Genesis 38.20-26-Judah Becomes Aware of Tamar's Deception

Sunday November 19, 2006

Genesis: Genesis 38:20-26-Judah Becomes Aware of Tamar’s Deception

Lesson # 241

Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 38:1.

This morning we will continue 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.

In Genesis 38:15-19, we noted that Tamar successfully deceived Judah into thinking that she was a prostitute, thus enabling her to get pregnant through him.

This morning we will study Genesis 38:20-26, which gives us the account of Judah discovering that Tamar had deceived him into thinking she was a temple prostitute and that he had gotten her pregnant.

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.”

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?’”

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?’”

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.”

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

Genesis 38:20, “When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand, he did not find her.”

So we see Tamar disguising herself as a temple prostitute in order that she might deceive Judah into having sex with her so that she could become a part of the Judaic line.

As we saw in Genesis 38:17, Judah and Tamar agreed that the payment for her providing him with sex would be a young goat, which he did not have at the time with him.

Judah sends his Adullamite friend with the young goat so that he can get back his seal or signet ring, cord and staff.

However, Judah’s Adullamite friend cannot find her of course since Tamar was only disguising herself as a temple prostitute in order to deceive Judah into having sex with her so that she could take part in the Judaic line.

Notice how Judah is anxious to fulfill his contractual obligations with a prostitute and yet he refuses to fulfill his contractual obligations with his own daughter-in-law by withholding his son Shelah from Tamar.

The fact that Judah sends his Adullamite friend with the young goat to pay a prostitute instead of doing it himself indicates that he was a bit embarrassed in that he consorted with a prostitute.

Genesis 38:21, “He asked the men of her place, saying, ‘Where is the temple prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?’ But they said, ‘There has been no temple prostitute here.’”

Genesis 38:22, “So he returned to Judah, and said, ‘I did not find her; and furthermore, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no temple prostitute here.’”

Genesis 38:23, “Then Judah said, ‘Let her keep them, otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.’”

The fact that Judah’s Adullamite friend Hirah did not find a “temple prostitute” and, worse yet, was told that there had never been a temple prostitute ever in that area, placed Judah in a very awkward and potentially embarrassing position.

It appears that Tamar disguised as a temple prostitute had gotten the best of him, but he was powerless to do anything about it since who would ever report a theft to the authorities under such delicate circumstances.

The more he sought to find this woman, the more his consorting with a prostitute would become public knowledge.

Judah is like a reputable businessman who unwittingly “loses” his credit card in a brothel!

A prostitute running off with his valuable possessions makes him look like a fool for entrusting them to her but notice only his reputation concerns him.

Therefore, since Judah had no desire to become the laughingstock of the town, he calls off the search for the prostitute so as not to advertise his consorting with a prostitute.

Genesis 38:24, “Now it was about three months later that Judah was informed, ‘Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and behold, she is also with child by harlotry.’ Then Judah said, ‘Bring her out and let her be burned!’”

The charge against Tamar that she had gotten pregnant through prostitution is an accurate charge and not hearsay since this is exactly what she did.

The fact that her involvement in prostitution was public knowledge reveals that Tamar did not hide the fact that she dressed up as a temple prostitute the day she solicited Judah, just like she publicly protested Judah’s treatment of her by remaining in widow’s garments beyond the usual period of mourning.

Evidently, Tamar did “not” make it a secret when she walked out of her father’s house dressed as a temple prostitute in order to facilitate a confrontation with Judah when it became clear that she was pregnant.

Technically, Tamar was still under Judah’s authority since she is engaged to Judah’s only surviving son Shelah.

Therefore, for her to have sex with someone else other than Shelah was tantamount to adultery, which under the Mosaic Law, which was not yet given at the time, was punishable by death (See Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22).

When Judah receives information that Tamar had become involved with prostitution and as a result of this became pregnant, he jumps at the opportunity to rid himself of her by demanding her execution.

Judah’s demand for Tamar’s execution since it violated the laws of God was hypocrisy because it was a pretense of having concern for the laws of God, which he did not possess as demonstrated by his consorting with a prostitute and subsequent involvement in idolatry.

It was hypocrisy in that his real motive for demanding the execution of Tamar was so he would not have to fulfill his contractual obligation to her under the Levirate marriage customs to provide his son Shelah to carry on his brother’s name.

He is playing the part of an outraged citizen when in fact he is an immoral degenerate who fails to keep his obligations to a widow and who cares for no one but himself and his reputation!

His hypocrisy is demonstrated in that he is quick to condemn Tamar for prostitution and have her executed, yet he himself consorted with prostitutes!

Judah demands that Tamar be burned, however according to the Mosaic Law, which was not yet given, the penalty of burning was only applicable for the case of the high priest’s daughter becoming involved in prostitution (See Deuteronomy 22:20-24; Leviticus 21:9).

The penalty for adultery during the engagement period in a case similar to Tamar’s was stoning according to Deuteronomy 22:21.

Therefore, the fact that Judah calls for Tamar to be burned rather than stoned is extreme since Judah's sentence was harsher than the subsequent law, whether according to patriarchal custom, or on other grounds, cannot be determined.

He is a severe judge in a case where he is equally criminal.

Genesis 38:25, “It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, ‘I am with child by the man to whom these things belong.’ And she said, ‘Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?’”

Genesis 38:26, “Judah recognized them, and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.’ And he did not have relations with her again.”

The phrase “while she was being brought” refers to her being escorted to the place of execution.

“She sent” is the verb shalach (jl^v*) (shaw-lakh), which refers to “persons who are sent by other persons such as the action of sending messengers.”

Therefore, when Tamar was brought out for execution, she sent messengers to Judah bearing the three articles of pledge informing him that they belonged to the man who had gotten her pregnant.

Judah then admitted she was more righteous than he in the sense that not only was he guilty of becoming involved with prostitutes and idolatry but he also failed to keep his contractual obligations to Tamar by failing to give his son Shelah to be her husband.

Just as his father Jacob reaped what he sowed when he was deceived by Laban on his wedding night and Laban reaped what he sowed when deceived by his daughter Rachel, so Judah reaped what he sowed when he was deceived by Tamar.

Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

The fact that when confronted with his failure and deception, he owns up to his sin reveals that he is taking responsibility for his actions and is not getting involved in the blame game.

Just as King David confessed his sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah when confronted by Nathan the prophet (See 2 Samuel 11:1-12:13) so also Judah’s true character emerges with his confession.

Therefore, just as the Lord forgave David when he confessed his sins so also Judah was forgiven by God when he confessed his.

Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.”

1 John 1:9, “If any of us does at any time confess our sins, then, He (God the Father) is faithful and just with the result that He forgives us our sins and purifies us from each and every wrongdoing.”

The statement “he (Judah) did not have relations with her again” reveals to the reader that Judah was not guilty of incest.

Evidently, Judah learned his lesson and marks the beginning of his character transformation since the next time we read of him he is back with his brothers and father taking a leadership role in the family.

The biographical sketches that appear in Genesis reveal that character transformation is the essence of the book.

For example, Abram becomes Abraham; Jacob becomes Israel, Reuben, violator of his father's concubine, later prevents the murder of Joseph and shows great concern for both Joseph and his father.

Then, there is Joseph, the tattle tale and arrogant boaster who becomes the wise statesman who forgives his brothers.

Therefore, Genesis 38 plays an important role in clarifying the course of the account of Jacob’s sons that is recorded in Genesis 37:2-50:26.