ISAAC AS ABRAHAM’S HEIR, NOT ISHMAEL, AND, HE CHOSE JACOB TO BE ISAAC’S HEIR, NOT ESAU).  A YOUNGER BROTHER PARTICIPATED IN THE INHERITANCE BY HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HEIR.  READ ROM 8&9 WITH THIS IN MIND … WHO IS ABRAHAM’S TRUE HEIR? … JESUS THE CHRIST / MESSIAH.  WE PARTICIPATE IN THE PROMISE(S) BY HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.  Gal 3:26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise … COHEIRS WITH JESUS Rom 8:16 …the Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,  THE POWER OF THE “HEIR” IN THE ANCIENT WORLD ALSO TIES IN WITH THE PARABLE OF THE WICKED TENANTS (MT 21) WHEN THE OWNER SAID: 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’

BACK TO GEN 38:12 In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13And when Tamar JUDAH’S DAUGHTER-IN-LAW was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. 15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” 17He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” 18He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

20When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. 21And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” 22So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” 23And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”

24About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” BURNING TO DEATH FOR IMMORALITY WAS A PAGAN PRACTICE, REMEMBER WHAT A GREAT MORAL BEACON JUDAH IS !!  25As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” 26Then 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.  SO, LIKE DAVID AFTER SLEEPING WITH BATHSHEBA AND BEING CONFRONTED BY THE PROPHET NATHAN, JUDAH SPEAKS UP AND CONFESSES HIS SIN … THERE MAY BE HOPE FOR HIM YET!

27When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” PEREZ 29But as he PEREZ drew back his hand, behold, his brother ZERAH came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez BREACH/BREAKTHROUGH. 30Afterward his brother PEREZ came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah. DAWN/RISING.  A LITTLE CONFUSING, SO, BEFORE EITHER IS BORN AN ARM COMES OUT AND A SCARLET THREAD IS PLACED AROUND IT … THEN THE ARM IS PULLED BACK INTO THE WOMB – THAT’S PEREZ.  THEN THE OTHER BROTHER IS BORN, ZERAH, AND HE’S CONSIDERED THE FIRSTBORN … EXCEPT … GOD CHOOSES TO PASS THE LINE THROUGH PEREZ, THE ONE WHO STUCK HIS ARM OUT … SO, WHO WAS TRULY BORN FIRST?  IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE GOD CHOSE TO PASS THE LINE / PROMISE THROUGH PEREZ … THE ONE WHO STUCK OUT HIS ARM AND HAD THE SCARLET THREAD. 

SO, THIS ONE CHAPTER IN JUDAH’S STORY IS A PARALLEL TO JACOB AND JOSEPH’S STORY ARC.  IT  HELPS US UNDERSTAND HOW GOD WORKS TO ACCOMPLISH HIS WILL IN THE MIDST OF SOME VERY NASTY, NASTY HUMAN ACTIVITY … IN THIS CASE JUDAH ENDS UP FATHERING THE LINE OF MESSIAH INCESTUALLY WITH HIS DAUGHTER-N-LAW, TAMAR, WHO IS ALSO NAMED IN JESUS LINEAGE IN MT 1:3.

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