The Story of Judah and Tamar
Devotions for Growing Christians
The Story of Judah and Tamar
The story of Judah and Tamar is not a pleasant tale, and you won’t hear many sermons preached on Genesis 38. Why would the Holy Spirit choose to include this sordid account of immorality and “prostitution” as part of the inspired text of Scripture?
God included this chapter because it contains teaching that He wants us to learn. And Genesis 38 tells us about the ancestors of the Messiah. That important lineage is covered in the genealogies of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:3). So let’s take a look at a paraphrased version of Genesis chapter 38.
Judah married a Cannanite woman, and they had three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. When the boys were older, Er married a woman named Tamar. But Er was a wicked man, so the Lord took his life. So Judah told his son, Onan, to marry Tamar, as it was required by the law to produce an heir for his brother.
Onan didn’t want a child that was not his own heir, so whenever he lay with Tamar, he “spilled his seed” on the ground. The Lord considered this evil, so He took Onan’s life as well.
Judah sent Tamar to live with her parents until his third son, Shelah, was old enough to marry her. However, Judah didn’t really intend to promote the marriage because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his brothers.
Some years later, after Judah’s wife died, he traveled to the town of Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep. Tamar learned about his trip. Tamar knew that Shelah had grown up, but no plans had been made for them to marry. So she changed out of her widow’s clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road and waited for Judah to pass. Judah didn’t realize that she was his own daughter-in-law. He thought she was a prostitute, and propositioned her, promising her a young goat as payment.
Tamar asked Judah to leave his identification seal and walking stick as collateral. Afterwards, she went home, now pregnant with Judah’s child. Judah later sent a goat to the “prostitute,” as promised, but she couldn’t be found, so he let the matter drop. About three months later, someone told Judah that Tamar (still a widow) had become pregnant.
“Bring her out, and let her be burned!” Judah demanded. But she sent this message to her father-in-law: “The man who owns this seal and walking stick is the father of my child”
Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” Tamar later gave birth to twins named Perez and Zerah.
Background Notes
The first part of this chapter revolves around what became known as the “Levirate Law” of marriage. The word “levirate” comes from the Latin word for “brother-in-law.” This law stated that if a married man died without an heir, his next-in-line eligible brother was to marry the widow. He was to father an heir who would receive the brother’s inheritance and carry on his brother’s name. The widow would then have the joy of motherhood, and she would have a child who could care for her in the future. God approved of this practice, because it was later included in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 25), and is also seen in the book of Ruth.
Judah’s first son, Er, was “wicked in the Lord’s sight,” and the Lord took his life. His sin isn’t identified, but it must have been very serious. God also disapproved of the attitude of Judah’s second son, Onan, and took his life as well. After Onan’s death, Judah told Tamar she could marry his third son, Shelah, when he was old enough.
Judah never followed through with that promise, so Tamar decided to take matters into her own hands. Her end-goal was honorable: to preserve the line of Judah so the inheritance and blessings of the covenant could continue. However, she went about it the wrong way. She plotted to trick Judah as he traveled to shear sheep with his friends. Sheep-shearing was a happy time, with a party-like atmosphere, and during this time Tamar was able to seduce Judah.
Worship rituals of the pagan Canaanite fertility gods included fornication and prostitution, so it was not unusual in that culture for a prostitute to sit by the roadside. However, the fact that it was a cultural norm doesn’t justify Tamar’s sinful methods. And just because prostitution was culturally acceptable doesn’t mean that Judah was justified in his sinful actions. Although this passage of Scripture does not appear to condemn Judah or Tamar for their sinful behavior, God certainly does not take sexual sin lightly.
The seal that Judah gave Tamar was probably a “cylinder seal.” These small stone cylinders were engraved with the owner’s distinctive design and were worn on a cord around the neck in ancient times. When they were rolled over wet clay or wax, they were almost as distinctive as a fingerprint or a signature as an identifying mark of its owner. Judah’s staff would have also had his own identifying markings. So when Tamar became pregnant, there was no mistake that Judah was the man who was responsible.
Doctrinal / Teaching Points
1. The story of Judah and Tamar magnifies the faith of Joseph.
The story of Joseph begins in Genesis 37 and continues through Genesis 50. The story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38 is like a parenthesis in the Joseph narrative. Again we might wonder: why did God interrupt the account of faithful Joseph with the sordid account of Judah’s sin? Let’s suggest two reasons, although there may be more.
One reason might be to show us why God led the people of Israel to live in Egypt, even though they would later be enslaved in that land. Have you ever wondered why God would lead His chosen people to a place where they would end up in bondage?
Judah, a descendant of godly Abraham, married a pagan Canaanite (v2). We know from Scripture and archaeological artifacts that the Canaanites were very idolatrous, immoral people. If the Israelites stayed in their homeland, this type of intermarriage would have surely gone on for years, and God’s chosen people would have no longer been distinctively Jewish. But in Egypt there was very little intermarriage because the Egyptians detested the Hebrews (Genesis 43:32; Genesis 46:34). Living in Egypt, the nation of Israel was actually sheltered from contamination by the idolatrous Canaanites!
A second reason why Genesis 38 is included in the Joseph story is that the sad story of Judah and Tamar magnifies Joseph’s faith and faithfulness. Joseph’s faith in God and his outstanding moral character are highlighted when contrasted with the character of Judah.
This structural motif is used throughout Genesis. Abel’s faith is contrasted to Cain’s lack of faith. Abraham’s faith is contrasted to Lot’s lack of faith. Jacob’s faith is contrasted to Esau’s lack of faith. And here, Joseph’s faith is highlighted and contrasted to Judah’s lack of faith.
2. The story of Judah and Tamar magnifies the grace of God.
The story of Judah and Tamar is not pleasant. Broken promises, deception, immorality, and incest… but through it all we see the grace of God. Romans 5:20 says, “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” We see that truth illustrated in Genesis 38. In fact, the grace of God is magnified in this story. Jesus, the Messiah, is a descendant of this immoral relationship with Tamar and Judah! God did not condone their wrongdoing, but this fact clearly demonstrates His amazing grace.
Tamar is one of the four women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1, along with Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. These women were most likely all Gentiles, and three of the four were not models of a godly life. But God, in his wonderful grace, overruled in each of their lives and situations.
The wonderful grace of God continues in Judah’s life throughout Genesis 37-50. In Genesis 37, Judah was willing to betray his younger brother and sell him into slavery, but he wasn’t willing to kill him. In chapter 38, Judah was willing to confess that he was the primary wrong-doer in his dealings with Tamar. And later, Judah was willing to give up his freedom—and even his own life—to rescue his brother Benjamin, and to save his father Jacob from the grief of losing another son. The story of Judah and Tamar magnifies the wonderful grace of God.
Practical Applications
1. Don’t be too quick to point the finger at other sinners.
When Judah heard that Tamar was expecting a child, he was very angry. “Bring her out and let her be burned!” he exclaimed! But he pointed the finger too quickly and had to acknowledge that he was the bigger sinner.
It’s easy to accuse other people of wrong-doing, isn’t it? It’s human nature to see the sins of others, but fail to recognize our own sins. That’s why Jesus said, “Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye, when you have a log in your own?” (Luke 6:41). Let’s be aware of our own sinfulness and failings, and not be so quick to point the finger at other sinners.
2. Fulfill your family obligations!
The story of Judah and Tamar shows repeated failures to fulfill family obligations. Fulfilling our responsibilities to our family members is very important to God. This truth is taught in both the Old and New Testaments. Our responsibilities within the immediate family are found, for example, in Ephesians 5:22-6:4.
1 Timothy 5:8 gives us a graphic warning about failing to fulfill our obligations to our families, including extended family members: “But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” As obedient believers, let’s fulfill our family responsibilities!
- Dave Reid
(Updated 2021, Ron Reid)