The other day, as I was reading Genesis 38, I realized a few things that I found breathtaking.
Before I get into it, let's refresh our memories on the story.
Judah, son of Jacob, has three sons. The firstborn, Er, is married to a woman named Tamar. Er is so evil that God takes his life.
As is the legal custom, Tamar is then given to Judah's second-born son, Onan, as his wife. He is to provide her with the child his brother could not. Her firstborn child will legally be counted as the child of Er.
Knowing this, when it comes time to consummate the marriage, Onan "wastes his seed." By ejaculating onto the ground rather than into Tamar, Onan denies her her legal right to become a mother. God is displeased with this behaviour, and takes Onan's life too.
With Onan out of the picture, Judah is legally bound to have Tamar marry his youngest son, Shelah, but (fearing for Shelah's life) he fails to do so.
Tamar waits for years.
When it becomes painfully obvious that Judah has no intention of upholding the law of the land, Tamar disguises her identity and tricks Judah into sleeping with her. (He thinks he's slept with a prostitute, though payment is never completed.)
When she's found to be pregnant and Judah is about to put her to death for the crime of prostitution, she proves that she is no prostitute but is pregnant by him. He realizes how much he has sinned against her—"She is more righteous than I," he says—and leaves her alone.
She gives birth to twins.
Reading the story this time, I realized:
This story isn't about Judah at all. It's about God's justice and mercy to Tamar.
If Er was so evil that God took his life, what are the odds that Er was abusive to his wife?
Pretty good, I'd say.
Let's engage this supposition for a few minutes and speak as though it is true. Where does it lead?
When Onan refuses to impregnate Tamar, he continues the mistreatment that his brother started.
Keep in mind: in those days, a childless woman was often viewed as socially inferior and even cursed by God. By refusing to impregnate Tamar, Onan is consigning her to a lifetime of ridicule and social/religious ostracism. He is enlisting other people to abuse her too. They would feel they had license to do so because they would think that she was cursed by God. In essence, Onan is taking into his own hands the declaration of Tamar's status before God.
God is having none of this. This precious woman—who has already been so badly abused—is not met with Onan's compassion but with contempt. God will not stand idly by while she is mistreated. He will not stand idly by while evil men use His name to further the abuse.
Onan, too, dies.
Now, Judah continues the injustice by refusing to marry Tamar to his youngest son. The Bible records no recognition that the reason his sons died was because they were evil. No, Judah reasons, Tamar is bad luck. He can't have her endanger his youngest son. Classic blame-shifting and gaslighting.
Judah doesn't know it, but he (not his son) is edging into dangerous territory. (God has already shown that He is keenly interested in defending Tamar.)
This time, Tamar decides to take matters into her own hands. If the men will not give her what they owe her, she will take it for herself.
Setting aside the ick factor of sleeping with your father-in-law, it's impossible to read this story without marvelling at Tamar's ingenuity.
God sees to it that after her liaison with Judah, she receives not one but two children. These children are not simply "of Judah's line" (i.e., his grandchildren) but direct descendants—sons, with all the rights and inheritance this entails. By giving Tamar two sons by Judah, God redistributes the inheritance of Judah's estate to include Tamar's sons, superseding any grandchildren. [1]
And one of Tamar's sons becomes an ancestor of Jesus.
The irony is thick in this story—the woman labelled as a harlot when she's found to be pregnant is more faithful than any of the men in this story.
Which brings me to the last important point.
In Jesus' genealogy, three women are listed by name:
- Tamar
- Rahab
- Ruth
Quite a number of the men listed in Jesus' genealogy did terrible, sinful things. But every single one of these women was declared righteous.
By including Tamar in this list, God proclaims the final word on Tamar and her reputation. She is righteous. She is precious. Her suffering mattered to Him. He protected her and elevated her to a place beyond anything she could have dreamt.
This is God's heart for women who face abuse and injustice. It's one of compassion, of provision, of protection, of removal of shame and bestowing of honour.
May we never forget it.
NOTES
[1] In ancient times, the son with "firstborn" status received double the inheritance of his other brothers. With his two elder brothers dead, the "firstborn" status has passed to Shelah. By giving Tamar two sons, God has ensured that Tamar's sons' joint inheritance is equal to that of the firstborn.
