Genesis chapter 38. So two weeks ago we started in chapter 37 with reference to Joseph. Joseph of course was sold by his brothers into slavery. He ultimately ends up in Egypt.
There is a bit of a chapter here now not dealing specifically with Joseph, but rather with Judah and Tamar. So I'll begin reading in chapter 38 at verse 1. It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adulamite whose name was Hira. And Judas saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went into her.
So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Ur. She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Ketzeb when she bore him.
Then 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 killed him. And Judah said to Onan, go into your brother's wife and marry her and raise up an heir to your brother. But Onan knew that the heir would not be his, and it came to pass, when he went into his brother's wife, that he omitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.
And the thing which he did displeased the Lord, therefore he killed him also. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown. For he said, lest he also die like his brothers. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
Now in the process of time, the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died. And Judah was comforted and went up to his sheep shearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hira the Adulamite. And it was told Tamar, saying, Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep. So she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which was on the way to Timnah.
For she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. When Judas saw her, he thought she was a harlot because she had covered her face. Then he turned to her by the way and said, please let me come in to you. For he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.
So she said, what will you give me that you may come in to me? And he said, I will send a young goat from the flock. So she said, will you give me a pledge till you send it? Then he said, what pledge shall I give you?
So she said, your signet and cord and your staff that is in your hand. Then he gave them to her and went into her and she conceived by him. So she arose and went away and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adulamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her.
Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot who is openly by the roadside? And they said, There was no harlot in this place. So he returned to Judah and said, I cannot find her. Also the men of the place said, There was no harlot in this place.
Then Judah said, Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed. For I sent this young goat, and you have not found her. And it came to pass about three months after that Judah was told, saying, Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the harlot. Furthermore, she is with child by harlotry.
So Judah said, Bring her out, and let her be burned. When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law saying, by the man to whom these belong, I am with child. And she said, please determine whose these are, the signet and cord and staff. So Judah acknowledged them and said, She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Sheolah my son, and he never knew her again.
Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, behold, twins were in her womb. And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, This one came out first. Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly, and she said, How did you break through? This breach be upon you.
Therefore his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out, who had had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah." Amen.
Introduction: Context and Connections
Well, as I said, we've got the Joseph narratives, but we have this bit of a diversion. here in chapter 38, rehearsing Judah and Tamar. It has caused some to say that this is misplaced, it was inserted later, it doesn't really fit in the narrative. We're going to deal with that in just a moment. But I want to look first at the family of Judah in verses 1 to 11, and then secondly, his relations with Tamar in verses 12 to 30.
But in terms of the connection,
Literary Connections to the Narrative
there are several pieces of connectivity that this passage bears to the rest of the context. In the first place, there is a literary connection. Now, of course, if you read from chapter 37 to chapter 39, if you bypassed 38 altogether, the narrative would make sense. Because you have Joseph go down to Egypt at the end of chapter 37, and then that's repeated in chapter 39 at verse 1.
There is good reason to see the connection between chapter 38 and the rest of the narrative. In the first place, remember that according to chapter 37 at verse 2, this is the history of Jacob. It's not strictly the history of Joseph, so we ought not to conclude that this is out of place. Judah is a son of Jacob, and certainly he is covered in this.
As well, the amount of time covered in chapter 38 indicates the time that Joseph is separated from his brothers. Remember, Joseph is sold into Egypt at the age of 17. He ultimately appears before Pharaoh at the age of 30. So there's a 23-year period that transpires, and that is enough time for the events that have occurred in chapter 38 to take place.
And then as well, in terms of a literary connection, we see the continuing theme of deception in Jacob's family. Wenham says, just as in the episode of Joseph's tunic, an element of divine justice is apparent. Jacob had deceived his father Isaac. He in turn was deceived by his son Judah, and now Judah himself is deceived by his daughter-in-law.
In all three episodes, goats and items of dress are used in the deception." Again, these are thematic connections within the text, literary connections, so that it's not to be seen as haphazard or just sort of thrown together. There's a lot of connection between 38 and what happens in the surrounding context. As well,
Practical and Theological Connections
there's practical lessons involved. Notice what Judah says in verse 26. Judah acknowledges and says, she has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her, to Sheolah, my son. Well, this is a bit of foreshadowing to what the brothers are going to say in chapter 42 at verse 21.
Then they said to one another, we are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear. Therefore, this distress has come upon us. As well, chapter 38 helps explain something concerning Judah's personal transformation. When you move on in the Joseph narratives, it's Judah at the very end in chapter 44 that appeals to Joseph.
Remember, they don't know that Joseph, this second in charge in Egypt, is Joseph. And so he tries to barter for the life of his little brother Benjamin. Judah offers himself to take the place of slave so that Benjamin can go free. Well, that's a far cry different than the Judah we meet in chapter 37.
Remember, it's that Judah who says, why kill him? Let's sell him into slavery. He's a bit of a calloused individual. When his sons die in chapter 38, there's no reference whatsoever to any mourning on his part.
We see Jacob mourn over the thought that Joseph had died, but you don't see that in Judah. Well, throughout this particular chapter, Judah is ultimately humbled and brought to acknowledge the fact that this Tamar acted more righteously than he himself did. So if we didn't have chapter 38, the change of heart or the change of mindset in Judah in chapter 44, it would be a bit surprising. And then ultimately, the seed consideration is what is preeminent in this particular chapter.
Judah reneges on his promise to give Tamar his son Shelah. So Tamar takes it into her own hand to make sure that she gets seed, and ultimately that seed is part of the line of the Lord Jesus Christ. So that's the larger sort of theological concern that Genesis 38 sets forth.
The Family of Judah (vv. 1–11)
Now, as we look at the family of Judah, we notice first of all that he marries a Canaanite. Notice in verse 2, Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went into her. Her name is not Shua. Her father's name was Shua.
Her name is never given to us, but the fact is that she is a Canaanite. Now, this is contra Abraham's desire for Isaac in chapter 24, verse 3. Remember, Abraham sent his servant on that mission to find a wife that was not a Canaanite. And then as well, Isaac's desire for Jacob was the same.
He didn't want him to marry a Canaanite. So we see Judah here, contrary to Abraham and Isaac, go ahead and marry a Canaanite. Notice that they have three sons together. Ur, according to verse 3, Onan, according to verse 4, and then Shelah, according to verse 5.
Tamar Chosen for Er
Now in verses 6 to 11, we see this lady called Tamar. She is chosen for Ur as a wife. Notice in verse 6, then 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 killed him.
This is the first time in the Bible, as I know, as far as I understand, that the Lord directly kills someone. We know that ultimately anybody who dies, it's at the hand of the Lord. But for the most part, they die of disease, or they're eaten by lions, or they die of old age. They aren't directly taken out by God.
And yet in this brief narrative, two of the three sons of Judah are awakened. Now, it's not specified what kind of sin he's guilty of, but remember, these young men could probably be no more than 17 or 18 years old. I mean, that's a lot of wickedness to amass in the space of 17 or 18 years. Whatever Ur was about, it displeased the Lord.
As we move through the context, many have supposed that the crime of Ur was somewhat similar to Onan's, and that there was, in fact, a sexual element involved, and that is the reason why God took him out. But then notice,
Onan and the Levirate Obligation
at the death of Ur, now there is this fellow called Onan. Verse 8 tells us, And Judas said to Onan, Go into your brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother. But Onan knew that the heir would not be his, and it came to pass, when he went into his brother's wife, that he omitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. Now, this is probably not the most popular passage in all of the scripture that persons like to teach on or instruct on, but this is the instruction given by Judah to Onan.
And what is referred to here, or what is being referred to here, is what will later be identified as the Leveret Law. In Deuteronomy 25, verses 5 and 6, there is a prescription that this is the sort of thing that is to obtain at the death of an individual in Israel. Alter explains, Robert Alter says, the legal obligation of yibum which was a widespread practice in the ancient Near East. So it wasn't simply consolidated or confined, rather, to Israel, but Assyrians and Hittites practiced this as well, so it was already extant prior to the giving of Deuteronomy 25.
He says, it was incurred when a man died, leaving his wife childless. His closest brother, in order of birth, was obliged to become his proxy, raising up seed for him by impregnating his widow. The dead brother would thus be provided a kind of biological continuity, and the widow would be able to produce progeny, which was a woman's chief avenue of fulfillment in this culture. We can turn to Deuteronomy 25, 5 and 6, just to see how this is set forth in the law of God.
Deuteronomy 25, verse 5. If brothers dwell together and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family. Her husband's brother shall go into her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.
So that's the prescription that is given here to Onan. Now, again, this is not the most savory sort of a topic to deal with on a Wednesday night. But you should know that onanism, that's a particular word that refers to this passage, some have taken it that the sin of Onan is that he masturbated. Again, I would really not like to talk about these things, but you should know what's happening in the text.
That's not what's in view here. It's more likely what's called coitus interruptus. It's a practice of contraception so that she will not get pregnant. He is having relations with his wife, so it's not masturbation.
What he is engaged in is trying to prohibit her from becoming pregnant. Now, the text makes that very conspicuous. Notice in verse 8. Again, the reason why we deal with this is because Onanism is not masturbation, at least according to this passage.
Now, I believe the Bible condemns that particular practice, it condemns that sin, but that's not Onan's problem at this particular point. So verse 8, Judas said to Onan, go into your brother's wife and marry her, now notice, and raise up an heir to your brother. Verse 9, but Onan knew that the heir would not be his. That's the driving force behind Onan at this particular point.
The idea is that he is going to emit on the ground, the NIV and the ESV explain this even more fully, that he spills his semen onto the ground lest she become pregnant and thus that particular child not be his heir. That's the driving force behind Onan at this particular juncture. He emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. So that's the specific issue concerning Onan in this particular passage.
So if you happen to Google Onanism, you will see that it either refers to masturbation or coitus interruptus. I believe that coitus interruptus is what he is practicing in this particular place, lest he should give an heir to his brother. Now according to verse 10, what he did was displeasing to the Lord as well, and so God killed him. Now if your Judah and two out of three of your children have been struck down by God dead, you might want to reflect upon your parenting skills.
This might have been a good time for him to reflect upon the way that he had brought up these young men, because obviously they were vile young men, obviously they were men that that incensed a holy God, and so God took them out.
Judah's Empty Promise to Tamar
Now at the death of Onan, notice what Judah then does with reference to Tamar in verse 11. Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shelah is grown. For he said, lest he also die like his brothers. Now, is he implying there that it was Tamar's fault that Ur and Onan got struck dead?
It sort of seems like that. It doesn't seem like he's accepted responsibility. He wants to shield his precious Shayla at this particular point, lest he also die like his brothers. Well, it wasn't Tamar, according to the text, it was Ur and then it was Onan.
It wasn't Tamar's fault or it wasn't because of her that God struck them down, it was because of them. Now, in terms of this particular promise, it is an empty promise. Tamar discovers this according to verse 14 and Judah will ultimately admit this according to verse 26. He is just blowing smoke.
He is not going to give Shayla to Tamar. He's not going to give Tamar to Shayla. But nevertheless, she is his daughter-in-law. He bids her to remain a widow in your father's house till my son Shayla is grown.
For he said, lest he also die like his brothers. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
Judah's Relations with Tamar (vv. 12–30)
Now that brings us secondly to the relations with Tamar. And here we see the plan of Tamar. Now, again, what she does here is wrong. When he says in verse 26, she has been more righteous than I.
Yeah, she has. And that wasn't a very, very difficult thing to try and surpass because his unrighteousness is palpable. But what she did is wrong. Obviously, she deceived and ultimately entrapped him.
However, this was provoked by this empty promise that this man made. And we see under the providence of God that he takes crooked things and he makes straight things out of them. Like we had back in Genesis chapter 19, that situation where Lot's daughters got him drunk so that he would lay with them. Well, ultimately, that furthered the messianic promise. because we see from that union the Moabites were born.
Well, there's a Moabitess in the genealogy of the Messiah, and so it was actually crucial that there be a Moabite people. Well, here the same thing obtains. Perez is in the genealogy of King David of Israel, and he is mentioned along with Tamar, his mother, in Matthew 1 at verse 3. And so while this is an unsavory chapter, and while we may disagree with the way they went about it, nevertheless, under the hand of God, He directed it for His glory, and ultimately for the salvation of all of His people.
Now notice according to verse 12, Judah's wife dies. Verse 12 says, In the process of time, the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died. And Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Herah the Adulamite. Now that sets the stage for what follows.
This explains why he has this longing for sexual congress. This is why he ultimately goes into this young woman, Tamar. So this sets the stage.
Tamar's Plan and Disguise
Now notice her particular plan. Well, back up for just a moment with reference to this sheep shearing at Timna. This was a time of celebration. There'd be great feasting.
There'd be lots of wine. There'd be a party. There'd be all that sort of a thing. And so now she gets wind of this according to verse 13.
It was told Tamar saying, look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep. So she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah. Now note the reason for she saw that Sheila was grown and she was not given to him as a wife. So there is a particular plan on her part to lie with Judah so that she can get seed from Judah.
This was the original plan when she married Ur, and then when Onan was supposed to come into her, and then ultimately she was promised or pledged Shalah as the man that would give her seed. Now he, Judah, reneged on this, so she takes matters into her own hand. Now, notice that she disguises herself. She probably disguised her voice as well so that when he gets close to her, it's not compromised.
The text is very conspicuous to ensure that we the reader knows that Judah did not know that it was Taimon. Judah did not know. So while it was an incestuous relationship, and punishable ultimately by the death penalty, according to Leviticus 20, verse 12, he didn't know. And then later on, after verse 26, when he finds out that it was her, he never had relations with her again.
So the narrator is very specific to ensure that we the reader understand that at least from Judah's vantage point, not that it was okay to go into a prostitute, not that it was okay to pick up a harlot that was, you know, sitting at the open road, but the thought that he would go into his own daughter-in-law is reprehensible, and that is protected here in the narration, and we have no reason to suspect that Judah did know whatsoever that she was in fact Tamar. But then notice the particular proposition according to verse 16. Well, verse 15 tells us, when Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot because she had covered her face. Now, verse 16, then he turned to her by the way and said, please let me come into you.
That is as abrupt in Hebrew and possibly more so as it is here in English. Please let me come into you. There's no hello, there's no discussion, there's no nothing like that whatsoever. He simply lays it all on the line.
Please let me come into you. And then again, specifically, for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. Now, he had told Tamar to remain in her father's house and thus deny her sexuality. Here she is, a woman of age that wants to have children, and that is a great blessing in that culture and in ours, and yet effectively he has denied her that.
As well, when we move into the next chapter, Joseph displays great integrity when it comes to sexual fidelity. Remember, Potiphar's wife has a desire for Joseph, and she longs for him day by day, and yet Joseph continually rebuffs those overtures on her part. Not so with Judah. In fact, Robert Alter said Judah's sexual importunacy becomes a background of contrast for Joseph's sexual restraint in the next chapter.
So he says, verse 16, please let me come into you. Now notice what she says. Her shrewdness is obvious as we move through the passage. She said, what will you give me that you may come into me?
Again, this is a sexual proposition. Verse 17, he said, I will send a young goat from the flock. So she said, will you give me a pledge till you send it? Then he said, what pledge shall I give you?
So she said, your signet and cord and your staff that is in your hand. Now, this is very important that we understand what she is doing here. Again, Alter says, Tamar is not only bold and enterprising in getting for herself the justice Judah has denied her, but also very shrewd. She realized it is crucial for her to retain evidence of the paternity of the child she may conceive.
Now, it all plays out precisely how she had designed, and again, under the providence of God. Now with reference to the pledge, the signet, the cord, and the staff, again I'll quote Robert Alter. He has a good sort of appreciation for the culture, very well read amongst the Jewish authors of Jewish commentaries. He says the seal or the signet was a cylinder seal attached to a cord and usually worn around the neck.
Rolled over documents incised in clay, it would be the means of affixing a kind of self-notarized signature. It is less clear that the staff had a legal function, though of course in political context it is a symbol of authority. Tamar's stipulated pledge, then, is an extravagant one. Taking the instruments of Judah's legal identity and social standing is something like taking a person's driver's license and credit cards in modern society.
So she is covering herself, and she is covering herself very well when she asks for this pledge concerning this proposition. Now, according to verse 18, then he gave them to her, and went into her, and she conceived by him. So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil, and put on the garments of her widowhood. And now we see the response, or rather the payment by Judah in verses 20 and 21.
He sends the goat to her, but he doesn't deliver it. It's his friend the Adulamite who delivers the goat. Now, I'm going to say something here that is possibly going to shock your sensitivities, but as far as I can tell, and this has been confirmed in some research I've done in terms of authors that speak concerning these things, prostitution, while sinful, there was never a civil penalty attached to it in Old Covenant Israel. In other words, the police didn't arrest you for being a prostitute.
Remember the classic case that exemplifies Solomon's wisdom. It's two prostitutes that come before Solomon. Notice that Solomon doesn't say, how in the world are there prostitutes in my kingdom? I can't believe that such is the case.
That's not what he does. He renders justice for the prostitute who had the legal claim on the particular child. So while it was a sinful act, it was not criminally punished or there wasn't a civil penalty imposed in Old Covenant Israel. Now again, it wasn't looked, you know, highly upon or favorable upon.
In fact, we see that with reference to Judah. He himself doesn't go in terms of the payment of the goat. He sends his buddy the Adulamite to deliver the goat at this particular juncture. So back to verse 21.
He goes to deliver the goat and to receive his pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her. Now, also we ought to appreciate the inconsistency of Judah. Judah reneged on his promise to his daughter-in-law, but Judah fulfills his promise to a harlot. This does not look good for Judah whatsoever.
This is pretty pathetic on his part. He makes this promise of Sheolah for Tamar that he reneges on, but when he makes the promise to a harlot that he'll pay her with a goat, he is really quick to perform this. Wenham says, whereas he had reneged on his solemn promise to give his son Sheolah to Tamar in marriage, he is very anxious to pay the goat he had promised to a common prostitute. Why?
He wants his pledge back. He wants his driver's license and his credit cards back. It's not going to look well on the evening news when this woman has his credit card and license. He's not a fool.
He wants to pay the goat so he can get his signet, his cord, and his staff back. Wenham says this, and his concern here seems to have had no higher motive than the return of his pledge. So what we have in this particular narrative is very consistent with what we have in chapter 37. He is a calloused young man who offers, instead of killing his brother, let's sell our brother and make a few shekels off of his hide.
He doesn't shed one tear when Ur and Onan are killed by the Lord. Now maybe he does, and the text is silent respecting that, but it is conspicuous when Jacob laments over the death of Joseph. Here's a calloused fellow, but in the midst of all of this, God is humbling him and ultimately brings him to that place of acknowledgement in verse 26. And as I said earlier, it explains the change of heart that we find in chapter 44 when he says, take me as a slave instead of my brother Benjamin.
And in one sense, isn't that what the book of Genesis is about? Abram becomes Abraham. Jacob becomes Israel. We see this transformation occur on the part of God's people.
They don't start off perfect and excellent. They never become perfect and excellent. But there is some transformation that is evident under the powerful hand of God Almighty. It is a dysfunctional family.
Deception is a thematic key that runs through Jacob's family. But the fact is, at least according to verse 26, Judah himself is starting to appreciate or see that he's been wrong up to this particular point. And so while it may not be these outlandish growths in grace and these great movements forward in terms of personal holiness, you see that these characters are being transformed as they come into contact with the true and living God, as they, by grace, are being sanctified and conform more unto the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the response, or rather the friend, the Adulamite friend comes back and tells Judah, that the men at the place said, there was no harlot in this place.
Now notice in verse 22, he returned to Judah and said, I cannot find her. Also the men of the place said, there was no harlot in this place. Verse 23, then Judah said, let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed. For I sent this young goat and you have not found her.
Alter says, let her keep the pledge and we will keep our mouths shut lest it become known that I have given such valuable objects for a fleeting pleasure. Can't find her? Let her keep it. We'll keep our mouths shut and hopefully no one will ever be the wiser as a result.
Remember, he doesn't know what we know. He doesn't know she's pregnant. He doesn't know she's conceived. He certainly doesn't know that she's Tamar, the one he had reneged on in terms of the promise of Shelah his son.
The Vindication of Tamar
Now notice the vindication of Tamar in verses 24 to 26. We see the report of her pregnancy in verse 24. It came to pass about three months after that Judah was told, saying, Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the harlot. Furthermore, she is with child by harlotry." Now notice, he demands punishment.
Verse 24b, so Judah said, bring her out and let her be burned. I mean, that's a Pretty powerful statement in terms of, you know, no due process. He sounds like, you know, Senator, House Democrats that don't want to do what the law calls us to do. I don't think this means he had the prerogative to wield the sword, but certainly as a man of prestige, a man of means, he was able to shape those around him.
Now, there were certain instances where burning would have been the legitimate penalty, but this was not one of them. She should have been, according to the terms set forth there, she should have been stoned to death because technically she was betrothed. I do air quotes because it was a betrothal to Sheila based on a sham promise given by Judah. But nevertheless, in terms of law, she was betrothed to Sheila, and if in fact she had gotten impregnated by somebody other than Judah, because he's going to rectify this situation, she would have been culpable in terms of a stoning death, but not with reference to burning.
Now, note what she does. We see her shrewdness come to its pinnacle at verse 25. When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man to whom these belong, I am with child. And she said, Please determine whose these are, the signet, and cord, and staff.
Have you ever wanted to be in a particular scene in the Bible just to see the reaction of the person? Imagine Judah's face at this particular point. I doubt that he was thrilled. I doubt that he was, wow, this is great.
But the bottom line is what she is in essence saying, if I'm to die, then you're to die. Because according to Leviticus 20 and verse 12, If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death." So the thou art the man has come to Judah, and thankfully Judah owns it according to verse 26. He acknowledges her righteousness. Now again, Her righteousness is comparative.
It's not an absolute or utter righteousness. She shouldn't have, you know, disguised herself, played a harlot, and trapped him ultimately. Again, she was provoked onto this, she was instigated by Judah, and he sees this, and he owns it. And I think what we have in verse 26 is a legitimately honest confession.
He really has no recourse at this point. She's got the pledge. She's got the baby in her womb. Everything, I mean, he's done.
It's over. The best response is what he engages in here in verse 26. She has been more righteous than I because I did not give her to Sheila, my son. And he never knew her again.
Again, that's very important for the narrator. It's very important that that we understand that. As far as Judah was concerned, he didn't engage in incest, not that it wasn't, but he didn't know. And when he did find out that this was Tamar, he never knew her again in a sexual manner.
The Birth of Perez and Zerah
And then we have the birth of the twins recorded for us. And it's an interesting birth, similar to what we find with Jacob and Esau. It's not your sort of garden variety birth. You've got the The Zerah put his hand out, and she puts the little scarlet thread on, and then he withdraws his hand, and then out comes Perez.
And it shows, again, God's favor toward the second, toward the younger, and toward those who are typically the least significant in a family unit. That's kind of a recurring theme that goes throughout the book of Genesis as well. But with reference to this actual birth, notice in verse 29, it happened as he drew back his hand that his brother came out unexpectedly and she said, how did you break through? This breach be upon you.
Therefore, his name was called Paris. Afterward, his brother came out. who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah. Turn over to the book of Ruth for just a moment, just to see this reference, to see Perez in the scheme of redemptive history. in Ruth 4 at verse 18. Now this is the genealogy of Perez.
Perez begot Hetzron, Hetzron begot Ram, and Ram begot Amminadab. Amminadab begot Nashon, and Nashon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed. Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.
And then you can turn to Matthew chapter 1. Matthew chapter 1, where both Perez and Tamar are given in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 1.1, the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez begot Hetzron and Hetzron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab. Amminadab begot Nashon and Nashon begot Salmon.
Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab. Boaz begot Obed by Ruth. Obed begot Jesse and Jesse begot David the king. So you see how important Genesis chapter 38 is, theologically, to the entirety of the Bible.
It's important, obviously, in the history of Jacob, because Judah is a son of Jacob. But in terms of the entirety of Scripture, this is a most significant chapter. And
Practical Lessons from Genesis 38
I think it underscores a few things by way of practical lesson. In the first place, the reality that injustice will be righted. That's a theme that recurs throughout scripture as well. You see it ultimately in the Joseph narrative.
Joseph is distinguished. Joseph's dreams come true. He is preeminent. He is prominent over the brothers.
He is prominent over Israel as a whole, over all of Egypt, save Pharaoh himself. And nevertheless, he had received great injustice. The brothers ultimately confess and understand that. as well with reference to this woman Tamar. There was injustice done against her.
Again, I'm not suggesting that injustice received legitimizes everything we then do in response, but we do see the vindication of Tamar in this particular passage, and it is a conspicuous theme that comes out. Secondly, in terms of a practical lesson, the reformation of Judah's character. That something as we move through these patriarchs, and we've seen it, we've gone through these patriarchs and they raise our eyebrows. I mean, the various things that we find in these chapters of Genesis are perplexing and surprising and certainly underscore the grace and the mercy and the kindness of God.
Because if it was up to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the sons of Jacob, if it was up to their virtue, issue, or up to their merit, or up to their righteousness, we would be dead in our trespasses and sins. But these men are simply the vehicle through which the Messiah will come, that hero, that one who is holy, harmless, and undefiled. So in terms of practicality, the reality that injustice will be righted and the reformation of Judah's character are two preeminent themes in chapter 38.
Theological Themes: Providence and the Promised Seed
In terms of the theology, the first is obviously the providence of God. The story is unsavory, but God works in the midst of the unsavory to bring about glorious and wonderful things. I mean, would you and I have ever included Tamar in our genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ? Probably not.
If you and I were tasked to write the genealogy of our Lord, we'd probably leave out some of the more, what we perceive to be the unsavory characters or the unsavory details of our Lord's earthly lineage. It shows the beauty of the Savior. It shows that He participated, He took on our humanity with all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof, yet without sin. Not only in terms of the assumption of our humanity, but the assumption of a family that was as dysfunctional as the Israelites were.
This underscores the reality of God's saving power and His grace, and the providence of God is on display in the midst of Genesis chapter 38. If she had not done, humanly speaking, what she had done, we would have had a rupture in the line of the Messiah. If there was no Genesis chapter 38, there's no Matthew 1. If there's no Matthew 1, there's no Matthew 121.
For he will save his people from their sins. Now God is sovereign, God orchestrates all of these things, but he certainly uses the means. And one of the means that he uses in the history of the Messiah's lineage is the work of Tamar to get with her father-in-law so that she can produce parrots. It really is an amazing display of God's providence, as well in terms of the promised seed.
That's the preeminent lesson. As Wenham says, Tamar, through her determination to have children, secured for Judah the honor of fathering both David and the Savior of the world. I mean at this particular point, verse 26, I mean he acknowledges this, he sees what's happening. Hopefully later on he had time to reflect on just what a good thing this was ultimately.
Again, not condoning sin, not condoning the way that we got here, but the fact that we got here and the means employed by even this woman to bring about the redemption of the world. And then I would suggest, finally, we ought to appreciate the amazing grace of God with reference to Judah in particular. Consider that Judah failed as a son of the covenant. Remember, Abraham didn't want Isaac to marry a Canaanite.
Isaac didn't want Jacob to marry a Canaanite. Arguably, Jacob didn't want his sons to marry Canaanites, and that is precisely what Judah does. He marries a Canaanite. Secondly, Judah failed as a father.
Again, two out of three are struck dead immediately by the hand of God. There's a problem in his parenting, at least at some point. So he fails as a father. But as well, Judah failed as a father-in-law.
He didn't protect her. He didn't show kindness to her. He made an empty or vain promise to her that she would be given to Sheolah, and he reneged on that, and he ultimately disenfranchised her and promoted in her a particular course that was in fact unsavory, but left her really with no other option. But in virtue or in light of that, Judah's name is on one of the gates of the wall in the New Jerusalem according to Revelation 21, 12.
It ain't there because of his virtue, it ain't there because of his righteousness, and it ain't there because of his merit. It's there because ultimately he went into his daughter-in-law Tamar, and Tamar gave birth to Perez, and Perez gave birth to David, and David ultimately gave birth to Jesus Christ. So Judah is in the presence of God Almighty based on the skull-crushing seed of the woman, based on the one promised by God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, furthered along in Genesis 38 by the unsavory act of both Judah and Tamar. So it's not by his race, just because he was a Jew or a descendant from Abraham.
It was not by his virtue, because as Genesis 38 shows us, he really had none. But it's by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And Genesis 38 is another chapter in scripture which evidences to us that if there's salvation for the likes of a man like Judah, then there's salvation for the likes of sinners today. and all should come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your power and for your sovereignty and for your providence. And God, we praise you that you take crooked things and make straight things out of them. And in the history of redemption, in the history of our Lord, there is such unsavory details, so many things like these, Job and his daughters, and Judah and Tamar.
And yet, Father, we see in the midst of all of this, You working out Your purpose and plan for the salvation of the world. We give praise to You that You've included us. We give praise to You that Christ Jesus is the one who saves His people from their sins. And we pray that this gospel would be preached and more and more people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation would come to You through Him.
And we ask this through His most blessed name. Amen.