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12 Now 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 Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 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. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. 16 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?” 17 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?”18 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 in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.” ~ Genesis 38:12-19
Today, we continue our study of Genesis 38 which chronicles the family tree of Jacob’s fourth born son to Leah, Judah. This chapter underscores the utter importance of being defined by God. When it is not God who defines us, we tend to do really dumb stuff thinking it is good.
The tribe of Judah settled in the region south of Jerusalem and in time became the most powerful and most important tribe. Not only did it produce the great kings David and Solomon but also, it was prophesied, the Messiah would come through Judah. Judah's role as the de-facto leader among his brothers came about due to the moral failings of his brothers Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. Judah’s sense of authority over his brothers was moral and it continued even beyond Judah’s later indiscretions.
Judah means “thank you” which is a key characteristic involved in the development of a deepening walk with God. In Romans 1 we learn that when we turn away from the Lord, that turn away begins with a lack of gratitude in our hearts for the Lord. Often, the more we get, leads to the more we want. Materialism leads to the “give-me” attitude where stuff fills the void of our heart. This is why it is most important that we are defined by God because without His value system being inculcated into our souls we will fall for foolishness.
In v.12 of today’s passage we read, “Now 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 Hirah the Adullamite.”
The friends and family of Judah were obviously concerned for him after his wife died. The death of his wife preceded Judah going to Timnah where Judah’s sheep shearers were located. After a period of time of mourning, Judah was invited to the parties and festivities that were known to be a part of the festive shearing of the sheep at Timnah. Judah took along with him his friend Hirah the Adullamite to enjoy the festivities that would distract Judah from his pain.
In v.13-14 of today’s passage we read, “13 And it was told Tamar, saying, ‘Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.’ 14 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.”
In that culture a woman's identity was so wrapped up in the children that she was able to birth. From the beginning God had emphasized the importance of having children, but as was the case, Tamar allowed this very important thing to become more important than it should have been. Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah was so desperate for a son that she posed as a prostitute in the pathway of Judah her father in law.
The clothes that Tamar wore while living in her father’s house distinguished her as a widow. She had remained faithful to her trust not only by not marrying, but also by showing those around her that she was a widow and living as a widow. If nothing else, the righteousness of her actions are testified to in the Bible. However, because of the length of time mentioned in the previous verse, Tamar had figured out that Judah had no intention of giving his third son to her as a husband. This was her right and if she knew of the Messianic blessing, then even more so. And so she devised a plan, maybe without knowing its outcome, to get him to see the error of his ways. She put on a veil and wrapped herself in a manner that would identify her as a prostitute.
The word for “veil” is used only three times in the Bible. The first was when Rebekah covered herself as she approached her husband-to-be, Isaac. The other two are both in this story. Tamar was unknown to Judah because of the veil. It had been long enough for the third born son of Judah named Shelah to grow up to the point that she should have been given to him as a wife, but it hadn’t happened. Now, in order to be justified as she should have been by Judah, she turned the tables on him.
In v.15 of today’s passage we read, “When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face.”
Since Tamar had dressed as a harlot in a harlotry kind of place, and her face was covered to disguise her identity, Judah had no way of knowing she was his daughter-in-law Tamar. This explains how he could inquire of her services. Since Judah was in such pain after the death of his wife, he justified soliciting the services of a prostitute. Again, this is why it is so important to be defined by God. God is clear in His word that there is to be one man for one woman and vice versa.
In v.16-19 of today's passage we read, "16 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?' 17 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?' 18 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 in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood."
Judah, seeing this woman by the wayside, being unmarried, and being completely unsuspecting of who she really was, made an offer for sex. Judah knew what he was doing when he asked to have sex with this prostitute. He knew that having sex with her was a part of the Canaanite religion and that the Canaanites would consider that he was doing this as an act of worship to one of their gods or goddesses.
Judah, thinking that having sex with a prostitute would ease pain and comfort him, asked for sex and Tamar asked what he was willing to pay for her services. Judah offered her a kid goat for her services. Having agreed upon the price, Tamar then asked for a pledge or a deposit. At the point when the goat was received, it would be then that the deposit would be returned. The deposit was three things; Judah's signet ring, cord, and staff.
Again, this story was given to us to give us a contrast between being defined by God or being defined by our unfettered desires. It does not take long for us to realize that the wages of feeding the flesh are destructive. God desires not to restrict our freedom by He knows that left to ourselves we run a muck of our lives.
The Holy Spirit is symbolized by the dove throughout the Bible. A dove has 9 main feathers on each wing, empowering its’ flight. In the New Testament we are informed that there are 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit and 9 fruits of the Spirit. These gifts and fruits are given to the yielded believer in order to enable us for our godly journey. The dove is unique from other birds in that instead of its wings pointing downward (toward its tail); the wings curl upward toward its head. The Holy Spirit never draws attention to Himself, but points all to Christ. Life lived in the flesh even under the law produces the works of the flesh. Life lived in the Spirit realizes the gifts and the fruits of the Spirit. God gave us these qualities through the Holy Spirit because we cannot produce His life in us. And, when we grow in our fellowship with the Father and the Lord Jesus, we will realize the expression of these gifts and fruits in our lives. It will be at that point that we will recognize the utter foolishness of a life defined by the flesh.
