Genesis 38:12b-14 When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him. When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
Judah was done grieving. Over, done with, out of his mind. Time to get the boys together and do some sheep shearin'. The thing about sheep shearing was that it was also a time of partying. Judah was over his time of sadness and now he was ready to have a little "fun".
Tamar hears of this upcoming trip. It doesn't say who tells her, or how much time she has 
to prepare, so let's discuss what happens here. Tamar takes off her widow's clothes - which apparently she has been wearing since her first husband died - Stacy London from "What Not To Wear" would have had a field day with Tamar. Anyway, she then puts on a veil and sits on the outskirts of the city waiting for Judah - she was attempting to look like a prostitute. My question is: where did she get the clothes to dress like a prostitute on such short notice? Now I may have one or two dresses in my closet that I think may be too revealing in public, but I know I don't have anything that could be misconstrued as something Julia Roberts might wear in Pretty Woman while she was 'on the streets'.
While waiting there for Judah to appear - guess who she sees - Shelah! All grown up, no less. Yet again, she was not given to him as a wife. The anger that must have festered inside of Tamar as she waited - maybe that was the fuel that kept her strong to her task - kept her from chickening out.
We all have situations that we do not look forward to, but we know it has to be done. If we can just let God be our fuel and keep us running through the storms and the troubles - we'll get through it with amazing results!
Genesis 38 11-12a Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house. After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died.
So Judah is sending Tamar away - telling her to go back to her own house -' you know, just until my youngest son gets older to fulfill his duty.' And then the truth is told to us when the scripture says "he thought he may die too, just like his brothers". Judah had no intention of letting Shelah give Tamar a child. Here's where our foreshadowing from before comes in - He was lying about Shelah.
Tamar, who has been trusting this whole time - doing what she was told by these wicked men who were supposed to be raised by a man of God - went home to wait.
This would not have been a joy to her family. When she walked in the door - used and childless and widowed - surely her family must have been disappointed. "But wait", Tamar must've said, "It's only temporary until the youngest son is old enough". That false hope we put in people instead of trusting in God.
Then in verse 12 - the truth is told. Judah's wife dies 'after a long time' - long enough for Shelah to have grown up. I think this might be where Tamar gets the realization that Judah has no intention of fulfilling his promise. That Tamar would be childless and live in her father's house. This must have weighed on poor Tamar. What was she going to do? It had been years and now, there was not even a woman left in the house to care for the household - what was Judah waiting for??
What a feeling in the pit of our stomachs when we realize we have put our trust in the wrong thing. We have wasted time in stress and agony when we could've given it to God. But God is always watching and working . . . Even in Tamar's situation.
Genesis 38:6-10 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother." But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also.
So, the time had come for Er to marry and it was up to Judah to arrange that (as was custom during this time). Keep in mind that this was not the same respect that Judah gave his dad, as he did not wait for an arrangement.
See what it says here about Er, not too much: God found him wicked and killed him. WOW. How bad must he have been for our loving and patient God who is just and forgives to outright kill him? And what about Tamar having to marry such a man as this. Even so, her husband (duty, job, etc.) did not give her a child - so as we mentioned before, someone else had to step up.
Judah told his second son, Onan, that he was responsible for giving a child to Tamar for Er. Couple of things here - there were no fertilization clinics at this time - no labs, no petri dishes - for this to happen, Onan had to have sex with Tamar. As we all know, pregnancy does not always happen on the first time around either. So, that thought alone that Tamar had to marry a wicked man at a young age to begin with - and then as a widow to sleep with her brother-in-law. . . yuck!
Onan, however, was not the man he should've been either. He did not want to give his offspring to Er - he was selfish and wanted his own line. But that certainly didn't stop him from having sex now did it. From what the Bible tells us - everytime he did sleep with Tamar he removed himself before his "seed" could reach her egg. How demeaning that must have been for poor Tamar. She knew the only reason to do this was so that she could get pregnant and continue for Er's children, but that would never happen if Onan kept doing that.
Turns out God thought that was just awful too, so Onan was "put to death". Now the Bible doesn't say how either brother died - it just says they were put to death. Perhaps a heart attack in their sleep, maybe they slipped and hit their head - or it could've been two completely different ways that they each died - However, one thing was for sure - they were both married to Tamar when they died. Judah had to notice that as well . . .
Genesis 38:2-5 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
There are many things to look at in these few verses listed here. Numero Uno: Judah married a Canaanite woman - not someone that would make daddy proud. Deux: The information that is given on her is very limited - we know her religious affiliation because she was from Canaan and we know that she was fertile. We are not even given her name.
It was very important during this time period to give your husband a son to carry on the line. Judah knew this - especially since it was his family that was so blessed by God and was promised to have many nations. So mentioning that she bore three sons, pretty much gives us her usefulness at this point. It never mentions her having any change of heart or doing something wonderful for the Kingdom - she was a Canaanite and she bore Judah's sons.
The last thing that I find very interesting is that it mentions where the last son was born. Why? Why is this land so signficant to mention? It is still in the lowlands of Judahs' territory - but here lies the pertinance: Kezib, by definition, means "Liar". The foreshadowing that is seen in these few verses can only be attributed to the Holy Spirit writing it - Can't you just hear the suspenseful music playing as the screen fades to black and the commercial comes on...
Genesis 38:1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.
This if the beginning verse of the chapter that is going to introduce us to Tamar. It is important to understand a little of what has happened up to this point.
Judah is one of the sons of Jacob. Jacob is the one who's brother was Esau and their father was Isaac. Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah - remember the old couple and how Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac? Now that we have the history, we can note that Judah is the great-grandson of Abraham.
A good portion of what is meant to be grasped here in this chapter would be lost without knowing the history. The story of Jacob (Judah's father) and his family is quite the soap opera - and I may go into that in a later blog, but for now - we'll talk about Judah - his son.
Obviously this man comes from a line of Godly men - I mean, he's the great-grandson of a man God promised would be the father of nations! Genesis 17:5-8 However, as human as we often are - so was Judah. When the verse states "At this time" - It's referring to the time when Judah helped sell his little brother Joseph into slavery - don't forget about ripping his colorful coat. Not only that - but he's associating himself with an Adullamite - remember what we said about hanging out with the wrong people.
We all make bad decisions - even as God's children- the question is, when will we realize it - and how many people will we hurt until we do realize it? Thus begins the story of Tamar...
Esther 9:16-Ch 10 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.Purim Celebrated The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy. That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other. Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. But when the plot came to the king's attention, he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur .) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, the Jews took it upon themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never cease to be celebrated by the Jews, nor should the memory of them die out among their descendants. So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes—words of goodwill and assurance- to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation. Esther's decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records. King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.
This is such a great history lesson on the holiday of Purim. We get to see why it is celebrated, when it is celebrated and how it is celebrated. But more importantly there is something else to see here.
The Jews are celebrating because an order from the king came allowing enemies of the Jews to kill them, then another order from the king came and said Jews could defend themselves - then they were victorious. This is all they knew. They didn't know that Haman was jealous of Mordecai and that Haman should have never been born and that Mordecai had refused to bow and that Haman had built a gallows to kill Mordecai on - all they knew is that their lives were threatened and they were victorious. Only in the end, when Mordecai issued a letter to everyone explaining exactly what had happened, did they completely understand. How wonderful.
We are so different today - we hem-haw and procrastinate before we finally give in. My kids do this - I tell them to do something and they want an explanation of why they have to do it, how long they have to get it done, or can they do it later. If we simply are obedient to God - we will be victorious. God will let us know exactly what came about and why it needed to be done in His time - and then we will see the reason to celebrate.
Many of us who have been through trials and yet stayed obedient to God and saw the miracle that came of it - are able to look back and understand why things happened the way they did, even though we didn't understand while it was happening. Maybe we will never know in this life, but being obedient to what God asks of us will always lead to victory.
The story of Esther began with a feast of pagans and ended in a feast for God's people. We, too, will celebrate one day at our own feast and Jesus will be the host. Thank you for joining me as I studied the book of Esther - I look forward to what the next blog will be.
Esther 9:1-16 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those seeking their destruction. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king's administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful. The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. They also killeday their hands on the plunder. Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king's provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder. The number of those slain in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. The king said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted." "If it pleases the king," Esther answered, "give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day's edict tomorrow also, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on gallows." So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay hands on their plunder.
And so it began... The war that everyone was suiting up for, the war everyone was preparing for, had finally come. The Jews were victorious. Miraculously victorious. The king approached Queen Esther and began discussing the battle. "Wow, the Jews have already killed 500 people just here around the castle, I wonder how many more they've killed in the surrounding areas." And again, the king asked Esther whatever she wanted, he would give. One might ask why? Why would he ask her what she wanted? Simple, the Jews were being backed by a much higher power than he. Even the king recognized God's hand in this defeat. Not only did they kill 500 in Susa, they also killed all the sons of Haman - thus finally fulfilling God's judgment - see the previous blog.
So Esther answers the kings question about what else he can do - she wants to continue the battles for one more day. Let the Jews be able to continue defending themselves until tomorrow. The King agreed. "Also", Esther said, "Hang the dead sons of Haman on the gallows" - that was 10 men who were already dead - why? Here's why - if those sons were to have lived, in only a matter of 10-20 years, that line of King Agag could've increased in the hundreds. Their bodies being hung on the gallows was a sign to all the people - "Don't mess with God". 300 mo
re people were killed in Susa the following day and 75,000 people were killed throughout the kingdom. Only approximately 7,000 men were killed in combat during the Revolutionary War, and that was from both sides. These Jews were regular men and women, simply trying to protect their freedom - isn't it ironic how the past parallels the present.
If only in the present we could remember - God is why we are victorious, it is through Christ we can do all things, if only in God would we trust. . . Mordecai and Esther new it, and led a nation - when will we?
