Genesis 38 - Judah and Tamar - The Mysteries of God's Word

Judah's choices lead him down a path of hypocrisy, revealing deeper truths about responsibility and redemption. The intertwined fates of Judah and Tamar challenge societal norms and illustrate the complexity of human relationships amid family obligations.

• Exploring Judah's departure from his brothers and father
• The significance of levirate marriage and its implications
• Tamar's bold plan to confront Judah and claim her rights 
• The revelation of hypocrisy in Judah's judgment of Tamar 
• The unexpected legacy of twins Perez and Zerah

Chapters

• 0:14 Judah and Tamar's Story
• 16:57 Tamar's Pregnancy Exposes Judah's Hypocrisy
• 21:53 The Birth of Pires and Zerah

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:15

Grace and peace to you. Thank you again for joining me for the Mysteries of God's Word. Today we're in Genesis, chapter 38, reading about Judah and Tamar, beginning at verse 1,. It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain adalamite whose name was hira. There, judah saw the daughter of a certain canaanite whose name was shua. He took her and went into her and she conceived and bore a son and he called his name ur. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Ur. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. Yet again, she bore a son and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Kezib when she bore him.

Speaker 1: 1:11

In our first five verses we see Judah, who is the fourth son of Israel, leaving his brothers and it says he turned aside to a certain Adalamite whose name was Hira. Now, the timing of this narrative is not without debate, as the timing between Joseph being sold into slavery and Jacob and his family eventually going down into Egypt is but 22 or 23 years. However, much later in Genesis 46, 12, when Jacob or the nation of Israel is going down to Egypt because of the famine, we're told that Judah's grandsons, hezron and Hamuel, through their father, perez, are counted along with the people that went down into Egypt. But as we start to do some of the math with this chapter 38, we start to realize it would be a physical impossibility for Hezron and Hamul to come about in only 22 years, which is why the debate exists. However, the most reasonable and biblical solution to this is that, while Hezron and Hemuel are honorably mentioned in Genesis, chapter 46, they have yet to be born. They're still in Perez's loins. And that understanding is confirmed when we understand what Stephen teaches us in his speech in Acts 7.14, when he mentions that Joseph sent and summoned Jacob, his father and all his kindred, 75 persons in all, which would exclude Hezron and Hemuel, because it includes all of the wives and children. So now that we've gotten through the debate of the timing of this and we understand this narrative does begin when it actually tells us it does, and it is in the order of scripture that is given, which is shortly after Joseph is sold into Egypt.

Speaker 1: 3:28

Let's look at the age of Judah. Judah was the fourth born son of Israel through Leah. Judah is probably three years older than Joseph, making him about 20 years old at this time. So Judah, at this time, turns away from his family and his family responsibilities and befriends Hira. We can only imagine how Judah must have felt at this time, because Judah was really the one to save his brother, joseph, from his other brothers who wanted to kill him. But his solution to saving Joseph was to sell him into slavery. And now all of the brothers are hypocritically trying to comfort their father and gain the favor that he had shown to Joseph. And as Israel is rejecting all of their comfort, judah realizes the mess of his family, and so he turns from this terrible dysfunction to try and find a best friend. And his solution is to go to the Canaanites. And when he finds this friend, he also finds a Canaanite woman and he takes her as his wife. We're never told the name of his wife, only the name of her father, which was Shua. Judah here is following in the footsteps of Esau, and when things are getting tough in his family, he goes against the wisdom of his family that taught they should not intermarry with the godless Canaanite people. And this begins to mark the danger and continued sexual immorality that will come for Judah Now.

Speaker 1: 5:10

Judah had three sons. His first son was named Ur, the second Onan, and the last was named Ur, the second Onan and the last Shelah. As we will see, the first two sons will not have any heritage. The last son, shelah, will be the ancestor of the Shelanite clan of Judah, verse 6,. And Judah took a wife for Ur, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Ur, judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan Go into your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her Verse 1. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord and he put him to death also. 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.

Speaker 1: 6:39

In these verses we see that Judah took a wife for his firstborn son, ur. Now Judah's action of taking a wife for his son appears to be very contrary to his own actions, where he left his family and took a wife for his own from the Canaanites. Judah, in his rebellion, is likely trying to keep things under control, despite the great wickedness of his own life and now his own son, ur. So he chooses a wife, and the wife he chooses is Tamar, and while we're not told specifically, tamar was likely also a Canaanite woman. And then we're told that Ur was wicked in the sight of the Lord. We're not told specifically what the wickedness was, but rather we're told that Ur was just wicked. It would seem that his whole life was a life of wickedness, to such a degree that the Lord puts him to death at an early age. Ur's death is the first place in Scripture that we're told God targets someone specifically for death.

Speaker 1: 7:54

After the Lord puts Ur to death, we're told Judah tells his second son, onan, to perform the duty of a brother-in-law. Later on, under the law of Moses, it becomes known as a Levirite marriage. It's interesting that this custom was understood during the time of the patriarchs. If a brother existed that was still single and also part of the same estate connected with the brother that passed away and he didn't have an heir or he didn't have a son, it was customary for that single brother to take his brother's wife and then for the first child to be considered the heir of the dead brother, while later sons would be the heirs of the current husband. And while we're told that Onan did take Tamar and have sexual relations with her, he had something in his mind where he did not like the idea of the firstborn being his dead brothers. He hated this thought so much that he spilled his semen on the ground when he would have intercourse with Tamar. This was a willing rebellion by Onan not to bring forth an heir with Tamar for his brother, and this sin against his family, against Tamar and against his own body was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and so the Lord also put him to death at an early age. After Onan dies, judah asks Tamar to go live with her father, because the youngest brother first of all wasn't old enough to marry Tamar yet, but second, he was also afraid to marry her. He thought he would die if he did. Perhaps he believed living with her was a curse. Whatever the case, he did not want to marry Tamar.

Speaker 1: 10:03

Picking up in verse 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 sheep shearers, he and his friend to his sheep shearers, he and his friend Hira the Adulamite. And when Tamar was told your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep. She took off her widow's garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and she sat at the entrance to Enam, 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. In these three verses it begins by saying in the course of time, that phrase could be translated as the days were multiplied. The general thought of this phrase is that this is a long period of time. In this case it could perhaps be years and over time. Eventually, judah's unnamed wife dies, leaving him a widower. And after Judah is comforted, it says he's going to go to his sheep shearers.

Speaker 1: 11:22

Now, in the land of Canaan, sheep shearing occurred toward the end of March, but it was a time of celebration, and a lot of pagan cults would engage in sexual fornification as part of their ritual for fertility magic, and men with great wealth would often invite their friends to come participate in these festivities. And so we find Judah and his friend Hira on their way to Timnah. When Tamar hears about this, she hatches a plan in her mind, knowing the character of Judah or perhaps we should say the lack thereof character, and hearing that Judah was going to go sheep shearing, she knew exactly what she could do. She dresses herself up as a cult prostitute, believing she can trap Judah, and she places herself in a key location so that Judah will have to pass by her on his way to Timnah, and were told that she had not been given in marriage to the youngest son. Yet, Despite the promise of Judah to have his youngest son marry Tamar, he had not sent him to her, and so Tamar takes matters into her own hands, believing she has the right to have the estate of Judah take care of her.

Speaker 1: 12:45

Verse 15,. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her at the roadside and said Come, let me come into you, for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said what will you give me that you may come into me? He answered I'll send you a young goat from my flock. And she said what will you give me that you may come into me? He answered I'll send you a young goat from my flock. And she said If you give me a pledge until you send it? And he said what pledge should I give you, she replied, your signet and your cord and your staff. That's in your hand. So he gave them to her and went into her, and she conceived by him.

Speaker 1: 13:38

Having the face covered was a common practice of the cult prostitutes in the land of Canaan. However, there was more to this than just a veil, as women who were betrothed to be married would also wear veils. Cult prostitutes likely had a more distinct look, with certain colors or designs. Additionally, only prostitutes would sit at the gates of a town or on the roads looking for men as they would pass by. This was part of the Canaanite culture. It promoted sexual immorality as part of their festivities and cult rituals, and we see Tamar playing the part of a cult prostitute. She negotiates with Judah. She says what will you give me? And she asks for his pledge. Since he actually doesn't have payment up front, asking for his signet and cord and his staff would appear to be a reasonable request, because men of wealth and distinction in the Near East wear personal seals around a cord on their neck, and their staff would also be personalized with distinct markings. While these would have no real value to the prostitute, they do have value to the person pledging. And so we see Judah unknowingly make a deal with Tamar, and so she conceives by him. As we will see, tamar becomes impregnated with twin boys from Judah. After achieving her goal, tamar goes back to her father's household and puts on her widow clothes.

Speaker 1: 15:33

When Judah sent the young goat by his friend, the Adulamite, to take back the pledge from the woman's hand, he did not find her. And he asked the men of the place when is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim, at the roadside? And they said no cult prostitute's been here. 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. And Judah replied Let her keep the things as her own or we'll be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat and you did not find her. So here Judah sent his friend Hira, who searches up and down for the cult prostitute that has Judah's personal items, but he cannot find her. Furthermore, no one in the town seems to know of her, which certainly must seem very odd. So Hira returns to Judah with news that no one's ever even heard of this cult prostitute and she's nowhere to be found. And Judah's conclusion at this point is well, we better let this rest, or people are going to realize how he had taken advantage of a prostitute, not even paying her up front. If he continued to pursue this, it'd only reveal his lust and that he was not a trustworthy man.

Speaker 1: 16:58

Verse 24, about three months later, judah was told Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has been immoral. Moreover, she's pregnant by immorality. And Judah said Bring her out and let her be burned. As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law by the man whom these belong. I am pregnant. And she said am pregnant. And she said Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff. Then Judah identified them and said she is more righteous than I, since I did not give her my son, shelah, and he did not know her again. So after three months, tamar begins to show her pregnancy and it becomes known that she's been with a man. So she's reported to be immoral. And even though Tamar was living with her father, it would appear that Judah, being the father-in-law, has authority over her to make judgments.

Speaker 1: 18:05

Judah, in a full-blown display of hypocrisy, calls for the capital punishment of burning Tamar, which is used only to expose the greatest of sexual sins. This lack of judgment and double standard that Judah uses reveals the depths of his own sin. And Judah judges Tamar when in fact he himself had the responsibility to take care of Tamar, to send his youngest son to her that she might have a family. And not only that, judah himself doesn't seem to find anything wrong with sleeping with prostitutes. The Lord expects men in the family and in the culture to lead their wives and their families in sexual purity.

Speaker 1: 19:00

Hosea 4.14 reads I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery, for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and they sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin. And then we see that, as Tamar is being brought out to be burned, she sends a message to her judge, jury and executioner, judah, informing him that she has the very personal items of the father of the child and asks him to please identify them. Of course, judah, when he receives them, recognizes them as his own and he comes face to face with his own hypocrisy. Furthermore, he realizes that he's failed to care for Tamar as he promised to through his son Shelah. And Judah says she is more righteous than I. Judah's not making any claims of moral purity or that what Tamar did was virtuous, and he's not saying that Tamar is a child of faith. But what he is doing is contrasting how Tamar had a right to a family inheritance through his line and how he failed to be responsible for that. Therefore he cancels her punishment and acknowledges, at least in part, his wrongdoing Verse 27.

Speaker 1: 20:42

When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 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. 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. Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand and his name was called Zerah.

Speaker 1: 21:22

So when the time came for Tamar to give birth, they realized that she had twins and the twins appeared to be grappling in the womb kind of similar to what we saw back with Esau and Jacob. And one put his hand out and a scarlet thread was tied on the hand of that child. That first started to come out of the womb, but after the thread was tied. The child went back into the womb and then his brother came out.

Speaker 1: 21:54

The second child to come out, which was actually the first to fully come out of the womb, was named Pires, meaning breach or break out, and he was named such because he broke out of the womb before the child that was initially named the firstborn. Pires would be the child through which the messianic line would continue, and afterward his brother came out, zerah. Even though Zerah was named the first born and had the scarlet thread attached to his hand, we see the sovereignty of God and that through the second child, who actually fully came out first, becomes the chosen seed through whom the Messiah would come. Thank you for joining me this week. Join me next week as we look at the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. God bless you this week.