Tamar, Daughter-in-law of Judah: Who Is the Righteous One?

Today in my reading of the book of Genesis,  here is the somewhat disturbing story of Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, the son of Jacob. 

Chapter 38 begins with Judah leaving his brothers  and seeing a daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shuah.  By her Judah had two sons, one named Er and the other named Onan.  After this Shuah bore to Judah another son called Shelah.

In the process of time, Judah took a wife for his firstborn Er, and her name was Tamar.  But the bible tells us that Er was "wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD slew him."  Judah told his next son Onan to marry Tamar that  he should "raise up seed to thy brother."  Because Onan knew that any child would not be considered his, he denied Tamar a child by him.  But what he did "displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also."

Next Judah tells Tamar to stay as a widow in her father's house until his youngest son Shelah reached  adulthood,  but Judah fears "lest peraventure he die also, as his brethren did"  Tamar obeys and went and dwelt in her father's house.

Time passes and Tamar is still in her father's house when she hears that Judah is coming to shear his sheep, so she puts off her widow's garments and veils herself.  Next she sits in open view where Judah will pass because "she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife."

Jacob's Daughter Dinah: Choosing the Wrong Path

I am reading through the book of Genesis at this time.  Today I read about Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham.    This is a very sad story of what happened to Dinah when she went out on her own from her family.  I wrote this piece in 2002 and want to post it here today.

Jacob's Daughter Dinah

Genesis 30:21 "And afterwards she (Jacob's wife Leah) bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah"  (judgment)

Genesis 33: 18 "And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.  And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money. "

In Genesis chapter 33 we have the reconciliation of Jacob and Esau who had been separated since Jacob deceived his father Isaac into believing that he was Esau, and thus took the blessing that was meant for Esau.  At Jacob's mother Rebekah's urging, Jacob left his home and journeyed to Paddan-aram where Rebekah's family lived.  Jacob went there and lodged with Rachel and her family.  After 20 years Jacob left with his wives Rachel and Leah, their handmaids, and all his children.  Jacob was nervous to meet Esau his  brother, but when they do finally meet Esau treats Jacob and his family with kindness and respect, hospitably offering that Jacob should go with Esau to his home to dwell together in unity, (V12) but Jacob deceives Esau one more time into thinking he will follow along after, then he makes the choice to turn in another direction and go to the land of Canaan, where the Israelites do not live.   (V13-20).  Just as Lot separated from Abraham, and went to the city of Sodom, Jacob will bear the grief of taking things into his own hands instead of following Esau, whom the Lord had graciously restored to him.

Mist on Icefield's Parkway with Genesis 2:6

 

This photo was taken on the Icefield's Parkway between Jasper and Banff National Parks.  The little trees are stunted from the extreme weather, and the mist was a beautiful sight to behold.  I chose Genesis 2:6 as the verse because to me it was perfect with this photo.

Bible Women: The Woman Eve

Genesis 2:20 - 4:25

How many times we have heard mention of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and of the apple and the fall of man. Yet the truth is that Eve is not called Eve until Genesis 3:20 "And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living" before that she is called Woman.  The word apple is never mentioned.  It is called "fruit" Genesis 3:2-3 "...We may eat of the fruit of the trees....." "But of the fruit of the tree ....." Changing the Woman to Eve too soon, and changing fruit to apple may seem insignificant, yet they change the word of God, and changing the word of God is the basis for Woman's downfall.  The history of that downfall is deception, altering the word of God, recognition that something has changed, lost fellowship with God, blame, and then that most blessed, reconciliation with God through His grace and mercy, and not Adam and the woman’s works.  Yet there are consequences to pay, which continue to this day. Because of the disobedience of Adam, sin has passed to every man, Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned;" and because sin entered this world, we can only have forgiveness of sin and fellowship with God through the shed blood of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." 1 Peter 1:18-19 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

The history of Eve begins in Genesis 2:16.  The Lord has put Adam in the Garden of Eden to care for it, and he is given only one command Genesis 2:16-17 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" This demands obedience, and Adam will be tested on what God said.  In Gen. 2:20, after naming all the animals and birds, Adam has found that in all creation, only he is without a helpmeet. Then 2:21  the intervention of God, Adam is put into a deep sleep, one of his ribs is removed, and in Gen 2:22 "..the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man". Adam is created from the dust of the ground, but the woman was made from his body, and for what purpose? Genesis 2:23-24 is the answer " ...This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."  The Woman is his counterpart, and they two were made to be together.  This is the definitive answer to homosexuality.  God created the man and woman. Not the man and the man, nor the woman and the woman. Genesis 2:25 shows their purity. "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." They lived a beautiful, perfect life in fellowship with their Creator.