WOMEN OF CHRISTMAS - TAMAR - WIDOWED DUE TO WICKED WAYS OF HUSBANDS

TAMAR  - WIDOWED DUE TO WICKED WAYS OF HUSBANDS

This story of the escapades of Judah falls in the middle of the account of Joseph the dreamer. When his jealous brothers wanted to kill Joseph, his older brother, Judah, the second born son of Jacob intervened on his behalf:

                   

Genesis 37:26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Therefore, they sold him to some Midianites instead. The Midianites then sold him to be a servant of Potiphar, the captain of the Egyptian Pharaoh’s guard. Before Joseph’s story continues, there is this one chapter interlude about Judah’s escapades. The point may be to contrast Judah’s unrighteousness and disregard for God’s way of doing things with the future righteousness of Joseph. You may remember that when Potiphar’s wife propositioned Joseph, he literally ran out of his clothes to flee temptation!

But now to the story of Judah and our woman of Christmas, Tamar.

Genesis 38 (KJV) And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

Instead of staying with his tribe, with the chosen people, Judah went and lived among Canaanites. He even married the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shuah. We are never told the name of the woman Judah married!

Genesis 38:3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.

4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.

5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

She bore him three sons: Er which means “watchful,” Onan which means “strong,” and Shelah which means “request.” They were still living in a Canaanite village when Shelah was born, living among people who were not Israelites. Judah was living among people who did not worship the true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and his own father, Jacob. Their customs were not in keeping with the ways of the Lord.

Genesis 38:6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. 7 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him.

We can surmise that Tamar was a Canaanite since Judah was still living among them instead of back with his father’s people. We do not know specifically what Er’s transgression was, but it was so perverse that God struck him dead. Tamar was now a widow which in that era would have made her a beggar and a burden unless she remarried.

Genesis 38:8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

There was a tradition which later would become a part of the law called levirate marriage.

Archeological Study Bible (Zondervan)

Genesis 38:8 refers to the social and legal obligation of the levir (Latin for “husband’s brother”) to marry his widowed sister-in-law in the event his brother had died and left her childless.

This practice later became a part of the Jewish law. See Deuteronomy 25:5-10.

The brother would then have children who would be seen as the heirs of the dead man. This would serve two purposes: 1) the dead man’s family line, his legacy, would continue in his name, and 2) the widow would now have children to care for her in her old age instead of being left completely bereft.

Genesis 38:9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

Onan did not want to give up his inheritance of having children in order to carry on his brother’s line. He knew the children would be seen as Er’s children rather than his own. So he slept with Tamar but made sure he did not impregnate her. He was deceitful by giving the impression that he was fulfilling his duty to take care of Tamar in this way when he really was not completing the requirements. He was really withholding intimacy from her.

Genesis 38:10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.

God knew of Onan’s deceptive heart that led to his “spilling his seed on the ground,” and so the Lord caused his death. This is now two sons Judah has lost due to their wickedness. This story reminds us that God could extinguish evil doers at any time; but in His grace, He does not. As we read on, we will see that it would have even been right for God kill off the whole family if He so chose, but His grace prevailed.

Genesis 38:11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

Judah pledged to give Shelah to Tamar as a husband when he was old enough. He thought in the back of his mind that Shelah might die like his brothers if he had him marry Tamar right away. Women could not earn a living reputably in those days, so Tamar had to go back home. Her father assumed responsibility for her once more. Needing to move back home was probably a major frustration.

Ponder this: We enjoy hearing about and talking about God’s love, but we do not often explore His wrath. God is perfect and holy and cannot tolerate wickedness. If He chose to, He could wipe out the world as He did in the days of Noah. This story shows that He can also say to an individual, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.” Why doesn’t He deal with all sinners the way he did with Er and Onan? GRACE.

Praise the Lord for the grace He has extended to us in the form of His only begotten Son, Jesus, who died in our place on the cross. For those who trust in Jesus, God placed their judgment on Him. He did execute our sin by placing it on Jesus. Praise the Lord!