Tol’dot, Toldos, or Tol’doth
תּוֹלְדֹת
Hebrew for generations, ancestors or descendants,
our Toldot are our ancestors our previous generations.
king, ruler – מֶלֶךְ.
is the word
‘me•lech’
תמר
TAMAR is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning:
date tree – the fruit,
date palm or just palm tree.
Can also mean source of food, shade, life.
Why is this significant?
The date is mentioned 64 times within the texts as a metaphor for blessing.
Date palm leaves were used during the Triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, and it is date honey that is referenced when the scriptures speak of the land flowing with milk and honey also what John the Baptist ate with the locust beans.
Date palms are also a symbol of heavenly blessing, as exemplified in Psalm 92:12-13
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree… planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”
Date palm, heavily loaded with clusters of dates; dates were a symbol of fertility.
The pronunciation of Tamar depends on each person’s language, culture, and local dialect preference.
There are three women, two of them Israelite, and two towns named Tamar in the Bible, one a place South of the Dead Sea.
According to the Book of Jasher, (part of the Apocrypha), she is believed to be the granddaughter of Shem, one of Noah’s 3 sons.
Brief notes on:
What is the Book of Jasher.
What is the Apocrypha and
What does Canon of the Bible mean?
The Book of Jasher also known as the Sefer haYashar or the Book of the Upright; is one of the non-canonical books referenced in the Bible in Joshua* and Second Samuel*, having 91 chapters. Faithfully translated (1840) from the original Hebrew into English by J.H. Parry & Co. 1887. An earlier translation of the Hebrew book was printed in 1613; and the Book of Jasher was published in Naples, Italy in 1552. However no copies of the 1552 edition are known to have survived. The earliest surviving Hebrew edition known is the 1625 edition.
The Book of Jasher is a narrative beginning with the creation of man and ends with the entry of Israel into Kanaan. The Book of Jasher covers the Mosaic period of the Bible presented in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua in greater detail and with explanations not found in the present Old Testament Documents. This apocryphal book of the Bible has been considered by some to be the original beginning to the Bible
*”Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?”–Joshua, 10: 13.
*”Behold it is written in the Book of Jasher.”–II Samuel, i. 18
The Complete Apocrypha: with Enoch, Jasher, Jubilees and the Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish religious work, ascribed by tradition to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah; although modern scholars estimate the older sections (mainly in the Book of the Watchers) to date from about 300 BC, and the latest part (Book of Parables) probably to the first century BC. It is not part of the biblical canon as used by Jews, apart from Beta Israel. Most Christian denominations and traditions may accept the Books of Enoch as having some historical or theological interest, but they generally regard the Books of Enoch as non-canonical or non-inspired.
The Canons of the First Council of Nicaea (325, Constantinople). The Roman Emperor Constantine 1 called the approximately 1800 bishops representing the world to a universal meeting (technical term “ecumenical council“) in 325 A.D. Sources show that roughly 300 bishops came, and under the authority of Roman Emperor Constantine, established the Christian biblical canon; determining which books were to be included and which were not.
So, according to the Book of Jasher,
this would indicate that Tamar
came from a lineage of priests,
and was considered an upright Hebrew woman,
endowed with both grace and elegance.
This is not a comprehensive in depth study but rather an overview of Tamar as being 1 of the 5 women connected to Messiah by their Toldot according to Matthew 1:
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of
Thamar; TAMAR
and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab;
and Booz begat Obed of Ruth;
and Obed begat Jesse;
6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;
14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;
15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;
16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of
Mary, MIRYAM
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
Tamar lived in the time before God had given the law to Moses.
This Society she lived in was dominated by strict tribal rules and many customs that were in place before the Levite priesthood were in effect.
This custom gave instructions that if a woman’s husband died without offspring his brother was to marry her to produce a son as the legal heir.
Tamar is the daughter-in-law of Judah,
who was the son of Leah and Jacob,
brother of Joseph and
founder of Royal Tribe of Judah.
One of the 12 tribes of Israel.
The Tribe of Judah
(שֵׁבֶט יְהוּדָה ,
Shevet Yehudah)
From yadah; celebrated; Jehudah (or Judah),
This name is pronounced ye-huw-dah in Hebrew. Most Hebrew dictionaries will define this word as “praise” but as this English word is an abstract word it falls short of its true Hebraic meaning.
The parent root of this word is
יד ( YD – yad) meaning “hand”.
The importance of this name and its meaning rests in the fact that it is the source of the name of the people of Israel −
Ye•hu•dim – Jewish.
Ye•hu•dim came from Jerusalem’s region − Yehuda − that in turn came from the son, Yehuda – Judah.
Jewish then means ‘thankful’ from the Hebrew name
יְהוּדָה Yehudah/Yahudah,
probably derived from
יָדָה yadah
meaning: praise.
Judah – give praise to God
יְהוּדָה
He is indirectly the root of the Kingdom of Judah, the land of Judea and the word Jew.
Judah moved to the city of Addulum which was a royal Canaanite city; he married a Canaanite woman named Shua. She gave birth to three sons Er, Onan and Shelah
Tamar married into the family of Judah, first to Er, the eldest son of Judah and Shua.
Shua was Judahs wife and the mother of his three sons.
Shua was an honored woman in the tribe, we do not know what sort of good or bad relationship there was between Shua and Tamar. We do know that it was only after Shua’s death that Tamar decided to remedy her situation; perhaps Tamar hoped that Shua would eventually help her by sending Shelah to fulfill the Levirate Law.
In the genealogy of King David and Solomon, and of Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth); Tamar was one of the foremothers of both these leaders.
When Judah chose Tamar as a wife for his son Er, he chose well.
Tamar’s new family were a unique tribe. Her father-in-law, Judah, was the son of Jacob and Leah, and was descended from God’s chosen people; he was a child of the covenant. Judah, however, had chosen Shua, a Canaanite woman as a wife, and she gave him three sons, consequently this made Tamar’s husband Er, a half-canaanite.
Tamar’s problems were rooted in the fact that Judah had chosen a non-Jew as his wife, and mother of his children.
Tamar’s marriage to Er was cut short by his death, brought about because he was “wicked in the sight of the Lord.” (Gen. 38:7).
Tamar was now a widow, Er practiced some form of birth control, and so Tamar was childless. It seems that this, or something else he did, was not acceptable and God punished Er – people at the time saw this kind of birth control as a crime against Nature and God. Tamar suffered a double tragedy: her husband Er died, and she lost the chance of having a child.
‘Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan ‘Go into your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law; raise up offspring for your brother.’ Gen 38:1-11
ער
Er was Tamar’s first husband.
Etymology of the name Er:
The root: ערר ‘arar,
describes an accumulation in one place that results in an emptiness or barrenness everywhere else. He was the eldest son of Judah and his Canaanite wife who is the daughter of Shuah.
Er spelt backwards in Hebrew is the word for evil – Ra
and adversity ‘evil’ Ra or Rah bad, evil.
as in, Your adversary the devil… 1Peter 5:8
In English we say we often err in our ways, or error.
The word ra in Hebrew:
Hebrew words are supposed to be three letters minimum, but here we have a word that is only two letters, Resh Ayin. It is a word borrowed from the Middle Egyptian which is only two letters and just happens to be the name of Egypt’s chief God – Ra!
רַע
Strong’s Hebrew: 7451. רָע (ra’) — adversity
From ra’a’; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) — adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease (-ure), distress, evil ( (- favouredness), man, thing), + exceedingly, X great, grief (-vous), harm, heavy, hurt (-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief (-vous), misery, naught (-ty), noisome, + not please, sad (-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked (-ly, -ness, one), worse (-st), wretchedness, wrong.
רַע raʻ, rah; from H7489; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral):—adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, displease (-ure), distress, evil ( (-favouredness), man, thing), + exceedingly, × great, grief (-vous), harm, heavy, hurt (-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief (-vous), misery, naught (-ty), noisome, + not please, sad (-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked (-ly, -ness, one), worse (-st), wretchedness, wrong.
However, Judah, well acquainted with the Levirite custom of his people, sent his second born son, Onan, to fulfill his obligation to Tamar.
This Levirite law was found in Deuteronomy 25:5-10.
If a man died, and his wife had not yet had a child by him, she could go to his brother and demand that he marry her and give her a child who would inherit the property of the dead husband.
This practical law was about:
providing for all members of the tribal family, whether their fathers were alive or not
and a woman’s right to have children.
Under Levirate law, Er’s younger brother Onan was obliged to give Tamar a child.
Onan, however, wanted nothing to do with furthering his brother’s lineage, probably because it meant his future share of the inheritance would be less. Any child born to Tamar would carry Er’s name, not Onan’s, and would inherit Er’s portion of the estate. Onan skirted the issue by practicing the same form of birth control, and Tamar did not conceive.
Onan was guilty on two counts:
he failed to carry out the Levirate obligation to Tamar and
he disobeyed his father’s command.
It seems that God punished Onan. He died, and his death at such an early age was seen as just punishment.
A pair of leather sandals
Deuteronomy 25:9-10 describes the punishment for a man who refused to obey the Levirate law. It was public and confronting. The woman, the injured party, went up to him in a public assembly, pulled his sandal from his foot, spat in his face, and said ‘This is what is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house’.
To us the punishment does not sound very much, but in the context of the time, it meant public disgrace that could not be lived down. The action involving the sandal had symbolic meaning: the foot symbolized the male reproductive organs, the sandal the female, and the spittle, the seed.
The woman’s action publicly humiliated the man, and his family’s disgrace was remembered long after he was dead. Public shame was often used to enforce the law in ancient times.
Because Onan also practiced a form of contraception, Tamar did not become pregnant.
Genesis 38:9
Onan means ‘the virile one’ – this is ironic, since he refused to give Tamar a child!
“But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his.. (Gen. 38:9)
For a Jewish woman this meant disgrace, because people thought that being childless was a punishment from God.
Onan’s selfish refusal to adhere to the Levirite obligation resulted in his death as well, and now Tamar has gone from twice married, to twice widowed.
By law Tamar should then have married Judah’s third son so she could have a baby who would inherit her dead husband’s share of the tribal wealth.
Shelah grew. Tamar waited. Judah wept.
It wasn’t long after he’d lost two sons that Judah’s wife also died; Judah went to his place of mourning as Tamar stayed in hers.
Judah told Tamar to go back to her parents and remain away until the third became old enough to marry.
Judah was afraid that he may also lose his 3rd son having become concerned that it was a curse on Tamar that was killing them. He rejected Tamar in his heart, which meant he had no intention of keeping his promise to give Shelah to her in marriage.
However, Tamar believed Judah and returned to her fathers house. verse 11.
She remains faithful to the restrictions placed on her and waited in perpetual widowhood for the fulfillment of her legal rights to bear children in Judas’ family.
She belonged both to widowhood and the house of Judah – a house to which she was extremely loyal. Yet, because she was not yet able to be given in marriage to the final son of her father-in-law, she had to wait.
Tamar must have wondered if she would be forced to live in this place of suspension until such time as Judah’s son was able to either father a child to her, or undergo the ceremony of
halitza*
thereby rejecting his obligation, and by doing this forcing herself into the destitution of widowhood?
She was bound by Levirite custom to Judah’s line, but as she waited she was aging, her ability to bear children to that line was declining.
Halitza is the Jewish ceremony of the Removed Sandal. This ceremony is performed when a man refuses to fulfill his Levirite obligation to his brother’s widow. It is a public shaming of the man, which serves to either convince him through shaming to fulfill his obligation, or to release the widow to marry whom she chooses outside of her deceased husband’s line.
Tamar understood exactly what her predicament meant. As a widow, she was now faced a good chance of being left among the forgotten: the widows, orphans, and diseased. She also knew that Judah’s youngest son was not yet of age to take over where his brothers had failed.
Her only option was to ask Judah for mercy.
Many years past until Sheila reached marrying age. but Judah made no plans for him to marry her.
When this did not happen, she decided to get justice for herself.
In the time that followed, Judah’s wife passed away, and after going through the customary period of mourning, he decided to take part in the yearly shearing of the sheep, a festive occasion in the Ancient Near East.
Tamar heard of his plans, that Judah was to be traveling with his friend Hirah the Adullamite to a city called Timnah to oversee the shearing, and took it upon herself to put an end to her grief as well.
She would trick on Judah, just as he had tricked her. The deceiver now became the deceived.
She dressed in the special clothing of a prostitute which included a veil across her face that disguised her identity, and waited for Judah at the city gates;
see below.
Reconstruction of ancient city gates.
Tamar disguised herself dressing as a prostitute she covered her face with a veil and she sat by the entrance gate of the town.v 12 -14
Tamar shed her widows clothing, and donned a veil. She wrapped herself up and “sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.” (Gen. 38:14).
Ruins at Timnah below:
The city gates were something like the reconstruction (above): massive mudbrick walls, with a strong gateway that could be shut tight against an enemy, or closed at night for security. Here the townspeople congregated to carry on the city’s business. Here also the city prostitutes waited for customers. No respectable woman would sit there, or be there alone.
Above:
the original gates of the ancient city of Dan, excavated and preserved.
Tamar waited for Judah at gates like these.
‘Tamar put off her widow’s garments, put on a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not been given to him in marriage. When Judah saw her he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.’ Gen 38:12-19
It is possible, though unlikely, that Judah perceived Tamar as one of the sacred prostitutes.
The Hebrew words for a sacred prostitute (kedeshah, sacred woman) and a normal prostitute (zonah) are both used in this story. In Israel, prostitutes were required to cover their faces at all times.
Above, some styles of veils used in the Middle East.
Tamar may have followed a version of this practice,
but she also asked for payment from Judah.
As she had anticipated, Judah noticed her and not realizing who she was, engaged her services…. He promised to send her a kid from his flock, and in the meantime, and also granted her request as a guarantee, he left his seal, cord and staff, all of which were personal items that could be identified. 15-18.,
Ancient cylinder seal
A signet or pledge was a form of identification used to authenticate legal documents. Usually a unique design carved in stone and worn on a ring or necklace inseparable from its owner, the signet was used by the wealthy and powerful to mark clay or wax.
Above: ancient seal with imprint in clay.
Because Tamar had Judah’s pledge, she could prove beyond a doubt that he had been with her.
Judah apparently did not see the connection to his behavior in the past. Tamar was probably aware of Judas father Jacob, who had deceived his father Isaac to obtain the blessing. She probably also knew about Judah’s role in tricking Jacob into believing that an animal had killed Jacob’s youngest son Joseph; when in reality Judah and his brothers had sold him into slavery.
Interesting that the deceptions both involved a goat and a personal item, which in Josephs’ case was a coat of many colors.
Chapter 37:31 -35
Judah had sown deception and he was about to reap it.
Galatians 6:7
Judah was Tamar’s father-in-law. He was the son of Jacob and Leah. He could have helped her, and had a duty to do so, but did not.
We should remember that he had some good qualities too, he saved his brother Joseph from death, persuading his other brothers to sell Joseph to slave traders rather than kill him; but was also deceitful.
Judah was no doubt still suffering from profound grief, having recently lost his wife Shua, and his two sons Er and Onan.
In many cases, people suffering profound grief often act out of character, doing things they would not normally do.
Tamar had chosen her place at Enaim well
Hebrew petah enayim;
literally eye-opener
פתח ענים
ענים פתח
enayim petah
ב” הי פתח
e-na’-im -`enayim,
place of a fountain
petah enayim
the literal meaning of which, is –
the place where eyes are opened,
the place of discernment.
In this case rather a tongue in cheek situation!
It appears to be somewhat contested whether Enaim (or Enayim) is a Biblical name or else an ordinary, albeit unusual word.
The translators of the Vulgate saw it as not a name and those of the King James and the older Dutch and German translations did the same, and translated Enaim into regular text (ranging from “and open place” to “entrance of two fountains” or “place where two ways meet” e-na’-im (`enayim, “place of a fountain”; Ainan; Genesis 38:14 (the King James Version “in an open place”; Genesis 38:21 the King James Version “openly”)):
A place which lay between Adullam and Timnath; probably the same as Enam ( Joshua 15:34 ). Also mentioned in close connection with Adullam, where David hid in the cave.
Judah would certainly pass by, happy, and possibly tipsy, from the sheep shearing festival in Timnah. As she expected, Judah passed by along with Shelah. Tamar took note that Shelah was of age, and she’d not been given to him in marriage. She now had to make a decision. Does she confront the recently widowed Judah about his failure to provide Shelah as a Levirite?
Tamar’s decision was soon made for her.
“When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.” (Gen. 38:15-16)
Judah may have thought his daughter-in-law was one of temple prostitutes common among the Canaanites in that day, and he proffered her services. Tamar saw her opportunity and quickly countered his offer.
Photograph of an original engraving from the Bible published in 1728.
“What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” (Gen. 38:16-18)
Tamar saw her opportunity and took Judah as an unwitting Levirite, forcing him to fulfill his promise to her, albeit unknowingly. Tamar’s request for Judah’s seal, cord and staff as promissory note for the kid goat he’d promised as payment was a calculated strategy. As previously stated, all of those items were not only a mark of a man’s identity, but an indicator of his great personal worth, and it is astonishing that Judah gave them up.
Ancient cylinder seal
Judah’s seal may have been a cylinder seal similar to clay seals found in a number of archaeological excavations, particularly in the Mesopotamian area.
The Greek historian Herodotus, gives a description of the staff made specifically for each person, with a personal emblem carved on the top of it:
every man carried a ring and a staff, which latter was decorated at the upper end with a carved representation.
(Remember the rod/staff of Aaron which budded among all the other staffs.)
This is a tradition also found in many tribes worldwide.
This was not simply a length of wood used for walking. The tribal leader’s staff was an emblem of authority, something like a royal sceptre.
It had the lineage and forebears of the leader carved into it, the names of his forebears, so it is even more incomprehensible that Judah gave up his staff considering Judah was the founder of the Royal Tribe of Israel!
Note the leader in the picture above with his staff of authority.
Judah’s handing over of these items show the disordered state of his mind at this point in his life, after the death of his wife and sons. Apparently he was not thinking clearly, or acting wisely.
Reminiscent of giving up birthright of Jacob and Esau for a meal! Satisfying physical appetites before spiritual ones.
Tamar saw the cord, seal and staff in quite a different way: they symbolised the son she intended to have, the son who might succeed Judah.
She took the physical symbol of Judah’s lineage, as well as his seed, which guaranteed that she and her offspring would be included in the line of Judah.
After this Meeting she returned home without telling anyone who she was; she took off her veil and once more put on her Widows garments. Tamar became pregnant from their union
God had bigger plans for Tamar that required that her child be fully Hebrew/Israelite – something that could not occur if her husband was half-Canaanite. The death of Er and Onan was not Tamars fault, but Judah didn’t see the bigger picture.
Later Judas sent his friend to get his personal items and give the goat to Tamar.
She was nowhere to be found and no one knew of any prostitutes in that area. Wanting to avoid further humiliation, Judah told his friend to forget it and let the woman keep the items.
Three months later someone told Judah that she was pregnant but because she did not name the father of her child, it was assumed she had been promiscuous. Judah was furious assuming she’d been playing the harlot and bringing shame upon his family, called for Tamar’s death by fire, demanding that she be brought out and burned to death.
Genesis 38:24 And Judah said “Bring her out and let her be burned”.
Judah, as head of the tribe, had the right to pass judgment on her, and to condemn her to death.
The Code of Hammurabi, Law 129, reads ‘If the wife of a man has been caught while lying with another man, they shall bind them and throw them into the water. If the husband of the woman wishes to spare his wife, then the king in turn may spare his subject’.
Deuteronomy 22:22, the Hebrew law code, recommends death for both the man and the woman, a particularly cruel way to die.
As she was brought out she sent a message to Judah verse 25; appealing to him to judge honestly before God to seek her well-being. She quietly sent his staff, cord and seal back to him, with the message, that they belonged to and were therefore identifying marks of the father of her child.
As she presented his things and did not mention his name she showed her willingness to die rather than shaming him publicly; which revealed a very righteous demeanor in her part.
Tamar would’ve been well within her rights to shame Judah publicly, and declare him as the Levirite that was the father of her child, but she did not.
Genesis 28:26
Judah, confronted by the evidence, had little choice but to acknowledge that Tamar had acted righteously and within the law, publicly declared his own paternity, calling her
“more righteous than I.”
Tamar’s promise had finally been fulfilled, and was brought back into Judah’s house, bearing him twin sons, Perez and Zerah, who were both fully Israelite, and of the covenanted line of God’s chosen people; one of whom was the ancestor of King David.
Genesis 38:27-30
And it came to pass in the time of her travail When her time to bring forth was come, and her pains were on her, and her midwife with her: that, behold, twins [were] in her womb; which the midwife could discover before the birth of either.
Tamar’s insistence on her rights was rewarded by the birth of not one but two children!
These twins were jostling for position even before they were born. The theme of a brother pushing ahead of his older sibling is a common theme in Genesis.
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” 25 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” 26 Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.
27 When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28 And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!”
Therefore his name was called Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah. –Gen. 38:24-30
Of course, the purpose of the thread was to mark the firstborn son—the one who would receive the birthright. The breach, or the potential for estrangement between the brothers, lay in the unexpected reversal of birth order: The boy ready to be born, Zerah, as marked by the thread, became the second born.
Here again we note the crimson thread that permeates the scriptures…!
Without Our Heavenly Father’s Grace on Tamar, there would have been a break in the Royal line
BUT …
because she gave birth to twin sons
Perez and Zerah;
Perez would be an ancestor of King David and
eventually Messiah.
Although by modern standards it was unorthodox; in a way she ‘redeemed’ Judah, by saving him from his wrong actions, a kind of pre-figure of Yeshua/Jesus, who was one of her descendants.
Ruth 4:18 – 22; Matthew 1:3:16
It could be said that when she asked for the items from Judah, she spoke prophetically as the cord suggests the authority that would be shown by Israel’s many rulers. The seal and staff/sceptre expressed the many kings who would descend from the line of Judah and Tamar; and finally the coming of the King Messiah through their lineage.
Matthew 1:1-6
This story in no way implies that God agrees with prostitution, which throughout Scripture is condemned as a serious sin. If there is a moral in this story, it is that faithfulness to family obligations is important.
The reason why this story seems to take light view of prostitution could be that prostitutes/harlots, were common in heathen cultures such as Canaan. Public prostitutes served Canaanite goddesses and were common elements of the religious cults. Fornication was encouraged to improve fertility in crops and flocks. They were more highly respected than private prostitutes who were sometimes punished when caught. Tamar was driven to seduce Judah because of her intense desire to have children and be the matriarch of Judah’s oldest line.
Judah was driven by his flesh, his carnal appetites.
Neither case was justified.
Why was Judah so open about his relations with a prostitute, yet ready to execute his daughter-in-law for being one? To understand this apparent contradiction, we must understand the place of women in Canaan.
A woman’s most important function was bearing children who would perpetuate the family line.
To ensure that children belonged to the husband, the bride was expected to be a virgin and the wife was expected to have relations only with him. If a wife committed adultery, she could be executed. Some women, however, did not belong to families. They might be shrine prostitutes supported by offerings or common prostitutes supported by men who used their services. Their children were nobody’s heirs, and men who hired them adulterated nobody’s bloodlines.
Many Bible readers are shocked by the fact that Tamar offered herself as a prostitute to Judah, and that Judah used her in this way.
Some have offered an alternative explanation, saying that she acted not as a common street-walker but as a sacred prostitute.
What was sacred prostitution? It was part of Canaanite religious practice, and the Canaanites were the power group at the time of Tamar and Judah – they owned the land through which Judah and his family travelled.
The Canaanites saw sexuality, either human or in Nature, as a divine force.
A little more information on the ritual of sacred prostitution:
According to Herodotus, a Greek historian writing in about 450BC, a Babylonian woman would undertake the following ritual:
She would disguise herself at least once during her life, covering her face with a veil. In this way she discarded her own personal identity.
She would then go to the temple and receive a man who was a stranger to her (Herodotus 1.199). This man, in this particular act, represented the incarnate god.
Their sexual act was meant, by what is called ‘sympathetic magic’, to reflect and encourage fertility in the Great Mother, Nature.
Herodotus emphasized that, once a woman had fulfilled this obligation, she was virtuous and loyal to her husband for the rest of her life.
This of course was in Babylon, not Canaan, but the Canaanites seem to have had a similar practice.
In Revelation 5:5…
Yeshua/Jesus is referred to as the
‘Lion of the tribe of Judah.’
What are we then to think of the somewhat embarrassing details of the life of the head of the tribe from which the Messiah Himself would come?
The events of this chapter demonstrate that God does not remain separate from the brokenness of His people
but, instead,
comes to them in order that
He might redeem them.
Judah’s two sons died because of their wickedness, but Yeshua/Jesus,
the son of Judah according to his humanity,
died because of His righteousness
and in the place of the sinners
from which He himself was descended
according to the flesh.
Judah’s own failures and limitations
as well as those of the Davidic kings
who would descend from him
would point continually for the need
of a new head of the tribe who would lead in righteousness, securing God’s blessing for both his kinsmen
as well as the rest of mankind.
This story is included in scripture for several reasons:
God’s promise to continue the Israelites through many generations. This is one of the main themes of the Book of Genesis, and Tamar’s story is a central example.
None of the people in this story understood God’s long-term plan for the His people; they saw only their own predicament; but the mind of God had a plan of which they knew nothing.
We see that apparently bad things happen to good people, but good can come from evil, even when we cannot see God’s plan or understand it.
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
The quest for social justice is integral to this story, laying a foundation for them to continue long into the future. Regardless of Tamar’s radical methods, she was a woman of integrity who risked her life to achieve that which was rightfully hers and to fulfill her duty to herself and her family.
She knew she had the right to a child, and she knew that her first husband Er had the right to an heir. Once again, God’s plan unfolded through the courageous actions of a woman and in the outcome she was deemed righteous
In the course of these actions without realizing what she was doing she was part of a much more important and serious plan that would have very far reaching effects in the future.
Tamar’s legacy was truly a match to her name.
Date Tree – bearing fruit – life giving…
She, and her lineage flourished,
bringing forth the blessings and promises
of Heaven to earth;
for it was Tamar’s boldness in claiming her promise resulted in a lineage that included a King after God’s own heart;
and finally led to the life giving fruit of another womb/rechem
that in the fullness of time…
birthed our redeeming Lord and Savior Messiah Yeshua/Jesus.
The Real Tree of Life to all who will eat of Him.
God used Tamar to preserve the Messianic line because without the birth of her son Perez; the line from Judah to David would have been broken.
Genesis 38:1-5
Tamar is one of the ancestors of Messiah Jesus/Yeshua.
Tamar is one of five chosen in a line unbroken!
Shalom, shalom, mishpachah!
You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.
Please don’t leave this page without the knowing in your heart you are totally His.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
Its all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.
NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
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