†. Gen 38:6 . . Judah got a wife for Er his first-born; her name was
Tamar.
Ms. Tamar is a total mystery. Neither her family, her ethnic identity, her
age, her looks, her education, her material worth, nor anything else is
known about her. But she's the one through whom God will bring Messiah
into the world; so I think it's safe to say she was probably a much better
woman than Bath-shua.
†. Gen 38:7 . . But Er, Judah's first-born, was displeasing to The
Lord, and The Lord took his life.
Er has the distinction of being the very first member of the people of Israel--
the chosen people --whom God personally clipped Himself. Er won't be the
last. He's a terrifying example of God's total lack of discrimination in regards
to age, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and/or political affiliation (cf. Num
16:28-35). However, there is risk involved when one is in close association
with God because privilege carries along with it responsibility.
†. Amos 3:1-2 . . Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O
children of Israel-- against the whole family which I brought up from the
land of Egypt --saying: You only have I known of all the families of the
earth: that's why I will punish you for all your iniquities. (cf. Mtt 11:23, Luke
12:47-48, Rom 8:13)
†. Gen 38:8 . .Then Judah said to Onan: Join with your brother's wife
and do your duty by her as a brother-in-law, and provide offspring
for your brother.
Since Moses' covenanted Law doesn't have ex post facto jurisdiction (Gal
3:17) then Judah's directive wasn't a strict by-the-book legal requirement
as-stipulated by Deut 25:5-6.
The later-to-come Mosaic "duty" to which Judah referred was apparently a
widely accepted custom, not only in his own day, but in days preceding him.
Some feel that the custom had its origin in the early-day practice of
purchasing a wife rather than courting; so that she became a portion of the
dead man's estate. As such, she remained the "property" (and the
responsibility) of the clan; thus assuring widows of a livelihood, and of
protection and security after their husband's death. In that respect, being a
"mail order" bride had its advantages in an era when very few women had
careers of their own outside the home.
†. Gen 38:9 . . But Onan, knowing that the seed would not count as
his, spilled it on the ground whenever he joined with his brother's
wife, so as not to provide offspring for his brother.
It's been suggested that Onan's motivation for leaving his new wife childless
was to make sure Er didn't posthumously cause his own inheritance to be
reduced. As the firstborn, Er came in for a larger portion of Judah's estate
than Onan. But with Er dead and out of the way, Onan became the firstborn
by natural succession. Actually, Onan didn't have to marry Tamar; but if and
when he did, it was an implied consent to try his best to engender a boy so
the dead man would have someone to carry on his name. But Onan chose
instead to take advantage of his brother's widow and use her like a harlot;
and that was not only a cruel thing to do, but a fatal error too.
†. Gen 38:10 . .What he did was displeasing to The Lord, and He took
his life also.
Some have attempted to use this passage as a proof text that it's a sin to
practice contraception. But any honest examination of the facts testifies
otherwise. Onan evaded his obligation, and married his brother's widow
under false pretenses; apparently with the full intention of protecting his
own inheritance rather than that of his dead brother. That was unforgivable
because it's all the same as fraud and breech of contract; not to mention
deplorably uncaring about a widow's predicament (cf. Luke 7:11-15). Tamar
had a legitimate right to a baby fathered by Judah's clan, and it was their
moral, if not sacred, duty to make an honest attempt to provide her with not
only a baby, but also a man by her side to take care of her too.
†. Gen 38:11a . .Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar: Stay
as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up
At this point, Judah did the unthinkable: he disowned his daughter-in-law.
That just wasn't done. When a girl married into a clan; she became one with
that clan. I can scarce believe Judah sent her back to he father; and I'm
honestly surprised Tamar's dad didn't march her right back to Judah's front
door and get in his face about it and demand he fulfill his obligations to one
of Israel's own widows.
†. Gen 38:11b . . for he thought: He too might die like his brothers.
No doubt Shelah's mom Bath-shua was by this time up in arms and
protesting vehemently against any more marriages of her own sons to this
"toxic" female.
I've a pretty good notion of what Judah had in mind. He had no intention of
letting Tamar anywhere near his one and only surviving male heir. As far as
he was concerned, Tamar was nothing less than a Black Widow-- one of the
those deadly spiders in the southwest that eats her mate for dinner after the
poor slob fulfills his one and only purpose in life.
†. Gen 38:11c . . So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
Sending Tamar back home, as an unattached girl, Judah no doubt sincerely
hoped she would meet somebody in her own neighborhood; maybe an old
boyfriend or two, and remarry before Shelah got old enough; thus, his last
son would be safe from Ms. Black Widow. But as it turned out, Tamar had
more grit than Mattie Ross of Darnel County. Judah's clan owed her dead
husband a baby boy, and that was that.
You can hardly blame her. Jacob's clan was very wealthy, so that any
children Tamar should produce by them, would have all the best that life had
to offer in early-day Palestine; plus her grandchildren would be well taken
care of too. Since nothing is said of her origin, Tamar may not have been a
blue-blooded girl like her mother-in-law, but could have easily come from a
low income community on the wrong side of the tracks. What would you do
in the best interests of your children in that situation?
My dad's third wife married him for that very reason. She was just a 19
year-old Mexican housekeeper working in America on a green card, and my
dad was pushing 60. At first she laughed him to scorn at his proposal, but
later changed her mind when her entire family was plunged into poverty in
Mexicali. She sacrificed her youth and her longings to marry an aging old
man much senior to her-- one with a vasectomy and borderline impotence to
boot --in order to rescue her mom, dad, and three sisters.
Dad moved the whole family to Tijuana and paid for enough second-hand
lumber to build them a home; all the while working with the embassy to get
his young wife a Visa. Then he sponsored her little sisters so they could go
to school in America; and found her third sister a housekeeping job of her
own. He supplied her step-dad with an old Smith & Wesson .22 cal pistol so
he could get a job paying $17 a week as a cop. The entire family benefited
immensely because just one of its daughters put their best interests ahead
of her own.
Cont.
/
Tamar.
Ms. Tamar is a total mystery. Neither her family, her ethnic identity, her
age, her looks, her education, her material worth, nor anything else is
known about her. But she's the one through whom God will bring Messiah
into the world; so I think it's safe to say she was probably a much better
woman than Bath-shua.
†. Gen 38:7 . . But Er, Judah's first-born, was displeasing to The
Lord, and The Lord took his life.
Er has the distinction of being the very first member of the people of Israel--
the chosen people --whom God personally clipped Himself. Er won't be the
last. He's a terrifying example of God's total lack of discrimination in regards
to age, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and/or political affiliation (cf. Num
16:28-35). However, there is risk involved when one is in close association
with God because privilege carries along with it responsibility.
†. Amos 3:1-2 . . Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O
children of Israel-- against the whole family which I brought up from the
land of Egypt --saying: You only have I known of all the families of the
earth: that's why I will punish you for all your iniquities. (cf. Mtt 11:23, Luke
12:47-48, Rom 8:13)
†. Gen 38:8 . .Then Judah said to Onan: Join with your brother's wife
and do your duty by her as a brother-in-law, and provide offspring
for your brother.
Since Moses' covenanted Law doesn't have ex post facto jurisdiction (Gal
3:17) then Judah's directive wasn't a strict by-the-book legal requirement
as-stipulated by Deut 25:5-6.
The later-to-come Mosaic "duty" to which Judah referred was apparently a
widely accepted custom, not only in his own day, but in days preceding him.
Some feel that the custom had its origin in the early-day practice of
purchasing a wife rather than courting; so that she became a portion of the
dead man's estate. As such, she remained the "property" (and the
responsibility) of the clan; thus assuring widows of a livelihood, and of
protection and security after their husband's death. In that respect, being a
"mail order" bride had its advantages in an era when very few women had
careers of their own outside the home.
†. Gen 38:9 . . But Onan, knowing that the seed would not count as
his, spilled it on the ground whenever he joined with his brother's
wife, so as not to provide offspring for his brother.
It's been suggested that Onan's motivation for leaving his new wife childless
was to make sure Er didn't posthumously cause his own inheritance to be
reduced. As the firstborn, Er came in for a larger portion of Judah's estate
than Onan. But with Er dead and out of the way, Onan became the firstborn
by natural succession. Actually, Onan didn't have to marry Tamar; but if and
when he did, it was an implied consent to try his best to engender a boy so
the dead man would have someone to carry on his name. But Onan chose
instead to take advantage of his brother's widow and use her like a harlot;
and that was not only a cruel thing to do, but a fatal error too.
†. Gen 38:10 . .What he did was displeasing to The Lord, and He took
his life also.
Some have attempted to use this passage as a proof text that it's a sin to
practice contraception. But any honest examination of the facts testifies
otherwise. Onan evaded his obligation, and married his brother's widow
under false pretenses; apparently with the full intention of protecting his
own inheritance rather than that of his dead brother. That was unforgivable
because it's all the same as fraud and breech of contract; not to mention
deplorably uncaring about a widow's predicament (cf. Luke 7:11-15). Tamar
had a legitimate right to a baby fathered by Judah's clan, and it was their
moral, if not sacred, duty to make an honest attempt to provide her with not
only a baby, but also a man by her side to take care of her too.
†. Gen 38:11a . .Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar: Stay
as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up
At this point, Judah did the unthinkable: he disowned his daughter-in-law.
That just wasn't done. When a girl married into a clan; she became one with
that clan. I can scarce believe Judah sent her back to he father; and I'm
honestly surprised Tamar's dad didn't march her right back to Judah's front
door and get in his face about it and demand he fulfill his obligations to one
of Israel's own widows.
†. Gen 38:11b . . for he thought: He too might die like his brothers.
No doubt Shelah's mom Bath-shua was by this time up in arms and
protesting vehemently against any more marriages of her own sons to this
"toxic" female.
I've a pretty good notion of what Judah had in mind. He had no intention of
letting Tamar anywhere near his one and only surviving male heir. As far as
he was concerned, Tamar was nothing less than a Black Widow-- one of the
those deadly spiders in the southwest that eats her mate for dinner after the
poor slob fulfills his one and only purpose in life.
†. Gen 38:11c . . So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
Sending Tamar back home, as an unattached girl, Judah no doubt sincerely
hoped she would meet somebody in her own neighborhood; maybe an old
boyfriend or two, and remarry before Shelah got old enough; thus, his last
son would be safe from Ms. Black Widow. But as it turned out, Tamar had
more grit than Mattie Ross of Darnel County. Judah's clan owed her dead
husband a baby boy, and that was that.
You can hardly blame her. Jacob's clan was very wealthy, so that any
children Tamar should produce by them, would have all the best that life had
to offer in early-day Palestine; plus her grandchildren would be well taken
care of too. Since nothing is said of her origin, Tamar may not have been a
blue-blooded girl like her mother-in-law, but could have easily come from a
low income community on the wrong side of the tracks. What would you do
in the best interests of your children in that situation?
My dad's third wife married him for that very reason. She was just a 19
year-old Mexican housekeeper working in America on a green card, and my
dad was pushing 60. At first she laughed him to scorn at his proposal, but
later changed her mind when her entire family was plunged into poverty in
Mexicali. She sacrificed her youth and her longings to marry an aging old
man much senior to her-- one with a vasectomy and borderline impotence to
boot --in order to rescue her mom, dad, and three sisters.
Dad moved the whole family to Tijuana and paid for enough second-hand
lumber to build them a home; all the while working with the embassy to get
his young wife a Visa. Then he sponsored her little sisters so they could go
to school in America; and found her third sister a housekeeping job of her
own. He supplied her step-dad with an old Smith & Wesson .22 cal pistol so
he could get a job paying $17 a week as a cop. The entire family benefited
immensely because just one of its daughters put their best interests ahead
of her own.
Cont.
/
