1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her; 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him. 6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also. 11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household. ~ Genesis 38:1-11
Today, we begin our study of Genesis 38 which upon first glance seems to be random and unnecessary. But, as we are learning, every word of the Bible is important because it is God’s word. As we are told elsewhere in the Bible it is a treasure which isn’t easily understood without being searched out. It is living and active and ready to transform us as we lay our souls bare to it. When we read the Bible, we can read it as a textbook or we can read it as a treasure book. The approach makes all the difference in the world because when we come to the Word of God as a treasure to be discovered we will be granted the abundant life that it promises. And oh, the horizons await!
This chapter was meant to be understood along with the previous account of Joseph’s life in the previous chapter. At this point in time Joseph was enduring an intense trial which would last for many years and is recorded to show how the Israelites ended up in Egypt. At the same time, the story of Judah and his family is given to show us about the main line which led to the Messiah. The Lord Jesus, the eventual Lion of Judah, came through Judah. Because of this, the story here bears directly on His ancestry.
In v.1 of today’s passage we read, “It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.”
Judah, like his brothers, was a shepherd and so he would take his flocks and head out for green pastures. For whatever reason, he decided to go out on his own, leaving his brothers, and to visit someone he met named Hirah whose name means “nobility.” He’s noted as an Adullamite. Adullam was a town to the south and west of Jerusalem in the lowlands. Adullam means “righteousness.”
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her."
While visiting Hirah in Adullam, Judah married a daughter of Shua, who is identified as a Canaanite. Shua means “wealth.” This verse is one which should tell us about the importance of names that God records in the Bible. Since the name of Judah’s friend is given, the people his friend belongs to is given, and the name of his father’s wife is given. But the wife’s name isn’t. The one person you’d expect to be named isn’t named at all. This tells us to pay attention when names are given. There is a story within the story to be discovered here. Later, in Genesis 46:12 we learn Judah’s family went to Egypt some time after this. This is some important information as we will see later.
In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, “3 So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.”
Er means “watching.” And, with no other commentary about the times and life of Judah, the story jumps straight to the next son to be born, Onan, which means “strong.” But instead of Judah naming him, it says Shua named him.
In v.5 of today’s passage we read, “And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.”
And yet again, a third son is recorded by name. His name is Shelah which means “prosperity.” Again the wife names the son and then it notes the he, Judah, was at Chezib when she bore him. Chezib means “false.”
In v.6 of today’s passage we read, “Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.”
Judah got married at a young age and now he finds a wife for his firstborn at a young age as well. The wife he chose was named Tamar, meaning “Palm Tree.” In the Bible, the palm tree has several connotations. It is a symbol of prosperity, the element of an oasis, and it also is a picture of a faithful and righteous person.
In v.7 of todays passage we read, “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.”
In v.7 of todays passage we read, “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.”
We are told in Romans 6 that the wages of sin is death. Sin cannot abide in the presence of God, it must be atoned for. Since Er was evil before the Lord it makes sense that before the Lord in his sin death resulted. In an interesting play on “Er” and “wickedness” bear the same letters in the Hebrew for both words. God described Er as completely wicked; it being his very nature. Er’s wickedness was great like the people before the Flood of Noah and the people of Sodom.
In v.8 of today’s passage we read, “And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.”
Because Er was dead and he left no children, Judah tells his second son Onan, to take Tamar as his wife and raise up an heir for Er. The word used for this marriage is a special word used just for this purpose. It is where a person acts as a husband for the widow of a brother who died without children.
This is something that will actually be mandated under the Law of Moses, but it was a custom which was obviously known at this time. It is also known to have been practiced in many cultures of the mid-east and Africa. It is a way of honoring the name of the dead so that their name doesn’t die out. It will also ensure that the inheritance of the firstborn remains alive.
In v.9 of today’s passage we read, “But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother.”
Due to the custom of the land and Judah’s direction to him, the first child of Onan wouldn’t be recorded as his. It would be listed under Er. And the inheritance for Er would go to this son rather than to his own. This didn’t sit well with Onan and so instead of refusing to have Tamar at all, he committed a worse act. He took her as his wife, but he wouldn’t provide a child for her in the process. The Hebrew word literally says he “destroyed to the ground.” So he treated her shamefully, disgraced the name of his brother, and violated the custom handed down to him by his father.
In v.10 of today’s passage we read, “And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He killed him also.”
Without the operative grace of God, the deaths of Er and Onan would have been the norm. The name "Lord" or "YHWH" is mentioned three times in this chapter and only in the two verses about Er and Onan. What they had done was a violation of the covenant God gave to Abraham and which was passed down to Isaac, then Jacob, and then to the sons of Israel. As Judah is the son in the line of the Messiah, these sons had willfully disgraced the covenant.
In v.11 of today’s passage we read, “Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ‘Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.’”
Tamar had seen two husbands die without bearing children. Judah knew that Shelah was too young to perform his duties by giving her a child in place of those two brothers. And so he says to her to remain a widow in her father’s house until Shelah is old enough to fill the role.
The point of all of this that seems most random is clearly before us. Even though Joseph was a slave in Egypt, Judah and his posterity were in bondage far more than Joseph. The freedom the Lord Jesus offers us is not a political revolution. His freedom is not about changing our outward circumstances. This is a significant concept because it reveals the Lord Jesus can free us wherever we are. Paul was on the road to Damascus persecuting Christians. The prodigal was in a pig pen. Peter was in a boat fishing. One woman was drawing water from a well. Another woman found freedom when caught in adultery. A thief was on a cross of execution when the Lord Jesus set his soul free! Spiritual freedom is not dependent upon physical circumstances that may have led or contributed to our bondage. The Lord Jesus can set us free when we are overdrawn in our checkbook without making a deposit. He can set us free from past or current failures without having to load a U-haul truck. It is only when we are being defined by the truth that we will know true freedom. And true freedom is bondage to our Creator.
