Repentance: The doorway to change (Genesis 38)
Gen 38:1-30
The incident of Judah and Tamar has puzzled both commentators and readers for a long time. Why is this story plopped into the Joseph narrative, when readers are raring to hear more about him? I will address the moral issues and Tamar’s part in my next post, but we should note here that the Joseph story is introduced as the family history of Jacob (lit. ‘the generations of Jacob’; Gen 37:2). It is about the whole family as they are saved from famine, reconciled, and re-settled in Egypt. While the Judah-Tamar incident creates suspense, its purpose is more than that. Judah is a key character who first suggests selling Joseph (Gen 37:26-27) and in later events he will play an important role in offering his life in exchange for Benjamin’s (Gen 44:14-33). Israelite readers would also have been aware that the Davidic kings descended from him (hinted at in Gen 49:10), so his actions are of considerable interest from the viewpoint of Israel’s larger history. Finally, the events described here roughly span the time between Joseph being sold into slavery and the reconciliation of the family and will explain something of the transformation that will happen to Judah.
Judah: callous and unemotional
In the last chapter, we have already seen Judah’s callousness. While he does not want bloodguilt to hang over the brothers’ heads, he has no compunction in profiting from Joseph’s enslavement (Gen 37:26-27). Kidnapping (lit. stealing) someone’s life and selling them is condemned by later law as worthy of the death penalty (Exod 21:16). Judah’s marriage (Gen 38:2) would also have caused grief to Jacob, since not marrying Canaanites was a conviction held by all the patriarchs (Gen 24:3-4; 26:34-35; 28:6-7). Unlike his father’s love for Joseph, Judah seems to have little emotional attachment to his sons; mourning for his first two sons is not mentioned (Gen 38:7, 9-10).[1] Perhaps it explains why he had no scruples in depriving his father of a son. Nevertheless, he is obviously concerned for the family line and, assuming that Tamar is somehow at fault, he is reluctant to give his remaining son to her in case he also dies (Gen 38:11).
Judah: abrupt and ruthless
While prostitution was frowned upon in later Israel, it was not a criminal offence. Nevertheless, Judah is barely out of mourning for his wife (Gen 38:12) when he is wanting to meet his physical needs. His unemotional and rather abrupt approach (Gen 38:16) points to a man who would have little empathy for others’ pain. His condemnation of his daughter-in-law when she is found pregnant is also quick and ruthless (Gen 38:24). Since she has been promised to Shelah (Gen 38:10), i.e. was betrothed, her actions counted as adultery because betrothal was as legally binding as marriage. Tamar’s surprise revelation shows him up as an adulterer too, though an unwitting one (Gen 38:25). Even now he could have felt righteous indignation for being so deceived. He could have forgotten his own part that led to Tamar’s desperate behaviour.
The turning point: repentance
Yet, this is the turning point where Judah’s hardness is cracked, and he admits his own guilt (Gen 38:26). Did he remember that as Tamar deceived him, her father-in-law, he also deceived his own father? Wasn’t he reluctant to give his son to Tamar in case he died but ‘stole’ the life of his father’s beloved son? While we do not know his emotions or thoughts, it is a transformed Judah that will emerge later (Gen 44:30-34). God continues to work in this dysfunctional family, in all its members. God also shows Himself generous. Instead of the two evil sons who died, Judah is given two more through Tamar (Gen 38:27). Our story teaches us that repentance, an acknowledgement of sin, not out of fear of consequences but in genuine recognition of the wrong done, is the beginning of true change. That is why keeping an open heart to hear God convict us whether through others’ actions, circumstances, or Scripture is important, so we can continue to grow in godliness. And what amazing grace that when we take a step towards the Lord, He meets us more than half-way.
[1] We never find out why Er died except for the explanation that he did evil in God’s eyes (Gen 38:7). This for modern readers feels arbitrary and we would dearly love to know what he had done so that we could judge for ourselves whether God was justified to take his life. However, the actual reason is unimportant from the story’s perspective and so the narrative hurries on. This is a good example when our questioning finds no answers and alerts us to the fact, that the story’s focus is somewhere else. Our best course of action is to accept God’s judgment of the matter and not let ourselves be side-tracked into speculations that do not contribute to the story. Er’s death is only important because it creates the need for his brother to step in. Further, calling Er (and Onan) evil underscores Tamar’s innocence. She was not to blame that she lost two husbands.
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