Tamar

This is the first woman we are studying in the Bible Study “A Lineage of Grace”. For those of you unfamiliar, Tamar was the wife of Judah’s son, Er. She was given to Onan when Er died, as per custom. When Onan died, Judah sent her back to her family to live until his youngest son, Shelah, was of age to marry. This never happened so Tamar took things into her own hands. If you want to learn more about her, read Genesis 38.

While I haven’t finished the reading or done the study guide portion on my own yet, I have found in what I have read that I relate to Tamar in many ways. One significant way is the desire to have children. She did not conceive until she tricked her father-in-law to lay with her (at that time, it was probably more proper to say “Lay with” instead of “sleep with”; translations may use some variation). She ultimately gave birth to twins!

Once I finish this first novella and study guide portion, I will post more. For now, I leave you with this:

Genesis 38 (NKJV)

Judah and Tamar

38 It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. ² And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. ³ So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. ⁴ She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. ⁵ And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.

⁶ Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him. ⁸ And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.” ⁹ But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. ¹⁰ And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He killed him also.

¹¹ 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.

¹² Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. ¹⁶ Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. (taken from: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+38&version=NKJV)