Genesis 38:1-30

This is an odd little story in the genealogy of the Christ: Judah has sons by a Canaanite woman, two of whom are married to Tamar, and die before having children.  Judah should have given Tamar Shelah as a husband by whom to have children, but he refused, fearing Shelah might die as well.  Eventually, Tamar tricks her father-in-law in to sleeping with her in order to have children (twins, one of whom is an ancestor of Jesus).  There are two things here I find interesting:

1. Judah seems to believe that Tamar is the source of his sons' deaths, rather than their own wickedness.  Because he is afraid to give Shelah to her in fear of the boy's life, it seems to him she is the common denominator in the elders' demise.  But the Bible says specifically that both of these men were wicked in God's sight and He put them to death.  It was not Tamar, who likely had no choice in the marriages in the first place, but the men's own character that did them in.  Judah failed to see this in his own children.  Why?  I don't know: maybe the love of a parent, maybe Judah himself was lacking.  I can't say that I could judge.
2. Judah tells Tamar that she is more righteous than he.  He recognized that his sin against her was pretty bad!  They had both lied: Judah pretending he'd give Tamar to Shelah when he had no intention of doing so; she, pretending to be a cult prostitute to bring Judah in.  Both had committed adultery, or rather fornication since both were widowed.  Tamar was quite wise in taking his signet and his cord, because they were the salvation of her when he sent to have her condemned for adultery without finding out her story.  

And from these two, Jesus is descended.  It's been remarked upon many times that the women in Christ's genealogy, mentioned in Matthew, all have disreputable reputations (Mary, though she was righteous, was not perceived to be righteous as she was with child before she was legally married).  Again, I think it's just another example of how God uses bad or strange situations, often by people's own sin, to do his own good work.  After this, Tamar gives birth to her twins and they are her life and mainstay.  She is never married again, though Judah cares for her and treats her with respect.  A happy end for Tamar?  Probably, as she was cared for and had children to raise up, which was important to the women of that day.

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 39:1-40:23