City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

¹ It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ² There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her, ³ and 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. ⁵ Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.
⁶ And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. ⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” ⁹ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. ¹⁰ And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. ¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father’s house.

–Genesis 38:1-11 ESV

³ and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram

–Matthew 1:3 ESV

¹ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

–Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses detour from Joseph’s storyline and put a spotlight on Judah. After appealing to his brothers to sell Joseph into slavery rather than killing him, Judah went down from his brothers to Canaan. It was there he found a wife and started a family having three children. 

When it was time for his firstborn, Er, to marry, Judah selected Tamar to be his wife. However, the scripture indicates that Er was “wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death” (Genesis 38:7). Similarly, Er’s brother, Onan, who married his brother’s widow Tamar as was the custom, did wickedly in the Lord’s sight (by preventing Tamar from bearing children), and the Lord put him to death also (Genesis 38:8-10). 

By this point, the only son left for Tamar to marry, Shelah, was too young, so Judah suggested his daughter-in-law go back to her father’s house and wait as he was afraid of losing his last son (Genesis 38:11). 

In this situation, Tamar’s lack of children is caused not by her own barrenness, but by the wickedness of her husbands. Through these unexpected losses, she is forced to return to her father’s house and remain there as a widow. 

I’m sure neither Judah nor Tamar could have possibly anticipated the death of these two men. Judah, acting out of fear, treated his daughter-in-law with little compassion or empathy as widows were among the severely disadvantaged in that culture. By casting her away, he provided little to no security or certainty regarding her future. 

Acting out of fear and selfishness is not only harmful to others, but it also limits your own ability to live in the fullness of God’s plan. Tamar’s husbands were not concerned with living to honor God, and their lives were cut short. Judah feared the loss of his last son and was not concerned with the well being of his daughter-in-law when it was in his power to help her. 

This seems like an oddly placed story, but it ties into the story of Joseph quite fittingly. It shows us that God’s goodness and grace are far greater than our own wickedness and sin. God’s ability to masterfully work through life’s painful circumstances and bring about His purpose and plan is surely praiseworthy. It is also amazing to see the unfolding of Judah and Tamar’s story and how God worked through them both in the lineage of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Application

How do you handle an unexpected loss? Rather than turning inwardly into fear, turn to the Lord in your pain. Find refuge in the truth that nothing can separate you from the love of God:

‘Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything! So now I live with the confidence that there is nothing in the universe with the power to separate us from God’s love. I’m convinced that his love will triumph over death, life’s troubles, fallen angels, or dark rulers in the heavens. There is nothing in our present or future circumstances that can weaken his love. There is no power above us or beneath us—no power that could ever be found in the universe that can distance us from God’s passionate love, which is lavished upon us through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One!’

Romans 8:37-39 TPT

Prayer

Father God, I may be perplexed about the losses and disappointments in my life, but I know You have a purpose even in my pain. I do not want to miss what You want to accomplish in and through me because I’m afraid. I pray that You would help me to shake off fear and embrace the truth and freedom I have in Christ. Lord, I pray Your perfect love for me would expel any fear. In Jesus’ name, amen.