It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her. She conceived and bore a son; and he named him Er. Again she conceived and bore a son whom she named Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she named him Shelah. Shewas in Chezib when she bore him. Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah\u2019s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, \u2018Go in to your brother\u2019s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her; raise up offspring for your brother.\u2019 But since Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, he spilled his semen on the ground whenever he went in to his brother\u2019s wife, so that he would not give offspring to his brother. What he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, \u2018Remain a widow in your father\u2019s house until my son Shelah grows up\u2019\u2014for he feared that he too would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went to live in her father\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
In course of time the wife of Judah, Shua\u2019s daughter, died; when Judah\u2019s time of mourning was over, he went up to Timnah to his sheep-shearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. When Tamar was told, \u2018Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep\u2019, she put off her widow\u2019s garments, put on a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not been given to him in marriage. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He went over to her at the roadside, and said, \u2018Come, let me come in to you\u2019, for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, \u2018What will you give me, that you may come in to me?\u2019 He answered, \u2018I will send you a kid from the flock.\u2019 And she said, \u2018Only if you give me a pledge, until you send it.\u2019 He said, \u2018What pledge shall I give you?\u2019 She replied, \u2018Your signet and your cord, and the staff that is in your hand.\u2019 So he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. Then she got up and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.<\/p>\n
When Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to recover the pledge from the woman, he could not find her. He asked the townspeople, \u2018Where is the temple prostitute who was at Enaim by the wayside?\u2019 But they said, \u2018No prostitute has been here.\u2019 So he returned to Judah, and said, \u2018I have not found her; moreover, the townspeople said, \u201cNo prostitute has been here.\u201d\u2019 Judah replied, \u2018Let her keep the things as her own, otherwise we will be laughed at; you see, I sent this kid, and you could not find her.\u2019<\/p>\n
About three months later Judah was told, \u2018Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the whore; moreover she is pregnant as a result of whoredom.\u2019 And Judah said, \u2018Bring her out, and let her be burned.\u2019 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, \u2018It was the owner of these who made me pregnant.\u2019 And she said, \u2018Take note, please, whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.\u2019 Then Judah acknowledged them and said, \u2018She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.\u2019 And he did not lie with her again.<\/p>\n
When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb. While she was in labour, one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound on his hand a crimson thread, saying, \u2018This one came out first.\u2019 But just then he drew back his hand, and out came his brother; and she said, \u2018What a breach you have made for yourself!\u2019 Therefore he was named Perez.Afterwards his brother came out with the crimson thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.<\/p>\n
Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n Tamar\u2019s story is one that would, in our modern time, be branded with a \u201cnot safe for work\u201d warning. It\u2019s a sordid tale of grief and depravity. And that\u2019s what makes Tamar\u2019s inclusion in the genealogy of Jesus so very interesting. This story is also an account of the conflict between a woman and a man who has absolute authority over her.<\/p>\n Genesis shows that women living in a patriarchal society face many challenges. Their lives seem to be a constant struggle for recognition. Referring to Genesis 38, in that culture, it was customary for a woman to marry the brother of her deceased husband to be provided for and remain a part of the family. Tamar experienced significant loss at the hands of wicked husbands who mistreated her and faced abandonment by Judah. This led her to do some questionable things. But it was Tamar\u2019s pursuit of justice in Judah\u2019s abandonment of his promise that allowed her to be a part of Jesus\u2019 family. In contexts of injustice and oppression, are women always condemned to do unusual things? Tamar\u2019s story makes us inclined to answer with a yes. The fact that there continues to be injustice and oppression in the world does not mean that transformation will never happen. On the contrary, women\u2019s voices, like Tamar\u2019s, need to be heard, and society needs to naturally pay these women respect for who they are before they look for unusual ways to accomplish the transformation. We must work to remove the societal challenges that prevent women from achieving the justice that Tamar gained. Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n O Lord God, Grant us, a vision of your world as your love would have it: It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her. She conceived and bore a son; and he named him Er. Again … <\/p>\n
Tamar refuses to accept needless suffering and she takes action to change a life that would have been characterised by fear, anxiety, and worry. She seeks to preserve her self-respect and dignity; she refuses to be humiliated as a childless widow and wants to be treated as a woman with some rights in the patriarchal system.<\/p>\n
Tamar\u2019s circumstances and the presence of immorality in her story would have us all believe that she would not be celebrated by Scripture. And yet, Tamar was given the honour of being the first woman included in Jesus\u2019 genealogy. The pain, loss and sin she was subjected to would ultimately be redeemed by the Messiah in her family tree.<\/p>\n
a world where the weak are protected, and none go hungry or poor;
a world where the riches of creation are shared, and everyone can enjoy them;
a world where different races and cultures live in harmony and mutual respect;
a world where peace is built with justice, and justice is guided by love.
Give us the inspiration and courage to build it, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
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