12After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah. 13When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.
15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. 16Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”
“What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she asked.
17“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered.
But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”
18“What pledge should I give you?” he asked.
She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.
20Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. 21He asked the men of that place, “Where is the temple prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“No temple prostitute has been here,” they answered.
22So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No temple prostitute has been here.’”
23“Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
“For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.”
Judah didn’t fulfill his obligation to Tamar, to find her a husband. So she hatched a plan. It’s interesting that it seems to be ok for a man to have relations with a prostitute but if a woman was caught in the act it was punishable.
Also notice the term, “temple prostitute”.
There was a reason the Lord didn’t want them to live in Canaan. He didn’t want their false gods to influence them!
But notice the blessing she received....
“and she became pregnant by him.” The Lord blessed her with a child!
Even though we are sinners, the Lord gives us mercy and blesses us because He loves us.
Blessings, David
The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God’s mercy.
Max Lucado
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