Unveiled-The Story of Tamar

In this Advent season, as we prepare our hearts and minds for celebrating the birth of Jesus, I thought it might be interesting to look into the lives of 5 of the women in his family lineage, through the tribe of Judah. The first chapter of Matthew lists these amazing ladies, and the fact that they are mentioned at all goes against the protocol of the day.  Remember, women had very little say in society, and 3 of them were gentiles, so they must have been very special, to be included.  That said, let’s learn something  about the first woman to be mentioned, Tamar.   If you recall your old testament, Jacob, grandson of Abraham, son of Issac,  a.k.a know as Israel, was the father of 12 sons, one of whom was Judah.  It had been prophesized that the Messiah would come from this branch of the family, and Jesus is often referred to as “The Lion Of Judah”.  Anyway, Tamar’s marriage had been arranged, to Judah’s no good, eldest son, Er. Judah had already broken covenant law by marrying a Canaanite woman, and God was not pleased.  Cut to the chase, Er died, so Onan, the next son in line, was called in to fulfill his brother’s duty. If Tamar had conceived a child, according to Jewish law, Er would have been considered the legal father.  Without going into the “naughty” details, Onan died too.  The family figured Tamar was to blame, and sent her back to her father‘s home, saying they would give her a call when their youngest son was old enough to marry.  How do you think that guy felt?  Tamar was a smart cookie and she knew that they would never call, thus putting her in the unenviable position of a childless widow. In pinochle terms, Judah had reneged, and she was determined to obtain what was rightfully hers, a child. The details of how she became the mother to twin sons, Perez and Zerah, is amazing, clever and racy, read the lurid details for yourself in Genesis 38.…hoochie mama!!!  Not only did her action retain the bloodline, she also became a follower of the Lord of  Israel and Judah returned, as well.  Please read this story, and if your interest in piqued, get a hold of a copy of Francine River’s book, “A Lineage of Grace”, which brings to life the stories of these heroines of faith. Like Tamar, may your eyes be unveiled to the Amazing Grace God continues to offer!!