“About three months later Judah was told, “‘Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”’ Judah said, “‘bring her out and have her burned to death!”
~ Genesis 38:24
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you curious about your family tree? Have you ever wondered about ‘a possible skeleton in the closet’ that would color your family history? Your grandpaa did not know until recently that one of his ma’s little sisters – who your grandpaa had always thought was one of his aunts, is one of his first cousins. Who your grandpaa thought until recently was one of his aunts on his ma’s side of his family was actually one of his first cousins had a kid who your grandpaa thought until recently was one of his first cousins is actually one of his second cousins. The baby who was born to one of your grandpaa’s ma’s little sisters before she married another guy – who would not marry her if she kept the kid, was raised by your grandpaa’s ma’s dad and ma. Your grandpaa’s ma’s little sister’s kid who she had before she was married and who was raised by her dad and ma had a kid before she was married who was raised by an aunt and uncle. If you think that your grandpaa has ‘twisted’ limbs in their family tree, how would you like to have been Perez? Perez was a twin. Perez’s twin bro’s name was Zerah. When Perez and Zerah were ready to check out the world, Zerah stuck out his arm as if he was going to be the first kid born. When the midwife saw Zerah’s arm, she tied a red thread around Zerah’s wrist. Tying the red thread around Zerah’s wrist was the way for the midwife to remember which kid was born first. The boy who was born first at the time when Zerah and Perez were born was who would end up with special rights and an inheritance that would be two times larger than his bro’s inheritance. Zerah pulled his arm back and Perez was born first.
Perez’s family tree has Perez ‘a skeleton in the closet’. Perez’s grandpa was Jacob. Perez’s dad was Judah. Perez had eleven uncles. One of Perez’s uncles was Joseph. When Perez’s Uncle Joseph got on the nerves of his bros, Perez’s Uncle Joseph was sold by some of Joseph’s bros – including Judah, to some Midianites in a passing Ishmaelite camel caravan. Joseph was taken by his Midianite owners to Egypt where he became a Pharaoh’s trusted right hand guy. All of Jacob’s kids ultimately ended up in Egypt. The Egyptian Pharoah gave Goshen’s land area to Jacob – who by this time had had his name changed by God to Israel, and to the families of Jacob’s kids. After being the bro who suggested selling Joseph to some Midianites who were traveling in an Ishmaelite camel caravan, Perez’s dad – Judah, left his bros to try to make his fortune among the Canaanites who were living in Adullum. Instead of keeping himself separated from the Canaanite people group’s guy and gals, Judah married a Canaanite gal. Judah and the Canaanite gal who he married had three boys who they named Er, Onan and Shelah. Genesis 38 tells the tale of a sordid unsavory guy – Judah, who would become one of the key players in the emergence of a people group of guys and gals who would be known as God’s specially chosen guys and gals. When Er – Judah’s oldest kid, was old enough to get married, Judah found a gal to be Er’s wife. The gal’s name was Tamar. Because Er was a really bad dude, God saw to it that Er died. At the time that Judah lived, it was important that there was a son born to Er who Er could pass on his rights and things. Because no son had been born to Er and Tamar, it was expected that Tamar have a son with Er’s next bro – Onan. Because Onan did not want to have a son with Tamar because the kid would end up when he died with his rights and things, he had God cause him to die, too. When Judah saw what happened to Er and to Onan, there was no way that Judah was going to let Shelah have Tamar as his wife so that they would have a boy born to them – which was what was supposed to take place at that time per the law of the land. Because Tamar really wanted to have a boy, Tamar tricked her father-in-law – Judah, by pretending that she was a shrine prostitute so that he would make her pregnant. Judah’s Canaanite wife by this time had died. When Judah saw who he thought was a shrine prostitute with her face totally covered with a veil, Judah agreed to pay her with a young goat to . . . Judah gave his seal that he used to sign clay documents along with the cord that he used to hang the seal around his neck and his staff as a pledge that he would pay a young goat to who he thought was a shrine prostitute for . . . Tamar became pregnant and . . . now you know the story of a twin kid named Perez.
Actually – there is more to Perez’s life story than what you already know. Judah decided to burn Perez’s ma to death when he found out that Tamar was pregnant. Verse 24 says, “About three months later Judah was told, “‘Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”’ Judah said, “‘bring her out and have her burned to death!””’ Tamar saved herself from being burned to death when she showed Judah his seal, the seal’s cord and his staff that he had given to her as pledges in order to do what he did with her. Perez’s life began inauspiciously with dark clouds of evil having been hung over his head. In spite of having two older half-bros who were really bad dudes, Perez became the outstanding head of the leading clan in Judah’s tribal clan. Perez is one of the major branches in David’s family tree. Perez was the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather of David. And if you have forgotten, David’s family tree includes Jesus. Now you know Perez’s life story. Your grandmaa and grandpaa are very thankful that their family trees have had them born on Christ-follower branches. Your grandmaa’s dad and ma were faithful, active members in an Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Your grandpaa’s dad and ma were faithful, active members of a Christian Reformed Church. Your grandmaa and grandpaa – while they were kids, were given Bible teaching and modeling that gave them the trajectory to become Christ-followers.
Genesis 38 (648)