1 Dear Friend, this is a transcript of a sermon preached by Pastor Jeremy Tan from the pulpit of Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. We are committed to expository preaching because we believe it is the most effective way to expose, explain and expound the Holy Scriptures. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). Through careful systematic and sequential exposition, the preacher is able to declare unto you all the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and Christians are blessed with a regular, well-balanced diet of God s Word. Expository preaching also helps us to have a high view of Scripture. We wish to extend a warm welcome to you to join us in our church services for a time of uplifting worship and helpful Bible study, which will bring rejoicing and refreshment to your soul. Do visit our church website at www.amazingracebc.org or write to us at amazingracebc@gmail.com. JUDAH AND TAMAR Genesis 38:1 30 At first reading, Genesis 38 seems to be an interruption of the story of Joseph. We left Joseph in Genesis 37:36, with the traders taking him to Egypt and selling him off to the captain Potiphar. The Ishmeelites or Midianites did not come to Dothan by chance. Instead, their caravan arrived according to the providential schedule of God. Moreover, they are identified in Genesis 37:25 as spice traders; which means that slave trading was not their main business. It is likely that they did not expect to buy a slave in Dothan. But just when the brothers were prepared to let Joseph die of thirst or hunger in the deep pit, or die from exposure to the elements, these traders arrived as the unwitting rescuers of Joseph. It cost the traders twenty pieces of silver to buy Joseph, but in God s sovereign purpose Joseph was an invaluable cargo waiting to be picked up. We are excited to continue with Joseph s story in Egypt, but we have to wait until Genesis 39. Here in Genesis 38 Moses the narrator turns our attention to Judah, his sons, and his daughter-in-law. Why is the story of Judah and his descendants inserted here? There are five reasons why Genesis 38 is the logical and chronological place to give the story of Judah. First of all, this chapter accounts for the three families of Judah (Numbers 26:20). Secondly, it helps to validate the levirate law, whereby a man had to marry the widow of his deceased brother to preserve his line (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). Third, this narrative shows us the contrast between the faith and chastity of Judah and Joseph, when both were under temptation. Fourth, Judah s relationships with Canaanite women put the Abrahamic Covenant at risk of becoming null and void. Living in Canaan gave the people of Israel opportunities to have mixed marriages with the Canaanites. Therefore, a temporary move to Egypt was needed to separate Israel from the Canaanites and their corrupting influence. By divine providence, Joseph was sent ahead to Egypt to prepare the way for his family to follow. In Egypt, the children of Israel would live in Goshen, a place remote from the Egyptians. The Egyptians disliked foreigners, especially shepherds; and the children of Israel were both
2 (Genesis 46:34). Fifth, the story of Judah contributes to our knowledge of the ancestry of David and of Christ. So this chapter about Judah is not misplaced. It fits exactly where it should be in the book. It also gives us vital information about the family line of the Messiah. Note that during this period of approximately twenty-two years when Judah is betting sons by his Canaanite wife, Joseph is also begetting sons by his Egyptian wife (Genesis 41:50-52). The narrative in Genesis 38 begins with I. Judah s Sins. Genesis 38:1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. At that time, that Judah went down from his brethren. This statement gives us a time reference for the chapter. Judah moved away from his brothers after they had returned home to give their father the false report of Joseph s death. Notice that he moved away from his brethren, which suggests the possibility that Judah had fallen out with his brothers because of their treatment of Joseph. From Hebron (Genesis 37:14), Judah went to visit Hirah the Adullamite. This Canaanite man is called an Adullamite because he was a native of Adullam, an area about 5km (3 miles) southwest of Bethlehem. Later in Old Testament history, David would hide from Saul in a cave in Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1). This area would also become part of Judah s territory after its conquest by Judah s tribe (2 Chronicles 11:5, 7). Genesis 38:2-5 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her. 3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. 4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. 5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all married to women who were Shemites. So Judah knew full well that he must not marry a Canaanite. As the son with the birthright, he had the responsibility to preserve the purity of the family line, instead of polluting it. Moreover, he and his brothers were vehemently opposed to their sister Dinah being married to the Canaanite prince of Shechem; yet Judah easily took up with a Canaanite woman and married her. The conjunction of the two verbs [ saw and took in Genesis 38:2] has overtones of lust (3:6; 6:2; 12:15; 34:2). (Genesis: A Commentary, Bruce A. Waltke with Cathi J. Fredricks, p. 509). Judah s wife, known only as the daughter of Shuah, was fertile and bore him three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. When Er came of age, Judah gave him a Canaanite wife. We are not surprised at Judah s choice for his son, since he himself was married to a Canaanite! Genesis 38:6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. Thus we see Judah s firstborn Er, a half-canaanite, married to the Canaanite Tamar. We know nothing of Tamar s family background, but she was either a native of Adullam or Chezib.
3 Genesis 38:7 And Er, Judah s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. The text is silent about the sin that Er committed, but whatever he did, he was a wicked man who displeased God; and God killed him. This is the first text to state explicitly that God put someone to death. (Waltke, p. 510). Genesis 38:8-10 8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. 9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also. According to the custom known as levirate marriage, Judah gave his second son to his widowed daughter-in-law. The word levir is Latin for brother-in-law. This practice was later codified into the law of Israel (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). According to this law, it was the duty of the next oldest brother to marry his widowed sister-in-law and have sons with her. The first son of the new marriage would be considered the son of his dead brother, and be entitled to the inheritance. In this way, the line of the dead brother would be carried on. At the same time, his widow would have children to support her. Otherwise, she would likely live the rest of her life as a destitute. Although the circumstances are a little different, an example of levirate marriage is that between Ruth and Boaz. Levirate marriage existed as an institution even during the days of Jesus (Matthew 22:23-30; Mark 12:18-25; Luke 20:27-35). The Sadducees once questioned the Lord Jesus about this law. They asked Him how the law of levirate marriage applied to the woman who had married seven brothers. The brothers died one by one, without leaving her any children. In the end, the woman also died. The question was about marital relationships after the resurrection: whose wife was she? But the levirate law was not always welcomed by the surviving brother because it affected his own claim to the family inheritance. Onan refused to father a son for his deceased brother because he would lose the inheritance. However, Onan s sin was not a simple matter of refusing to do his duty. According to the syntax of Genesis 38:9, he persistently refused to impregnate Tamar. He had no objection to sleeping with Tamar as his wife, but he refused to fulfill his obligation to his dead brother, and to Tamar. Many have used this incident as a proof text against masturbation. Indeed, Onanism is the term given for masturbation. However, Onan was not masturbating. Rather, he slept with his brother s widow but he refused to give her an offspring. For his selfishness, God killed Onan. The Lord regards the abuse of levirate marriage a capital offense. (Waltke, p. 511). Genesis 38:11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father s house. With the death of his two older sons, Judah promised to give his youngest to his twice-widowed daughter-in-law. But until Shelah became eligible for marriage, Tamar was to return to her own father s house to wait. Observe here that by sending Tamar away, Judah shirked his responsibility to care for his widowed daughter-in-law. Yet he retained authority
4 over her, as we shall see later in Genesis 38:24. But Judah s true intention is revealed to us in the statement, Lest peradventure he die also. Before we proceed to our next point, let us note the sins that Judah committed. Judah s first sin was to put the Abrahamic Covenant at risk by marrying a Canaanite. His wife s Canaanite culture and morals were passed on to their sons. God was displeased with two of their sons by killing them for their wickedness (Genesis 38, 7, 10). Judah s second sin was to obtain a Canaanite wife for his son. The father married a Canaanite, so what was the problem for the son to do the same? Sin is easy to accommodate after the first time! Judah s third and fourth sins are his unfaithfulness to his vow to Tamar, and his visit to the prostitute. These sins are in the next point, so now we look at II. Tamar s Stratagem. Genesis 38:12 And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. After Judah was comforted, which means after his period of mourning for his wife, he went to visit his sheepshearers at work. This was the season for the sheep to be shorn of their wool. The period of sheep shearing was a time of celebration (1 Samuel 25:2-8; 2 Samuel 13:23-24). In fact, in 1 Samuel 25:8 David described the time he sent his men to Nabal s sheepshearers as a good day (Hebrew, yôm ṭōḇ), an expression which refers to a feast day. As the owner of the flocks, Judah had to oversee the work of his sheepshearers. Other sheep owners such as Laban (Genesis 31:19), Nabal (1 Samuel 25:8), and Absalom (2 Samuel 13:23-24) did the same. At the same time, Judah visited Hirah his friend. Tamar was informed about Judah s movement, and she decided that this was the best time for her to carry out her stratagem, which is to seduce Judah. Genesis 38:13-14 13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep. 14 And she put her widow s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife. Tamar saw herself as a member of Judah s family. She was the wife of Judah s firstborn, first with Er, and then with Onan; so she was concerned about her position as the matriarch in the family. But in the process of time, the reality dawned on her that Judah had no intention to give his third son to her. We note in Genesis 38:14 and 26 that Judah had no intention of ever marrying Shelah to Tamar. Why? To Judah, Tamar was like the black widow. His two older sons had died after marrying her, and he would not put Shelah at risk. With only one son left, Judah s own family line was under threat. What if Shelah also died?
5 Tamar chose the sheep shearing season to carry out her seduction stratagem because this was a festive time when sexual temptation abounded. In the Canaanite cult, ritual fornication was enacted with prostitutes on threshing floors in the hopes of producing a bumper harvest. Through his marriage to a Canaanite, and friendship with Canaanites such as Hirah, Judah was exposed to this cultic prostitution. (Hosea 4:13-14 & 9:1-2 give details of Israel practicing the aberrant practice of sacred prostitution at feast times). Thus we see the corrupting influence of the Canaanites on the morals of the Covenant family. Genesis 38:15-18 15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face. 16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? 17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? 18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. Tamar did not set the price, but she left it to Judah. This made Judah even more responsible for his conduct. After negotiating the price of a young goat, Tamar asked Judah for a pledge of payment. She asked Judah to give her three personal items as his pledge: his signet, bracelets, and his staff. These are the tokens of a prominent man. The signet is not a ring, but a cylindrical seal worn around the neck by the bracelets or cord. The staff was often carved with the name of its owner. After their intimate liaison, Tamar conceived. Judah certainly did not want the pregnancy, but Tamar expected it, and ultimately God allowed it. Genesis 38:19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. After succeeding with her stratagem, Tamar returned to her father s house. Her fatherin-law had abandoned her, and would not give her Shelah, but she would have children through Judah himself. Thus, She meets trickery with trickery. (Waltke, p. 512). Genesis 38:20-23 20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman s hand: but he found her not. 21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place. 22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place. 23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her. We notice that on the three occasions where Hirah the Adullamite is mentioned, the outcome for Judah was not good. On the first occasion in Genesis 38:1, Judah s visit to his Canaanite friend led to his marriage to a Canaanite. On the second occasion in Genesis 38:12, Judah s visit to Hirah ended with his visit to a Canaanite prostitute. Now on this third occasion, Judah asked Hirah to bring the young goat as payment, and to retrieve his personal items from the prostitute. But Hirah was unsuccessful. What is the point? 1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
6 In the translation of the English Standard Version, Bad company ruins good morals. Do not expect your non-believing friends to hold you to righteous living according to God s Word! The Canaanites of this world will not help us to become more like Christ! But why did Judah send payment through his friend? The reason is that he did not want to expose himself and ruin his reputation. But since Hirah could not find the prostitute anywhere, Judah thought there was nothing more to it. No one knew about his visit, except his Canaanite friend, and that was all that mattered. However, that was not the end of the story. Somehow or other, Be sure that sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23). So this brings us to our next point III. Judah s Shame. Genesis 38:24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. About three months later Tamar was discovered to be pregnant, and the matter was brought to Judah s attention. He had sent Tamar home to her own father and could not be bothered with her, but now Judah was quick to bring her back to be punished. He found it easy to pass judgment on someone who sinned just as he sinned, without passing the same judgment on himself. We tend to be kinder to ourselves than to others, quick to point out the faults of others, but blind to our sins. In Matthew 7:1-5 our Lord Jesus preached about the beam in our own eye. Genesis 38:25-26 25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. 26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more. Judah was like David, who wanted the sinner judged and punished. In both cases, the person who took offence was the offender. But when Tamar produced Judah s tokens that revealed his identity, he immediately admitted his guilt. He recognized, if not her innocence, that she was more in the right than he was. By putting on widow s garments, Tamar showed her loyalty to her deceased husband. She could have remarried another Canaanite, but she did not. Instead, she wanted to raise seed for her Covenant family. The statement, And he knew her no more, means that Judah did not knowingly commit incest with Tamar. IV. Judah s Successors. Genesis 38:27-30 27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. 28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. 29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. 30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
7 The births of Pharez and Zarah are like the births of Jacob and Esau. Both sets of births involve twins. In both cases, the younger thrusts ahead of the elder and displaces him. In both, the one who is naturally expected to get the birthright loses it to the younger. Both are associated with red: red stew for Esau, and a red thread for Zarah. The similarities between the births of Judah s father Jacob and his son Pharez point to divine election upon Judah and his family line. Pharez is like his grandfather Jacob, the one who strives and prevails. Moreover, The births match Tamar s own struggle for children. She has broken out from Judah s deceitful binding of her. (Waltke, p. 514). Pharez is named as an ancestor in the two genealogies of Jesus Christ in Matthew (1:3) and Luke (3:33). Although Judah and Tamar were not the examples of godliness, God graciously took the son of their ungodly relationship and put him in the family line of the Messiah. Equally interesting as the Davidic genealogy is that of Christ (Matt. 1:1 17). Tamar is the first of several women in the genealogy of Christ (v. 3a), and her son Perez is a link in the chain that produces David s greater son (v. 3b). In this genealogy Tamar is included with Rahab (v. 5), Ruth (v. 6), Bathsheba (here mentioned only as the wife of Uriah, v. 6), and Mary (v. 16). These are the only five ancestresses of Jesus that Matthew includes. Absent from the genealogy are, for example, the mothers of Israel, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah. Is there a connecting link among the women included, or is there anything that Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba share with Mary? (Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18 50, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament p. 454-5). Yes, there is. Each of these four women had a highly irregular and potentially scandalous marital union. Nevertheless, these unions were, by God s providence, links in the chain to the Messiah. Accordingly, each of them prepares the way for Mary, whose marital situation is also peculiar, given the fact that she is pregnant but has not yet had sexual relations with her betrothed husband Joseph. Thus the inclusion of the likes of Tamar in this family tree on one hand foreshadows the circumstances of the birth of Christ, and on the other hand blunts any attack on Mary. God had worked his will in the midst of whispers of scandal. (Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18 50, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament p. 455-6). The inclusion of these Gentile women Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba in the genealogy of Christ is an encouragement to us all because it proves that the mercy of God is not limited to one race or nation. God is merciful and gracious to all who believe in Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Conclusion The story of Judah raises a number of important lessons for us. The first lesson is about sin and its consequences. For Judah, one sin led to another. His marriage to a Canaanite influenced him and his sons with the pagan morals of an unbelieving race. Next, he broke his vow to Tamar, and eventually his sin with Tamar brought him personal disgrace, and also public disgrace and danger to Tamar. Do not think that you can sin and escape the consequences.
8 The second lesson involves his friend Hirah the Adullamite. We will not become more like Christ when we spend our time with the Canaanites of this world. Yet great as Judah s sin was, God was at work for good. God included Pharez as one of the ancestors of the Lord Jesus Christ. Think of it. Is it not strange that Christ should trace His ancestry through this illicit son of Judah rather than through Joseph, who is so much more like Christ, and who became the human saviour of his people? The only answer is that God is gracious to sinners. Look at Tamar. Whereas Judah the son of the Covenant disobeyed God and disgraced himself through his own marriage to a Canaanite and giving his son a Canaanite wife, and behaving like the Canaanites, and consorting with a prostitute, Tamar the Canaanite proved her faithfulness and loyalty to the Abrahamic Covenant. She chose to remain a widow twice over, and then she seduced Judah in order to conceive and carry the Covenant seed. Like Ruth the Moabitess, Tamar refused to return to her own people, but held on to the promises of God to Abraham. Thus, God graciously intervened by giving Tamar and Judah twin sons, one of whom was Pharez, an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Martin Luther said that the story of Judah and Tamar was included in Genesis for two purposes. First, to rebuke presumption; and second, to challenge despair. It rebukes presumption in that if Judah who was an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ, a believer in God, and who presumably had the instructions of his elders sinned so easily with Tamar, then none of us is immune to sin. As for the challenge to despair, this story of Judah shows us the mercy of God. God is faithful to His people. Luther wrote, If you have fallen, return; for the door of mercy is open to you. You, who are conscious of no sin, do not be presumptuous, but both of you should trust in [God s] grace and mercy. (James Montgomery Boice, Genesis: An Expositional Commentary Volume 3, p. 898). So believer, do not be presumptuous about your relationship with God and think you cannot fall into sin. On the other hand, do not despair if you have fallen! God is gracious to the repentant sinner. If you are not a believer in Christ, let nothing keep you from God s salvation plan. Come to Christ and be saved! Permission: We share our materials with you as a blessing from the ministry of our church. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by Amazing Grace Baptist Church. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: Copyright: Amazing Grace Baptist Church Singapore. Website: www.amazingracebc.org. Used by permission as granted on website.