As I begin the comments for this week, I noticed that I didn’t give any questions for Chapter 38.  That is probably due to the fact that there was so much information for my readers and participants to digest.  I was constantly amazed at the nuggets that kept coming before me!  But let’s get onto Chapter 38.

This entire story revolves around Jacob’s son, Judah.  Remember, I’ve often said beware of those sentences that begin with he went “down”.  In verse one of chapter 38, Judah is reported to have left his brothers and “went down to stay with a man of Adullam” and so the story begins.  Judah marries and has three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah.  After time passes and Er is of the age to marry, Judah finds him a wife, Tamar.  But Er wasn’t a nice person, so the Lord put him to death.

Next in line comes Onan.  If you remember some of the teachings of the Old Testament, if a brother has a wife that hasn’t given birth to offspring and that brother dies, the next brother in line needs to marry his brother’s wife in order to have children in his brother’s name.  It’s actually called a Levirate marriage and the outline is given in Deuteronomy 25:5-6.  Here’s what scripture says, “If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family.  Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her.  The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.” 

Evidently Onan wasn’t on board with this idea and when he slept with Tamar he “spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother”.  Wrong move.  Onan was put to death also.  So the next logical move is the third son, Shelah.  This son must have been a bit younger because Judah asks Tamar to wait until he is older and this son will also be given to her. 

Time passes and Judah doesn’t give Shelah to Tamar as quickly as Tamar thinks should happen so she takes matters into her own hands.  She takes off the clothes of a widow (wonder how long she had been wearing this attire?) and dresses as a prostitute and waits for Judah to approach her on his way to shear sheep.  With a veiled face, they have an encounter (of the physical kind) and the payment for her services is to be a young goat.  Tamar, being an astute woman, asks for something tangible to keep until the pledge is fulfilled.  Judah gives her his seal and its cord and his staff. 

Tamar returns home and changes back into the widow’s clothing, but she becomes pregnant.  Meanwhile, Judah fulfills his pledge by sending his friend to the place of the encounter to find the woman and give her the young goat.  Of course, she is not found.  Judah assumes he is free from his pre-agreed upon arrangement since he attempted to fulfill his obligation.

Later when the news gets out that Tamar is pregnant, Judah demands she be brought out and burned to death believing she has been unfaithful to the family name.  The items given to Tamar by Judah when they slept together are revealed and Judah realizes he should have kept his promise of giving Shelah to Tamar as he had previously agreed.  Tamar gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah.  An interesting note; when the boys were born the mid-wife saw a hand come out and put a scarlet thread around it thinking this boy would be the firstborn.  However, this son was second.  Perez was the firstborn and the scarlet thread was on the hand of Zerah.  Might be good to make a mental note of this fact.

Lord, you are righteous and good.  As we read through these accounts of Jacob’s sons who are the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, we are constantly reminded that you use ordinary sinful individuals to bring about your will and the fulfillment of your promises.  You are the only “sure fact”, God.  We are dust.  We can only “be” through the power of our Holy Creator.  Help us to be worthy, Lord.  In the name which is above every name, Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen.

For next week’s assignment:  Please read Chapter 39, Joseph ad Potiphar’s Wife

If you’ve not read this story, it’s an interesting one.  Deceiving women were noted in the earliest of times, my friends.  List at least four evidences of God’s protection upon this young man, Joseph, as we follow him from being sold to his entrance into Potiphar’s home and beyond.