Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah” (38:26)
There is so much wrong with this story, especially in our culture. It was part of the culture of that time for the brother of a man who dies leaving a childless widow to marry that widow. The first son from that marriage would be considered the dead man’s son, so that his name would be carried on.
Tamar’s first husband, Judah’s son, died because he was wicked. Onan, Judah’s second son, did what was displeasing to the Lord, and so God put him to death as well. Judah feared for the life of his third son, Shelah, so told his daughter-in-law to go back to her father’s house as a widow, and Shelah would be given to her as a husband when he grew up. This doesn’t mean he was a little child, he might have been a year or two below whatever was considered a marriageable age for a man.
Judah did not give Tamar Shelah as a husband after he was grown up, so she pretended to be a cult prostitute by the entrance to Enaim. As it happens, Judah hires her as such. She gets pregnant by him, and when it is reported that his daughter-in-law is pregnant “by immorality” he is going to have her burned. That is, until she shows him proof that she is pregnant by him. That is when Judah realizes that he has wronged her and says, “She is more righteous than I” (Gen. 38:26).
I think it is appropriate for a wronged person to take action (although not that action!). However, it should always come back to seeking God when we have been wronged in order to get His direction for our particular situation. He may direct us not to take action. There is no “one size fits all” in life.
It is also good that Judah had the wherewithal to realize that he was in the wrong. And we will see (spoiler alert) in a future chapter that Judah is the one of Joseph’s many brothers who puts himself in harm’s way for the sake of his father’s well-being, showing change and growth in character.
Prayer: Give me wisdom in how to deal with people when I am wronged. (If you are in that situation at this time, be specific with whom). And may I be quick to admit when I have wronged others and make amends. Amen.
