Genesis 38:1-30

1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her.3 She conceived and bore a son; and he named him Er.4 Again she conceived and bore a son whom she named Onan.5 Yet again she bore a son, and she named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she bore him.6 Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar.7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death.8 Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her; raise up offspring for your brother."9 But since Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, he spilled his semen on the ground whenever he went in to his brother's wife, so that he would not give offspring to his brother.10 What he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also.11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"-for he feared that he too would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
12 In course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's daughter, died; when Judah's time of mourning was over, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,"14 she put off her widow's garments, put on a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not been given to him in marriage.15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face.16 He went over to her at the roadside, and said, "Come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"17 He answered, "I will send you a kid from the flock." And she said, "Only if you give me a pledge, until you send it."18 He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" She replied, "Your signet and your cord, and the staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him.19 Then she got up and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 When Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to recover the pledge from the woman, he could not find her.21 He asked the townspeople, "Where is the temple prostitute who was at Enaim by the wayside?" But they said, "No prostitute has been here."22 So he returned to Judah, and said, "I have not found her; moreover the townspeople said, 'No prostitute has been here.' "23 Judah replied, "Let her keep the things as her own, otherwise we will be laughed at; you see, I sent this kid, and you could not find her."
24 About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the whore; moreover she is pregnant as a result of whoredom." And Judah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned."25 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "It was the owner of these who made me pregnant." And she said, "Take note, please, whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff."26 Then Judah acknowledged them and said, "She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not lie with her again.
27 When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb.28 While she was in labor, one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound on his hand a crimson thread, saying, "This one came out first."29 But just then he drew back his hand, and out came his brother; and she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" Therefore he was named Perez.30 Afterward his brother came out with the crimson thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.

"Tamar: Cast Off but Not Cast Out Where It Counts"
or: The Scripture They Didn't Teach Me in Sunday School

TEXT: Genesis 38:1-11

The story of Tamar and Judah is not one of those stories which have received a lot of attention in the canon of favorite texts.

If you grew up in a church family like I did, then no doubt the Bible stories which you heard were much the same as those which I was taught. In fact they are much the same as those on which both Sunday School lessons and sermons are still based. Those of us who have the responsibility for preparing such lessons and sermons tend to skip a good many texts because they are difficult to fit into the overarching theological framework of sin, repentance and redemption. And while I, like most of my pastoral peers, follow the Common Lectionary in worship and sermon planning, I will readily admit that it follows that overarching drama and in doing so dismisses much of the everyday drama played out on the pages of the Bible. We do so because it is important to speak to the unfolding story of a Good and Loving God who overcomes the force of evil which would defeat us and lead us to ultimate destruction. We need the comfort and the hope that comes from hearing that Good News. The big picture helps us to see the struggle between right and wrong, good and evil, the extremes with one choice clearly not being simply the lesser of two evils, but the only right choice to make, the only choice which honors God.

And so we learned the story of Joseph which is the lectionary choice for today. Sold into slavery-wrong. Resisting the temptation of illicit sex offered by Potipher's wife -right. Not seeking revenge-right. Obeying God's vision-right. Etc. The geeky young man with the funny coat who does what is right all the time and is rewarded. Big drama. Go and do likewise.

However, it is a sad commentary that we don't hear much of the little dramas for they are played out in arenas such as those in which we live. While there are those times when we have clear options between right and wrong, most of the time we live our lives where things are not so clear cut, where choices seem to be between the lesser of two evils, where, if we get real honest, we feel abandoned. Thus, it is interesting to me that in the middle of the Joseph story-Big Drama-we have two shorter dramas related to us. One is the story of the rape of Dinah and the revenge which her brothers meted out her rapist who would be her husband and his clan. You will have to read that one for yourself, and then this one, the story of Tamar.

Relate the story.

So who is right here? Abandonment is wrong. Prostitution is wrong. Incest is wrong. Sex with your daughter-in-law is wrong. What's the point? Well, I'll tell you this much, it is not the point that my teachers tried to make with it. The only contexts in which I heard this story were divorced from Tamar. They related to Onan, or more specifically the sin of Onan, and were used to uphold the church's teaching regarding what had been deemed two sexual wrongs. I was taught that this passage taught that masturbation was an abomination to God and to do so was to risk God's immediate judgement. Don't do anything which will cause your semen to fall on the ground. The second was that to use coitus interuptus as a means of birth control was wicked in God's sight. Thus any form of birth control was evil-still positions held by many churches. Not the point of the passage by a long shot.

We are to live our lives in hope. We are to employ holy imagination to see beyond the present reality to God's reality and then act "as" it exists in our present.

Tamar is a symbol of the fact that we are not abandoned.
That we have a future which we can imagine into being if we act with that holy imagination.
Tamar is the mother of Pere and in the long run the great, great great grandmother of Jesus.

Romans 10:5-15
5 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that "the person who does these things will live by them."6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down)7 "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).8 But what does it say?
"The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart"
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);9 because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.11 The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame."12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him.13 For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Matthew 14:22-33

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear.27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
28 Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."