Genesis 38.15-19-Tamar Deceives Judah

Thursday November 16, 2006

Genesis: Genesis 38:15-19-Tamar Deceives Judah

Lesson # 240

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 38:1.

This evening we will continue with our study of Genesis 38.

By way of review, we have noted the following:

In Genesis 38:1, we read where Judah left his brothers in Dothan and headed back home to Hebron to see his father Jacob but instead turned aside and came into contact with a man named Hirah who lived in the city of Adullam.

In Genesis 38:2-5, we read where Judah marries a Canaanite woman who bears him three sons named Er, Onan and Shelah.

In Genesis 38:6-10, we read where the Lord kills two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan because of their involvement with evil.

In Genesis 38:11-14, we read that after realizing that Judah had no intention of fulfilling his obligations under the levirate marriage customs, Tamar disguises herself as a temple prostitute in order that she might become pregnant through him.

This evening, we will note Genesis 38:15-19, which records Tamar successfully deceiving Judah into thinking that she was a prostitute, which enables her to get pregnant through him.

Genesis 38:1, “And it came about at that time, that Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.”

Genesis 38:2, “Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.”

Genesis 38:3, “So she conceived and bore a son and he named him Er.”

Genesis 38:4, “Then she conceived again and bore a son and named him Onan.”

Genesis 38:5, “She bore still another son and named him Shelah; and it was at Chezib that she bore him.”

Genesis 38:6, “Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.”

Genesis 38:7, “But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD took his life.”

Genesis 38:8, “Then Judah said to Onan, ‘Go in to your brother's wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.’”

Genesis 38:9, “Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother.”

Genesis 38:10, “But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD; so He took his life also.”

Genesis 38:11, “Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, ‘Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up’; for he thought, ‘I am afraid that he too may die like his brothers.’ So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.”

Genesis 38:12, “Now after a considerable time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and when the time of mourning was ended, Judah went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.”

Genesis 38:13, “It was told to Tamar, ‘Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.’”

Genesis 38:14, “So she removed her widow's garments and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gateway of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.”

Genesis 38:15, “When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, for she had covered her face.”

The fact that Tamar positioned herself in the gateway to Enaim, which was on the way to Timnah where Judah was heading to see his flocks with his Canaanite buddy Hirah was “not” a shot in the dark since she knew what took place during sheep shearing season, namely, partying and drinking and fornicating.

The moral atmosphere of the annual sheep shearing might best be understood when compared to a group of men getting off of work and heading to the strip bar to pour down a few frosties and say hello to the girls.

Just picture a group of hard working shepherds finishing an exhausting, hot, and thirsty week among the sheep, leaving the fields after having completed this annual task.

Suddenly the call goes out, “It’s party time!”

With a girl in one arm and a Budweiser in the other, the celebration begins.

Tamar knew well that this was the kind of thing that took place at sheep shearing season.

Not only did she know men in general, but she knew Judah very well.

Judah appears to be an “immoral” degenerate meaning moral purity does not seem to be one of his virtues.

As we noted in our study of Genesis 38:14, Tamar is disguising herself as a temple prostitute rather than a common harlot.

The Canaanites made a distinction between a temple prostitute and a common whore since the former they considered to be a legitimate part of their society since it was an essential element of the Canaanite religion.

In Genesis 38:21-22, Judah’s Canaanite friend describes Tamar with the noun qadhesh (vd@q*) (kaw-dashe), “a cult prostitute, dedicated to cultic prostitution” clearly indicating that Tamar was posing as a temple prostitute rather than a common harlot (Compare with Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22).

In Genesis 38:15, Judah who was an Israelite and not a Canaanite describes Tamar with the verb zanah (hnw) (zaw-naw), which denotes “the act of committing prostitution,” or “to act as a prostitute” indicating that he recognized Tamar as a common harlot.

Also indicating that the Canaanite men viewed Tamar’s attire as that of a temple prostitute rather than a common harlot was that she wore a veil.

According to Middle Assyrian law (ca. 1200 B.C.), the daughters, wives and concubines of free Assyrian males, as well as sacred prostitutes had to be veiled in public but a whore must not veil herself.

The penalty was severe if a common whore did veil herself in that she would be flogged fifty times with staves and would have pitch poured on her head.

The fact that Tamar was veiled would indicate that she was disguising herself as a temple prostitute rather than a common whore and would help to conceal her identity from Judah.

Now, we must understand the profession of a temple prostitute in the days of Tamar and Judah was considered respectable but of course this is not to justify her actions since the Word of God condemns prostitution.

Leviticus 19:29, “Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, so that the land will not fall to harlotry and the land become full of lewdness.”

The Scriptures warn against becoming involved with prostitutes (See Proverbs 7).

The Bible warns that a prostitute can cause a man to become destitute according to Proverbs 6:26, that a prostitute is a deep ditch according to Proverbs 23:27 and that the one who keeps company with prostitutes wastes his wealth according to Proverbs 29:3.

In many ancient religious systems, all the women of the community were expected to devote themselves on occasion to this practice as an actual votive offering to their pagan gods and goddesses.

Male and female prostitutes were tied closely to pagan concepts of fertility religion, which included imitative or sympathetic magic.

Through intercourse with the devotees of the gods, the worshippers believed that they influenced the gods to grant them fertility and increase in their families, lands and crops.

Male and female prostitutes were the central feature of the Canaanite fertility religion, which were outlawed under the Mosaic Law (See Deuteronomy 23:17).

Deuteronomy 23:17, “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute.”

Judah does “not” make a distinction between a temple prostitute and a common whore though his friend Hirah, who was a Canaanite, does make a distinction.

This indicates that the Canaanites considered temple prostitution legitimate, which is totally in contradiction to God’s standards as recorded in Scripture.

In Genesis 38:15, Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit makes clear to us that if Judah knew the identity of Tamar, he would never had sex with her since the veil over her face prevented him from identifying her.

Genesis 38:16, “So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, ‘Here now, let me come in to you’; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, ‘What will you give me, that you may come in to me?’”

The statement “let me come in to you” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

Tamar’s statement “What will you give me that you may come in to me?” identifies her as a prostitute since she is asking Judah what he would give her if she let him have sex with her.

Judah knew what he was doing when he asked to have sex with the woman who he does not know is Tamar.

He knew that having sex with her was a part of the Canaanite religion and that the Canaanites would consider that he was doing this as an act of worship to one of their gods or goddesses.

However, he did not know that the woman he approached was his daughter-in-law, Tamar.

Therefore, we see that Judah is not only soliciting a prostitute, which is prohibited by God but also he is involved in the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites, which is also prohibited by God in the Mosaic Law (See Genesis 9:24-27; Exodus 23:23-24; Deuteronomy 7:1-11; 20:17-18; .

In Genesis 38:16, the narrator is emphasizing to the reader that Judah is not consciously committing incest and adultery (See Leviticus 18:15), thus assuring the legitimacy of the birth of Tamar’s twins, Perez and Zerah.

Genesis 38:17, “He said, therefore, ‘I will send you a young goat from the flock.’ She said, moreover, ‘Will you give a pledge until you send it?’”

Judah’s statement “I will send you a young goat from the flock” reveals that he is acting on impulse rather than from a premeditated plan to sleep with a prostitute since if he had planned to do so he would have been prepared to pay her at that time.

“Pledge” is the noun `eravon (/w{br*u@) (aw-raw-vone), which was a type of modern-day deposit, which Judah would get back when he provided at a later date the young goat as payment.

Genesis 38:18, “He said, ‘What pledge shall I give you?’ And she said, ‘Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.’ So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.”

Judah’s words and actions with Tamar, whom he thinks is a temple prostitute reveals that this wasn’t his first encounter with a prostitute.

He demonstrates that he is “not” new at this sort of thing since he handled the arrangements like an experienced man of the world.

Tamar was convinced that if she could only look like a prostitute, Judah would take things from there and that her purposes would be realized.

Very smoothly, Judah negotiated terms acceptable to both parties.

It was probably common practice to ask for some kind of pledge since little could be done to force the “client” to pay after the fact.

Judah was therefore not taken back by Tamar’s insistence that some guarantee be given.

Not that Tamar had any interest in payment.

She wanted only to become pregnant by Judah.

But the pledge that was given would serve to demonstrate at a later time when she is found to be pregnant and unmarried, that Judah was the father of the child that was conceived from their sexual union.

“Seal” is the noun chotham (<t*w{j) (kho-thawm), which refers to a “seal” or “signet ring” used for identification and was worn on a cord around the neck and was the insignia of a prominent rich man and identified the owner and/or sender of the object.

Seals were made of semiprecious stones, gold, ivory, limestone, clay, bone or metal and could be carried in a pouch and were often part of a ring and worn on the hand, or a necklace or bracelet.

The markings on the seal may have included religious pictures or symbols, geometric designs, names or titles.

The distinctive elements of each seal identified its owner much like the image of a branding iron identifies the owner of the cattle.

Scarabs, seals in the shape of a beetle, were popular in Egypt but cylinders and items used for stamping were popular in various parts of the Middle East.

Cylinder seals emerged at the end of the fourth millennium B.C. and stamp seals are attested by 2600 B.C.

Cylinders were rolled soft clay or wax, leaving their impression behind and the same was done with stamps and scarabs.

The impression was like leaving a signature, which gave identification, authentication and authorization.

Judah’s seal was unique to him and identified him as a prominent rich man and he would therefore immediately recognize it as his own and the same was true of the staff.

“Staff” is the noun matteh (hF#m^) (mat-teh), which was a symbol of authority and that one held a position of leadership and would also be practically useful and would have Judah’s mark of ownership etched on top of it.

Possession of Judah’s seal and staff gave Tamar proof of the identity of the father of her child when he was born.

Therefore, we see that Tamar is very smart by asking for something very personal from Judah, his very own seal and staff, which today would be like a man giving his credit card and license.

So he gave Tamar these things and proceeded to have sex with her and as a result she became pregnant by him.

Judah was willing to part with these valuable items temporarily only because he was a rich man and for him the payment of a young goat was inexpensive and could have been accomplished with ease in a very short while.

Genesis 38:19, “Then she arose and departed, and removed her veil and put on her widow's garments.”

The fact that after having sex with Judah, Tamar removes the veil and put her widow’s garments back on indicates clearly that her motive for having sex with Judah was not lust or money but rather to ensure her place in God’s covenant family, for which she had so longed but which it seemed was about to be denied her.

Tamar’s actions in disguising herself as a prostitute in order to deceive Judah into having sex with her so that she might get pregnant by him was totally against the will of God since God prohibits deception and prostitution.

Though Tamar’s motive for her actions was commendable, the means that she employed to accomplish her purpose, namely, deception and prostitution, were totally wrong and against the will of God.

Though she was denied justice by Judah, she was “not” justified in deceiving him into thinking that she was a temple prostitute and then soliciting him to have sex with her since deception and prostitution are against the will of God.

The ends does “not” justify the means.

On the other hand, Judah’s actions were obviously not according to the will of God since he did “not” fulfill his contractual obligations to Tamar by withholding his youngest son Shelah from perpetuating the name of Tamar’s husband and his oldest son, Er.

Furthermore, his actions in soliciting who he thought was a temple prostitute was in essence taking part in the Canaanite religion and idolatry, which was against the will of God.

Even though Judah was grieving over the death of his wife and was a widower, who had no outlet for his sexual desires, he was not justified in soliciting who he thought was a temple prostitute.

In His omniscience, God figured into His plan, the bad decisions of Judah and Tamar, which were against His will in order to manifest His grace, and forgiveness.

God treated Judah and Tamar according to His grace policy meaning He treated both of them in a manner that they did not deserve by forgiving them their sins of deception, involvement in prostitution and idolatry by blessing them with twins so that the Savior could come into the world and fulfill the Father’s plan of salvation.

This sordid affair between Judah and Tamar is a classic example of the function of the “permissive,” “directive” and “overruling” will of God.

The “directive” will of God refers to what God directly requires of an individual, His “permissive” will refers to Him “permitting” His creatures to act contrary to what He desires and His “overruling” will refers to the fact that at times God “overrules” the bad decisions of His creatures in order to perpetuate His plan.

The “directive” will of God prohibited Judah and Tamar from becoming involved with deception and prostitution however God “permitted” their decisions to take place that were contrary to His “directive” will.

Judah deceived Tamar into thinking that he was going to give her his youngest son Shelah as a husband when he got older whereas Tamar deceived Judah into thinking that she was a temple prostitute and Tamar functioned as a prostitute and Judah unknowingly solicited her.

God “permitted” Judah and Tamar to make these decisions, which were against His “directive” will.

He also “overruled” their bad decisions in that He overruled Judah’s bad decision in deceiving Tamar and treating her unjustly by “permitting” her to deceive him into thinking that she was a temple prostitute, which thus led to Judah unknowingly getting Tamar pregnant!

God “overruled” Judah’s bad decisions of refusing to allow Tamar to perpetuate the Judaic line and become a part of God’s covenant people as well as being in the line of Christ by permitting Tamar’s deception to be successful, thus perpetuating His plan to have Tamar continue the line of Christ.