(Genesis 38; Matthew 1:1-3)
“She is more righteous then I.” Gen. 38:26
First Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”, but when he found out who she was, and what she could prove, he said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” Gen. 38:24 and 26
When I first started to write on Tamar, I thought I was looking up Tamar, the daughter of David. But, I accidently came upon Tamar, the daughter-in –law of Judah. What a story unfolded!
Although Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law, she became a prostitute in order to have what by the law rightfully hers, a child by her husband’s family of brothers. I know it sounds crazy, but this is how they lived back then, and we can learn from her story.
Tamar’s husband, Er did something wicked in God’s sight. God put him to death. Because of the law, the next brother, Onan, was to have a child through the eldest brother’s wife, so his brothers could have an offspring. He did something wicked in God put him to death also.
The father was supposed to give his last son to her also when he became of age, but He was afraid he would lose this son also, so he did not. Tamar had to disguise herself and become a prostitute. I know this sounds terrible, but this is what makes the Bible and Jesus lineage so interesting!
In this first part, I’m going to share how different prostitution was in Tamar’s life time. Our second part we will talk about how she is considered “righteous”, by what she did.
1. Prostitution was an expression of worship in the ancient Near East.
2. Pagans of that time believed the fertility gods granted blessings to those who had encountered with a prostitute from the temple.
3. The sex act between a person and a temple prostitute symbolized the hoped-for fertility and abundance of the harvest.
4. Judah, a sheepshearer, had sex with a temple prostitute to possibly ensure a good wool crop for himself.
5. Shrine prostitutes where heavily vailed to create the illusion that the participant was engaging with a goddess that would bless them.
So, there you have the history of why a person would even go to a temple prostitute. It was not just for pleasure, but for their crop to be blessed. Was Judah wrong? Was Tamar wrong? Please read Genesis 38 and Matthew 1:1-3 to get the full story and we’ll visit Tamar and Judah some more. What lessons can we learn from this woman and why is this in the Bible? Watch for Part 2 tomorrow!
Women of the Bible: The Widow with Two Coins (Mk 12:41-11;Lu. 21:1-4)
“The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.” Mark 12:44 (Message Version)
She gave extravagantly…..
She gave her all ….
Here we have the story of a poor woman compared with the rich of Jesus time. Jesus observed the rich giving large sums into the temple treasury. He mentions to the disciples, she gave more than them. How can that be when they gave a large sum and she gave, literally in our day, two cents?
It all goes back to the heart of giving. If you are giving to boast, get recognized, buy the pastor’s attention, you are giving for the wrong reason.
She gave her all. She was trusting for provision for that day and tomorrow. Can you trust God to provide, when you don’t have any more?
Several years ago, we had some funds stolen from our business, and we discovered it had happened over a period of time. We also thought our manager was doing all she could do to take care of properties that we entrusted in her hands to maintain. We realized after not being able to pay a mortgage that was due, that we couldn’t pay it. We also realized we were in deep trouble. I always took for granted our provision, but we also always gave our tithe and more. My father taught me to give to the church first—God will always provide.
God provided! We continued to pay our tithe even though money was tight. I even asked my husband, “are you sure you want to do this”? We are barely meeting our bills. He said, Mary, God didn’t steal from us; another human being did. He will take care of us. I continued to give, things continued to be tight every month, but God provided. We cut out eating out, shopping, and other things we did not need and God supplied us richly to meet our bills.
I began to pray scripture on God’s provision, and I called back to Him his word. For example:
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” Malachi 3:10
We prayed many other scriptures of promise. We saw God provide!
Are you ready to give extravagantly? Are you ready to give your all?
In this passage, Jesus was talking about money. But can you even give him five minutes, ten minutes, an hour of your day where you are just focusing on Him? Believe me it is not easy, but it can be done.
The widow held lightly what she had. She willingly and lovingly gave it away.
What about you?
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10
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