(1) From the last chapter, Judah was introduced as a cold-blooded brother. Now, we see his sons were copying their father.
38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD killed him.
38:10 What he did was evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD killed him too.
v.8 (NET) Raise up a descendant for your brother. The purpose of this custom, called the levirate system, was to ensure that no line of the family would become extinct. The name of the deceased was to be maintained through this custom of having a child by the nearest relative.
Even Judah knew that all his sons did not do the right thing in front of the LORD.
38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
(NET) v.11 "I don’t want him to die like his brothers." This clause explains that Judah had no intention of giving Shelah to Tamar for the purpose of the levirate marriage. Judah apparently knew the nature of his sons, and feared that God would be angry with the third son and kill him as well.
(2) In Jesus' genealogy in Matthew there were only 3 mother's names. Tamar was one of them.
v.26 (NET) She is more upright than I. Judah had been irresponsible and unfaithful to his duty to see that the family line continued through the levirate marriage of his son Shelah. Tamar fought for her right to be the mother of Judah’s line. When she was not given Shelah and Judah’s wife died, she took action on her own to ensure that the line did not die out. Though deceptive, it was a desperate and courageous act. For Tamar it was within her rights; she did nothing that the law did not entitle her to do. But for Judah it was wrong because he thought he was going to a prostitute.
Judah was inconsistent in the matter of prostitution. On one hand, he slept with a prostitute. Think about why Tamar would risk and pretend to be a prostitute when she heard that Judah was in the area.
(NET) v.15 “he reckoned her for a prostitute,” which was what Tamar had intended for him to do. She obviously had some idea of his inclinations, or she would not have tried this risky plan.
On the other hand, when Judah heard that Tamar was pregnant from prostitution he would bring her out and let her be burned v.24.
Reflection: What did Judah exemplify to us?
a. He was not a good brother nor a good father. He sold Joseph into slavery. He could not teach his own children. In order to avoid the problem of his family and having his 3rd son killed by God he shuffled Tamar home. It might be easier to do to ask Tamar to go home than to teach his grown up son, Shelah, and asked him not to repeat the same sinful behavior as Onan. In other words, he swept the dirt under the carpet.
How do we do as siblings? How do we do as parents? Do we love our family as God has put these people in our lives?
How do we handle problems in our family? Do we teach our children or do we sweep the dirt under the carpet? Blaming others or making excuses for our children are much easier to do than to face the problem and teach our children.
b. He was inconsistent in raising Er's descendants and he was inconsistent in the issue of prostitution.
Are we inconsistent? We magnify the sin of our spouses but when we do it ourselves we make excuses for ourselves? Or do we take a lot of time in entertainment and criticize our children for spending too much screen time?
Audrey
38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD killed him.
38:10 What he did was evil in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD killed him too.
v.8 (NET) Raise up a descendant for your brother. The purpose of this custom, called the levirate system, was to ensure that no line of the family would become extinct. The name of the deceased was to be maintained through this custom of having a child by the nearest relative.
Even Judah knew that all his sons did not do the right thing in front of the LORD.
38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
(NET) v.11 "I don’t want him to die like his brothers." This clause explains that Judah had no intention of giving Shelah to Tamar for the purpose of the levirate marriage. Judah apparently knew the nature of his sons, and feared that God would be angry with the third son and kill him as well.
(2) In Jesus' genealogy in Matthew there were only 3 mother's names. Tamar was one of them.
v.26 (NET) She is more upright than I. Judah had been irresponsible and unfaithful to his duty to see that the family line continued through the levirate marriage of his son Shelah. Tamar fought for her right to be the mother of Judah’s line. When she was not given Shelah and Judah’s wife died, she took action on her own to ensure that the line did not die out. Though deceptive, it was a desperate and courageous act. For Tamar it was within her rights; she did nothing that the law did not entitle her to do. But for Judah it was wrong because he thought he was going to a prostitute.
Judah was inconsistent in the matter of prostitution. On one hand, he slept with a prostitute. Think about why Tamar would risk and pretend to be a prostitute when she heard that Judah was in the area.
(NET) v.15 “he reckoned her for a prostitute,” which was what Tamar had intended for him to do. She obviously had some idea of his inclinations, or she would not have tried this risky plan.
On the other hand, when Judah heard that Tamar was pregnant from prostitution he would bring her out and let her be burned v.24.
Reflection: What did Judah exemplify to us?
a. He was not a good brother nor a good father. He sold Joseph into slavery. He could not teach his own children. In order to avoid the problem of his family and having his 3rd son killed by God he shuffled Tamar home. It might be easier to do to ask Tamar to go home than to teach his grown up son, Shelah, and asked him not to repeat the same sinful behavior as Onan. In other words, he swept the dirt under the carpet.
How do we do as siblings? How do we do as parents? Do we love our family as God has put these people in our lives?
How do we handle problems in our family? Do we teach our children or do we sweep the dirt under the carpet? Blaming others or making excuses for our children are much easier to do than to face the problem and teach our children.
b. He was inconsistent in raising Er's descendants and he was inconsistent in the issue of prostitution.
Are we inconsistent? We magnify the sin of our spouses but when we do it ourselves we make excuses for ourselves? Or do we take a lot of time in entertainment and criticize our children for spending too much screen time?
Audrey
2026
Questions
1. v.9-10
2. He was one who would sleep with prostitute but would burn his daughter-in-law when she was pregnant by being a prostitute.
3. Do not see ourselves as capable to commit sins. No mercy
4. She committed to fulfill the responsibility to have offspring in her husband's family.
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