Once more, this chapter proves that truth can be stranger than fiction. It follows Judah, Israel’s fourth son, and his initial lineage. It’s convoluted, so I will attempt to summarize.
Judah marries a Canaanite woman who bears him three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. Judah finds a wife for Er, named Tamar, but God “puts Er to death” because he was wicked. Judah then gives Tamar to Onan, but against cultural tradition, he refused to take his brother’s widow as his wife, so God put him to death also. Judah then keeps Tamar living as a widow in his household until Shelah is old enough to marry her. (v1-11)
Eventually, Judah’s wife dies and Tamar has still not been wed to Shelah, so for some reason she decides to trick Judah. She dresses up as a prostitute and hangs out where he’d see her, then she gets him to pay her in exchange for sleeping together – he promises her a goat and gives her his staff and seal as a promissory note. Tamar becomes pregnant, and is later accused of prostitution. (v12-24)
“Judah said, ‘Bring her out and have her burned to death!’ As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. ‘I am pregnant by the man who owns these… See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.’ Judah recognized them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.’ And he did not sleep with her again. When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, ‘This one came out first.’ But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, ‘So this is how you have broken out!’ And he was named Perez. Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.” (v24b-30)
The reason I’m summarizing this series of odd events is that these people, believe it or not, are in the lineage of Jesus. Jacob->Judah->Perez are Jesus’ ancestors. Tamar is also the first of the only five women who are mentioned in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, so she must play an important role in our Messiah’s past.
My takeaway is that yet again God has a way of redeeming people, forgiving their sin, and working through them. Praise be to Him.
~ Conqueror in Training