(Lessons from Judah)
Genesis 38:24-26 About three months later word reached Judah that Tamar, his daughter-in-law, was pregnant, obviously as a result of prostitution. “Bring her out and burn her,” Judah shouted. But as they were taking her out to kill her she sent this message to her father-in-law: “The man who owns this identification seal and walking stick is the father of my child. Do you recognize them?” Judah admitted that they were his and said, “She is more in the right than I am….”
[Living Bible translation]
JUDAH
Life Before the Trial –
My name is Judah. I am the fourth son of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. My mother is Leah. My grandfather is Laban. Leah is the oldest of my grandfather’s two daughters. My aunt, Rachel is my grandfather’s youngest daughter. Rachel is the one my father Jacob loved the most. It caused my mother a lot of pain.
Yes, I come from a complicated family. Who doesn’t? When I was born, my mother already had three sons, Reuben (meaning “GOD has noticed my trouble”); Simeon (meaning “Jehovah heard” (referring to the fact that GOD had heard she was unloved and given her another son); and Levi (meaning “Attachment”- hoping that Jacob would become more attached to her because she had now given him three sons!) My name “Judah” means “Praise,” because now my mother said she will praise JEHOVAH” (Genesis 29:31-35). Between, my mother, my Aunt Rachel’s handmaidens/servant women, who my Aunt Rachel used as surrogates for children, and my mother Leah’s handmaiden/servant, who was also used as a surrogate for bearing children for my mother, and finally Aunt Rachel, who later gave birth to two sons (Joseph and Benjamin) my father had a number of children, mainly boys. Yes, my father’s tent was full and chaotic! A lot of the strife came from family jealousy because just as my father Jacob favored one wife (Rachel) over the other (Leah), my father favored some of his children (especially Joseph) over his other children. As I said my family is complicated.
I know that GOD was grooming me and my brothers for leadership, just as he was grooming Joseph, but none of us could clearly “see” ourselves or put aside our tendencies to overreact at times (which is another way of saying “not consulting GOD first). All of my brothers and myself included had a lot of “growing up” to do!
My Trials
Probably my first trial was when my brothers plotted to kill Joseph. We were in Dothan pasturing our father’s flocks when my brothers and I saw Joseph at distance, all dressed up in the fancy multicolored coat that our father had given him, which only increased the tension in the family. Unlike Joseph, my other brothers and I were all dressed in work clothes, that were dirty and grimy smelling of sheep. Being a shepherd is hard work. There is the late-night guard duty with the sheep; protecting the sheep from wolves and other predators; the constant gathering of the sheep; the gathering of the strays; training the sheep so they responded to our voice; untangling sheep from briars; and all sort of other duties. If a sheep is injured, sometimes you have to lift the sheep up off the ground and carry it to a safe place so you can tend its wounds. It’s a 24-hour job! And, knowing that Joseph was probably there to spy on us, so he could report back to our father or worse to gloat about his latest dreams about how all of us would one day bow down to him, didn’t make seeing Joseph easy. Some of the other brothers called him “that dreamer.” They thought he was arrogant and useless. And they were tired of his special treatment. Suddenly they voted to just kill Joseph and be done with him. That’s how much they hated him! However, my oldest brother, Reuben, made it clear that no blood be shed (Genesis 37:21-22). Instead, seeing how riled up my other brothers were, Reuben suggested throwing him in a well. [Maybe Reuben just wanted to placate the others and planned to let him out later. We’ll never know…]
You know how a crowd can get once they get riled up-- well my brothers were no different. They quickly stripped Joseph’s coat off him and threw him in an empty well. I actually thought they planned to leave and let Joseph die in the well. Reuben had gone off and my brothers were still talking and laughing about letting Joseph die in the well. I didn’t want any part of Joseph’s death, so when I saw a caravan of Ishmaelites traveling on the road on the way to Egypt, I convinced my brothers to sell Joseph to them. After all, Joseph was our brother and we didn’t want to be responsible for his death. We just wanted him to suffer and see what it was like to really work. My other brothers agreed and so we sold Joseph. Yes, we sold our own flesh and blood into slavery. We then created a lie amongst ourselves and told our father Joseph had been killed by a wild animal and smeared Joseph’s special coat with animal blood as proof to our father of Joseph’s death (Genesis 37:30-33). We thought we had seen the end of Joseph. But we were to learn GOD had other plans for brother Joseph.
The next trial in my life came when I left home, married a Canaanite woman, and started raising a family of my own. I was living in Chezib and had three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. When Er grew up I arranged for Er to marry a woman named Tamar. But, my son Er was wicked and GOD slew him (Genesis 38:7). Since Tamar was now a widow, I told my next son, Onan, to do his duty as “kinsman,” as our law required, and marry Tamar and have children so my dead son Er would have heirs. I probably should have monitored that situation closely, but I didn’t. What happened was that Onan married Tamar, but he refused to have any children that were not his own. So, every time Onam slept with Tamar he spilled his sperm so that Tamar could not conceive. What Onan did displeased GOD, so THE LORD slew him too. So, I was left with one son, Shelah. I must admit that I was a bit afraid that Shelah would suffer the same fate as his brothers. So, I sort of “stalled” about letting Shelah marry Tamar. I told Tamar to remain a widow in her father’s house until Shelah became of marriageable age and tried to forget all about Tamar and the family kinsman obligation. Instead, I focused on my sheep and myself.
Well, Shelah grew up and I just went about my business. I even left the area and went to another city, Timnah to supervise the sheering of my sheep(Genesis 38:12). When that task was done, I was on my way to another village, Enaim, when I saw this prostitute on the road. Her face was covered but she was definitely “selling.” I stopped and asked her to sleep with me. When we started bargaining for the price of her services, I told her I would give her a young goat from my flock as payment. I told her I would send it back to her after I slept with her. She asked for some “collateral” to make sure I would keep my word about sending back the goat and I agreed to leave my identification seal and my walking stick (Genesis 38: 17-19). I slept with this veiled woman and then left. When I came back with the goat, I couldn’t find her and no one in the area knew of any “public prostitute” who hung around the entrance of the village. I looked and looked but finally gave up. I thought, let her keep the seal and walking stick. And, I left with my goat (Genesis 38:23).
About three months later I received word that Tamar was pregnant. I was livid. It didn’t matter that I had refused to keep my promise to give her my son Shelah, I considered “my family” publicly wronged by “this harlot” and I wanted her punished. I wanted her brought out for all to see and passed judgment on her myself. I wanted her burned (Genesis 38:24)! I probably would have “crucified her” if that had been an option! I was really feeling self-righteousness and I demanding justice!
How I Got Through It
What happened next was “a lesson” I will never forget! They were about to take Tamar out and kill her when Tamar asked her executioners to give me a message. The message was that the father of her child (who I would have also had the right to seek revenge against as well) was the owner of the identification seal and the walking stick they handed me! Imagine my astonishment when I was handed my own "identification seal and walking stick! I quickly admitted that these items were mine and also admitted that Tamara was “more righteous” than I. Tamar was the “concealed” prostitute that I had asked to sleep with me,” and who I had engaged in prostitution! I was the other culpable party! Apparently, Tamar had taken matters in her own hands and had “forced me” to fulfill my family’s obligation as “kinsman-redeemer,” despite my own disobedience to GOD and the law in not marrying her to my son Shelah.
When Tamar “exposed me,” she basically kept me from killing her unborn (child---which actually turned out to be my children, since we all later learned she was carrying twins!). By exposing me Tamar also kept me from killing my own grandchildren, since under the redeemer law, these children would be the children of both Er and Onan, her deceased husbands! So, Tamar had prevented me from murdering my own children/grandchildren and murdering my own family.
But exposing me and allowing me to repent, Tamar probably also prevented JEHOVAH from slaying me, because my own wickedness and refusal to fully execute the redeemer laws were just as villainous as what Onan did to Tamar and was probably as wicked as some of the things Er had committed in his lifetime! So, in the end, it was the GRACE OF GOD that saved me! And, it was Tamar that gave me a new family! In other words, GOD saved me from myself! GOD showed me the error of not taking “everything” to GOD, the error of pointing an “accusatory finger at another,” because so often we stand convicted of the very same things (if not worse things) we accuse others. GOD showed me the error of not loving family! I’m grateful I repented. I’m grateful GOD gave me a second chance.
As a leader, I learned the importance of family, a lesson I also later learned when my brother Joseph saved all of us—his family, and all of Egypt—from the famine.
So, don’t be like me. Love family, even when you think they are “unlovable.” Don’t be “stingy” loving others. Also, don’t be judgmental. Let GOD settle all your disputes. Don’t be so quick to “get on your high horse” over others. Do your best with your children—pray for them when they do wrong. Continually, pray for yourself too because none of us, except GOD, is perfect. And, be sure to thank GOD daily! Thank GOD for GOD’s many blessings, including allowing you to survive your own judgmental actions and for not living up to GOD’s ethical standards. Remember, GOD expects us to be just and merciful to others!
Despite, my flaws, GOD has shown me great mercy! The tribe of Judah became one of the most important tribes in history. If you look back at those who came after me you will find King David, one of the greatest kings ever, was from the tribe of Judah. And KING JESUS, the MESSIAH, was from the tribe of Judah too. Despite my faults, GOD blessed me and my family. None of this could have happened had it not been for Tamar.
The sign of insignia of the tribe of Judah is the lion.1 The lion is furious, brave, and powerful. May we all find the courage to be just and merciful to others!
MORE STRETCHING
- Cat-Cow – On a mat, position yourself on all fours, with your hands spread about shoulder with apart and your knees hip-width apart. Some refer to this as a “Table Top” position because the idea is that if you are correctly positioned, someone could put a glass on your back like they were putting a glass on a tabletop. Once you are in tabletop, arch your back up like a frightened cat as you exhale. Then inhale and arch your back down in a “cow” position, pulling in your belly. As you repeat cat and cow, with the breath, feel the stretch across your chest and down your torso. When you have done about 3-5 cat-cows, lean back with your hands and upper elbow in a “child’s position” allowing your buttocks to fall backward toward your heels. Hold for about a minute, then with your head down, move your hands to the right, then move your hands center and move your hand to the left and back to the center. Then return to your tabletop position for another round of cat-cow. End each cat-cow with the “child’s position” stretches.
- Side Quadricep Stretch - Lie on your right side with your legs stacked and extended on the floor. Rest your head on your left arm. Bend your right knee and bring your heel toward your right buttock. Reach back behind you with your right hand and try to grab your heel. If you cannot reach your heel, place a towel or strap gently around your right ankle and gently grab the ends of the towel or strap with your right hand, gently pulling the ends of the towel toward your buttock until you feel a stretch. Hold. Then, slowly return to your start position. Turn over to your other side and repeat. When you have stretched on both sides you have completed one rep. As you do this exercise keep your hips stacked and try not to roll forward. Take breaks as needed.
- Leg Raises – Lie on your back with your head cupped in your hands so your elbows are pointing in opposite directions. Gently raise your right leg as high as you can in a straight leg motion. When you have reached as high as you can go, gently lower your right leg and repeat the same motion on the left side. Again, these are gentle straight leg raises. One straight leg raise on the right and the left is one rep. Complete 5-10 straight leg raises reps. Take breaks as needed. Remember, these are gentle straight leg raises. If you want an extra exercise, gently raise your flexed feet (legs straight) about 12 inches from the ground. Hold. Then, gently lower your feet to the ground. You have completed one rep. Try to do 4-8 (12inch off the ground) leg raises. Again, take breaks as needed.
Be sure to stay hydrated and drink water after exercising. If you experience pain or you have a medical condition, consult your personal physician for the best stretches for you or ask if the above stretches are ok for you to include in your stretch routine.
DON’T BE SO QUICK TO JUDGE
It is easy to judge---especially “other” people. But, exercising “good judgment” is an entirely different thing. Exercising good judgment usual requires knowing the facts, understanding the big picture, understanding what is motivating that person, or not motivating a person to act or to not act. Sometimes “good judgment” means not giving the person the judgment they deserved (as when I tried to kill Tamar and when I sold my own brother into slavery), and accepting GOD’s mercy.
So, here is my advice. Instead of judging, take your problems to GOD. Pray for a discerning spirit. Pray for a loving spirit and pray for the other person/people you believe has wronged you. Even if you are wronged, try to love anyway, the way GOD loves us, despite our many wrongs and faults.
Also, seek justice for others. Remember, we are all part of GOD’s family. Don’t settle for injustice anywhere. Seek justice for people everywhere.
Ask GOD for a forgiving spirit toward others (like my brother Joseph) and GOD forgave me.
Thank GOD for GRACE and MERCY and BE BLESSED!
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1The Lion of Judah is also one of the titles of the Solomonic Emperors of Ethiopia. In the Rastafari movement, the Lion of Judah represents Emperor Haile Selassie and is a symbol of pride, strength, kingship and African sovereignty and unity. See, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_of_Judah. In Revelation 5:5 John refers to “The lion of the tribe of Judah, the ROOT of David” as having conquered and proved HIMSELF worthy to open the scroll and break the seven seals.
