Judah & Tamar

The Scarlet Thread March 2003

Judah & Tamar

I'm sure we all have a relative or two that we aren't terribly proud of. We may even be ashamed of them and never mention that they belong on our family tree. But can you imagine having to make your ancestry public, to be published in the most widely read book in the world? Well, that's exactly what God did with the lineage of Yeshua the Messiah. And I for one am very thankful that all the foibles of His ancestors have been exposed. It sure makes me feel better about my faults!

In this month's Scarlet Thread we're going to look at Judah and his daughter-in-law, Tamar. Judah is the fourth son of Jacob. In Genesis 49:9-11 we see the blessing pronounced over Judah by his father. Embedded in the blessing is a prophecy that the Messiah would be of Judah's lineage. Surely Judah must have led an exemplary life in order to receive this great honor from God. Well, not exactly.

In Genesis 37:26-27, Judah does plead for Joseph's life, convincing his brothers to sell him into slavery rather than kill him. Apparently this whole situation, including Jacob's mourning over Joseph, was too much for Judah to bear, so he left his father's encampment, met and married a Canaanite woman and had three sons. When Judah's eldest son, Er, was ready, Judah chose a wife for him - Tamar.

Unfortunately, Er was wicked in God's sight, so the Lord slew him. Then, as was the custom, Judah gave Tamar his next son, Onan, in order that his brother's name would continue. But Onan wasn't thrilled with the idea so he didn't fulfill his husbandly duty (Gen. 38:9). Onan's intentional act of disobedience displeased the Lord, so He slew him as well.

At this point Judah is not willing to lose his last son to Tamar, so he tells her to live with her father until Shelah is old enough to stand in for his brother. But Judah apparently had no intention of fulfilling his word. This left Tamar in a very dismal situation and she finally took matters into her own hands.

Tamar hears that Judah will be going out to shear his sheep. She disguises herself as a woman of ill-repute, goes to a town where she knows Judah will pass by, then waits for him. When Judah sees her, he is very interested in what she's offering, but he doesn't have anything to pay her with. Tamar suggests taking his staff and signet as collateral until he can return with a sheep. He agrees, lies with her and she becomes pregnant.

Tamar returns to her father's house while Judah goes home and send a kid to redeem his signet and staff. But when his servant arrives he cannot find the “prostitute.” Judah is a bit upset by this since this woman now has his staff and signet - symbols of his authority. To make matters worse, about three months later Judah is told that his daughter-in-law, Tamar, is pregnant. Thinking that she has been sleeping around, he orders that she be put to death. But before she is killed Tamar handed him his staff and signet and said that these items belonged to the baby's father. I only wish I could have seen the look on Judah's face when she handed him his things.

Judah realizes what has happened and that it was his refusal to give Tamar his third son as he should have that drove her to do what she had done. Her life was spared and she delivered twins. It is from this union that the Messiah's lineage continues.

I don't know about you, but I'm so very thankful that the Lord chose to make His lineage known. Not only can we better relate to Him, but He can also better relate to us in our broken imperfection. I can almost hear the stories waiting to be told in eternity. “Did I ever tell you about my uncle on my mother's side, twice removed?”


	The Scarlet Thread March 2003 Judah & Tamar I'm sure we all have a relative or two that we aren't terribly proud of. We may even be ashamed of them and never mention that they belong on our family tree. But can you imagine having to make your ancestry public, to be published in the most widely read book in the world? Well, that's exactly what God did with the lineage of Yeshua the Messiah. And I for one am very thankful that all the foibles of His ancestors have been exposed. It sure makes me feel better about my faults! In this month's Scarlet Thread we're going to look at Judah and his daughter-in-law, Tamar. Judah is the fourth son of Jacob. In Genesis 49:9-11 we see the blessing pronounced over Judah by his father. Embedded in the blessing is a prophecy that the Messiah would be of Judah's lineage. Surely Judah must have led an exemplary life in order to receive this great honor from God. Well, not exactly. In Genesis 37:26-27, Judah does plead for Joseph's life, convincing his brothers to sell him into slavery rather than kill him. Apparently this whole situation, including Jacob's mourning over Joseph, was too much for Judah to bear, so he left his father's encampment, met and married a Canaanite woman and had three sons. When Judah's eldest son, Er, was ready, Judah chose a wife for him - Tamar. Unfortunately, Er was wicked in God's sight, so the Lord slew him. Then, as was the custom, Judah gave Tamar his next son, Onan, in order that his brother's name would continue. But Onan wasn't thrilled with the idea so he didn't fulfill his husbandly duty (Gen. 38:9). Onan's intentional act of disobedience displeased the Lord, so He slew him as well. At this point Judah is not willing to lose his last son to Tamar, so he tells her to live with her father until Shelah is old enough to stand in for his brother. But Judah apparently had no intention of fulfilling his word. This left Tamar in a very dismal situation and she finally took matters into her own hands. Tamar hears that Judah will be going out to shear his sheep. She disguises herself as a woman of ill-repute, goes to a town where she knows Judah will pass by, then waits for him. When Judah sees her, he is very interested in what she's offering, but he doesn't have anything to pay her with. Tamar suggests taking his staff and signet as collateral until he can return with a sheep. He agrees, lies with her and she becomes pregnant. Tamar returns to her father's house while Judah goes home and send a kid to redeem his signet and staff. But when his servant arrives he cannot find the “prostitute.” Judah is a bit upset by this since this woman now has his staff and signet - symbols of his authority. To make matters worse, about three months later Judah is told that his daughter-in-law, Tamar, is pregnant. Thinking that she has been sleeping around, he orders that she be put to death. But before she is killed Tamar handed him his staff and signet and said that these items belonged to the baby's father. I only wish I could have seen the look on Judah's face when she handed him his things. Judah realizes what has happened and that it was his refusal to give Tamar his third son as he should have that drove her to do what she had done. Her life was spared and she delivered twins. It is from this union that the Messiah's lineage continues. I don't know about you, but I'm so very thankful that the Lord chose to make His lineage known. Not only can we better relate to Him, but He can also better relate to us in our broken imperfection. I can almost hear the stories waiting to be told in eternity. “Did I ever tell you about my uncle on my mother's side, twice removed?” Copyright (c) 1996 - 2003 Dan & Linda Krueger. All rights reserved, no portion of this site may be copied or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owner.