Femme Friday Tamar

 

Imagine a time when your only hope was to bear a child. Not just any type of child, but a male child. A time when your only finances, food and all other security comes thru a father, son, uncle or other male relative. 

You get married, building your house. Doing the best you can to live within the stipulations of the times. But your husband, he's not a good man. In fact, he is considered wicked in the eyes of God. Your husband is killed by God. There's a custom of marrying the next of kin, so you marry your brother-in-law. He's akin to his brother, so God kills him too. Your father-in-law and other elders start getting suspicious that you are the reason your husbands are dying. Rumors of witch and cursed start traveling around the encampment. But you still need protection, and it's your father-in-law's job to do that. You are promised to be married to the youngest brother. When he comes of age, however, your father-in-law doesn't let you marry him. This time, you take matters into your own hands. 

This is Tamar's story. She was a woman of virtue with no power or position. Alive during the time of Genesis, her story can be found in chapter thirty-eight. Here we find Tamar desperate. Knowing that the men of her tribe often stop and celebrate sheep shearing with the prostitutes along the shepherding routes, Tamar disguises herself as a harlot. Her face is covered. She lures her father-in-law Judah in to her tent. Tamar is desperate but also smart. Tamar requests security from her client. Tamar takes three things to secure her future. She takes Judah's staff, seal and a cord. 

Three months later, Tamar is pregnant. She approaches Judah and tells him her plight. Immediately, Judah wants to banish Tamar to the desert. Thinking she has acted impurely. Tamar is standing before three men who are to judge her. One is Judah, the other two are Judah's grandfather Isaac and father Jacob. Tamar pulls out the three items of security. Showing them left no doubt that Judah is the father of Tamar's pregnancy. Judah rescinds his conviction, marries Tamar and they have twins Perez and Zerah. Perez is the genealogical line of Jesus. 

We see once again how our God uses the most unlikely of circumstances to bring holy moments into the world. Tamar was discarded as unworthy of care. She was considered cursed. Even though it was her husbands that were killed by God, their evil was a shroud over Tamar as well. We see that in Tamar's desperation, God was the only one faithful to protect her. He brought Tamar from pretending to be a prostitute to having her bear a child that would be an ancestor of Jesus. 

Tamar shows us that God is with us even in our desperation. That He redeems what the world sees as unrighteous behavior. That when we are in our lowly positions, He already has a plan to elevate us. Bringing us back to full restoration in Him. Tamar is never called out for unrighteous living. She is always proven to be in the right. It is the patriarchs and their offspring that are held to account for their actions. Our God is a God who sees. Who hears the cry of the righteous and answers them generously. He still does today.