Contrasting Stories

Genesis 38-39

            Judah’s story is filled with sexual irregularity, and he doesn’t seem to bear any consequences. Joseph keeps himself from sexual sin and pays a terrible price.

            In Judah’s case, the thing starts with him marrying a Canaanite wife. I think I talked about intermarriage a few days ago. On the human level, the disdain for marrying those of different backgrounds could be written off as mere prejudice. From the heavenly viewpoint, at least as regards the children of Israel, the issue is one of faithfulness to the Lord. An Israelite putting themselves into such close proximity to one who worships others gods poses a threat to the Israelite’s loyalty to the one God. (Can a Christian, in these New Testament times, marry an unbeliever? The New Testament seems a little more ambiguous about the whole thing. On the one hand, Peter and Paul suggest that a believing spouse can have a sanctifying effect on an unbelieving spouse; on the other hand, they are both aware of the dangers to one’s faith such a marriage poses. We can talk about that when we get to the relevant passages in the New Testament.)

            Back to Judah’s story: sexual irregularity continues. We don’t know why Er died, but the focus of the story is on Onan refusing to impregnate his sister-in-law. This is a custom later named levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25). The idea is that it is of utmost importance that the dead brother’s line goes on, so the surviving brother is supposed to provide a son. In a culture in which the man of the house provides all the support and standing, male offspring are particularly valued. Onan chooses to “spill his seed on the ground” (ick… too much information) instead. Probably the sin here is greed: Onan is more concerned for his own family name and well-being than that of his brother. I’ve heard people try to use this verse as a justification against using birth control, but that seems kind of stretched to me. Anyway, Onan dies, too—literally the Lord put him to death—and Tamar has no children.

            By this time Judah seems to think of Tamar as a bit of a black widow and refuses to give his youngest son to her. So, Tamar tricks Judah into sleeping with her. Shades of Lot’s story! Consider the double standard: Judah is willing to pass off his own use of a prostitute, to the extent of ignoring the loss of his seal and his staff,  Those two things were marks of legal identification—think Judah’s driver’s license and social security number. But when Tamar is accused of prostitution, Judah orders her burnt alive! (So, it’s ok for a man to engage a prostitute, but it’s not ok for a woman to be a prostitute?)

            What a sordid tale! And Judah seems to face few consequences. The story ends with Judah receiving another generation of heirs, as his grandsons (and troublingly his sons…) Perez and Zerah are born. And to add insult to injury, throughout the rest of the Scripture’s genealogies, Perez is the heir, not Shelah!

            Contrast that with poor Joseph, who’s doing his best to hold off the sexual advances of Potiphar’s wife and ends up falsely accused and in prison for his troubles!

            Years ago, we used a psalm in a church service I was leading. I don’t remember which one, but the thrust of it was that the Lord would punish the wicked and prosper the righteous. As I was greeting the congregation after the service, a member thrust his bulletin in my chest, open to the offending psalm, and asked, “When?!” It is a curious thing that those who are faithful to the Lord often seem to struggle while those who disregard the Lord seem to prosper. I guess it’s easy enough to understand: when I watch football and a big running play is called back for holding, I often make a dad joke that the game is easier if you cheat.  But it does leave faithful Christians wondering when they might see the justice of God. The answer, unfortunately, is, “Someday.” Peter makes the comment that the Lord doesn’t count time like we do (2 Peter 3:8), and Paul promises that God will work out all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). So, we rely on those promises, even as we wait eagerly for the day of Christ’s return when He will set all things right.