Ge. 38: Hey, Go Get Your Dead Brother's Wife Pregnant. OK, Fine, I'll Do It.

The account of Judah in Chapter 38 is a rather sordid one. It is crammed with selfishness and sin. The sin, as in previous chapters is neither glamorized nor condemned. Rather, it is simply reported. These are the people with whom God made a covenant, and there were stipulations, conditions to this covenant. The people God chooses (outside of Noah) are clearly were not chosen for being good people. This is a blessing to me. Pretty sweet.

Anyway, Judah, who had the idea to sell Joseph to the Midianites, moves away from his brothers and down to Adullam. There, he got hitched up to a Canaanite daughter of a man named Shua. She gave him three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah. Judah got a wife for his oldest son, Tamar. But Er was wicked, so God put him to death. Turns out, he should have been named Err. God can just put people to death like that. Wicked people.

Here Judah tells the next in line, Onan, to go fulfill his brotherly-in-law duty, and produce offspring for the departed Er. Onan wasn't too thrilled with the proposition, because he knew that Tamar's baby wouldn't be his. The Bible records that he ejaculated on the ground during sex with Tamar, to keep her from conceiving. God considered this wicked as well, so he sent Onan to join Err in the hereafter. Judah then told Tamar to live as a widow until Shelah was old enough to be her husband.

A while later, Judah's wife died. Then finally he gets over it, goes up to Timnah, where some dudes were shearing his sheep, to keep an eye on them or whatever, and he brings his Adullamite friend Hirah with him. Pretty soon, Tamar, who had not been given as a wife to Shelah yet, she changed out of widow's clothes (not sure what those are) and into a veil, and goes up to Timnah. Possibly with the intention of seducing her father-in-law Judah. But that's what happens. Judah sought her out, thinking she was a prostitute, and sleeps with her. As payment, Judah offers a goat from his flock. Tamar asked for some other pledge as collateral until Judah sends the goat, Judah's seal and its cord, and his staff. She becomes pregnant by her father-in-law.

Later, Judah sends the goat to his friend, the Adullamite, to give to the prostitute. Who obviously isn't there. Because it's Tamar. Who's not a prostitute. Judah, concerned about his image for some reason, doesn't want to be a laughingstock, so he says, let her keep what she has.

Three months later, Judah is told that Tamar is guilty of prostitution (apparently a crime back then...go figure). Judah, not interested in protecting her, wants her burned to death. Nice guy. She reveals that it was by Judah she was pregnant, bringing out his staff and seal. He slaps himself in the forehead, and admits his sin in not giving Shelah to her. He did not sleep with Tamar after that. Yay. Why was it so important that Onan be given to Tamar, but not Shelah? Did Judah just forget? I think not, if this was such an important custom. It was just neglect.

Turns out, Tamar was pregnant with twins. During birth, one of the boys shoved his hand out, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread around his wrist to denote him as the oldest. But then he pulled his arm back in, and his brother came out. This was a big surprise! Kind of weird. Despite all supporting evidence, I am not an obstetrician. I don't know how often this happens.

The one who pushed past and didn't get the thread was named Perez, while thread-boy was monikered Zerah.

Kind of a ... ew chapter. But this is what happens.