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."