Tamar's story is phenomenal. She proved to be someone who walked closely with God and therefore became an ancestor of the Savior. Whoever walks with Jesus and strives to fulfill His commands will participate in the divine plan for those who fear and do His will. The Christ who would come almost two thousand years later had to pass through Tamar. However, because she had been deceived by her father-in-law, she had to use some tricks to get to what the Lord had planned for humanity.

           This story began when Judah, one of Jacob's sons, stayed at the house of Hirah, an Adullamite. There, he saw the daughter of Sua, a Canaanite, and married her (Genesis 38:1,2). I imagine that his mistake in marrying this young woman meant that his children didn't have the necessary respect for God, because this woman wouldn't have been able to pass on the Lord's teachings to them.

         From Judah's marriage came Er, the firstborn, who married Tamar. According to the Word, this boy was wicked, so God killed him. Then, in fulfillment of the Law, in an attempt to have offspring, she had to marry Onan, her dead husband's older brother. Because he avoided having children, Onan was not spared either and died. This shows us that the main purpose of marriage is to give God children, whom He calls His heirs: Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward (Psalm 127.3). Since Judah's two sons refused to produce the Lord's inheritance, they signed their own death warrant. The divine purpose must never be despised.

         When Tamar became a widow for the second time, she heard from her father-in-law Judah: Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house (Genesis 38.11). However, Shelah was already grown up, and she was not given to him as a wife. Tamar then secretly created a situation without telling Judah.

         The Most High does not accept deception against anyone, least of all against a pure and Scripture-abiding person. Because God was not pleased with Judah's attitude in not keeping his word, He let Tamar know that her father-in-law was going to Timna to shear the sheep. That was the right time to act. So she took off the garments of her widowhood, dressed like a prostitute, covered her face with a veil and went to that city. Her father-in-law, who was also a widower, found her and had sex with her.

         Three months later, Judah learned that his daughter-in-law was pregnant and said that she was worthy of death for having dishonored widowhood. When they were taking Tamar to be burned, she showed him the pledge he had given her as a guarantee of payment, revealing that her father-in-law had lain with her. Recognizing her, Judah called her more righteous than he was. Tamar gave birth to Perez and Zerah (read the whole of Genesis chapter 38).

         Later, the choice to rule God's people fell to the fledgling tribe of Judah. The tribe of Reuben had lost this right because of his foolish act, as Jacob declared: Unstable as water, you shall not excel, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it— He went up to my couch (Genesis 49.4). Reuben suffered a great loss! We must walk as the Bible teaches, lest we suffer eternal loss (Revelation 3:11). We must watch and pray!

In Christ, with love,

           R. R. Soares