- While Tamar would seem to be the heroine, her actions were not commendable
- Her veil would have identified her as engaged, even as a prostitute
- In the culture, adultery was considered wrong, but prostitution was accepted
- Chapter shows how God uses talionic justice (i.e., reaping the same kind of punishment as the sin that they sow) in his discipline
- In this case, the passage does give us some clue to the time period. It does not mean right afterwards, it just says "at that time"
- Judah marries a Canaanite woman (never names her) and has three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah
- Part of the reason for the story is that it emphasizes the impact of the Canaanites on the people of Israel
- God needed to get them out of the land
- Er is wicked
- Onan is wicked
- Judah's actions are also sinful
- Common custom in the Near East and many other areas. The Mosaic Law did not abolish it but restrict it in Israel. NOTE: The law appears almost 500 years from this event
- Deuteronomy 25:5–10 (ESV) — 5 “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. 6 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. 7 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.’ 8 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,’ 9 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.’ 10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’
- This is similar to the idea of the kinsman redeemer, but apparently the legal implications grew quite a bit over the years and the practices changed by the time of Ruth
- Interesting point at that time, is that among Assyrian and Hittite people, the levirate responsibility could pass to the father of the widow's husband if there were no brothers to fulfill it
- What about Onan's actions?
- One thing that apparently isn't clear is how much Onan's actions were selfish
- Also, Onan's actions were frustrating the purpose of God for the line of Messiah
- One commentator thought that Onan used the law for sexual gratification (Bible Knowledge Commentary, Ross)
- Additionally, what do we see in Judah's actions? They are also deceitful and somewhat uncaring
- A few observations:
- Judah's (unnamed) wife is dead
- Shelah was grown up but not given to Tamar
- Once again a goat is part of the deal, in this case the payment
- Also, deceit is again used to get a certain outcome
- Clearly, Judah does what is wrong
- Technically, Tamar did nothing wrong. She was the righteous person, although her method is certainly questionable
- Why does Tamar think this is a good idea, ie the disguise of a prostitute to get Judah?
- Was Judah's life consistent with the use of prostitutes?
- Judah is contrasted with Joseph - Joseph avoids sexual sin, the other embraces it
- How do we know that Judah knew what he did was unacceptable?
- To continue to search for her would raise questions, ultimately shaming Judah for seeking a prostitute
- How does Judah react initially to learning of Tamar's pregnancy?
- He wants to burn her
- Judah wrongly blames Tamar for the death of his sons
- His sons died for their sin, not Tamar's
- Tamar was the innocent party
- How does Judah react to the identification of her lover?
- He sees her as more righteous than him
- He admits to being the person -- he does not justify it
- He also admits to withholding his younger son
- Judah is contrasted with his brothers - Judah repents of his sin, his brothers say nothing
- Technically, the liaison, by the law of the time was an acceptable alternative for the levirate union. Neither actually sinned by the letter of the law / moral of the time. Although, Judah was certainly guilty by the spirit of the law
- Only two women in the bible have twins, Rebekah and Tamar
- APPLICATION:
- A lot is happening during these twenty years. As we will see later, Joseph's cockiness is being erased
- Judah's anger and self-righteousness is changing
- Jacob is sulking
- God is building a nation in spite of the people. In fact, his nation is endangered by the very land they were living in
- In some ways, the Egyptians will work out better, since they detest shepherds
- They detest Ebers, Gen 43:32
- Later they will be slaves too
Genesis 38:1–11 (ESV) —
1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and
turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was
Shua. He took her and went in to her, 3 and she conceived
and bore a son, and he called his name Er. 4 She conceived
again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. 5 Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was
in Chezib when she bore him.
6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and
the Lord put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to 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.” 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. 10 And what he did was wicked in the sight of the
Lord, and he put him to death also. 11 Then 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.
Genesis 38:12–19 (ESV) — 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. 13 And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to
shear his sheep,” 14 she 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. 15 When Judah saw
her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 He 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?” 17 He answered,
“I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a
pledge, until you send it—” 18 He 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. 19 Then she arose and went away, and taking off her
veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
Genesis 38:20–23 (ESV) —
20 When 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. 21 And 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.” 22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found
her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been
here.’ ” 23 And 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.”
Genesis 38:24–30 (ESV) —
24 About 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.” 25 As 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.” 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.
27 When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28 And 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.” 29 But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she
said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was
called Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet
thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
