Reading for June 29th

 Read Genesis 38.1-11. In 38.1-30: Tamar and Judah. This story interrupts the Joseph narrative which runs from ch. 37 to ch. 50. However, some of its themes and images are related to the images and themes in the larger Joseph narrative. Examples include the function of the goat (37.31 and 38.17, 20), recognizing and deceiving with clothes (37.31-33 and 38.13-17, 26), and irregular sexual activity (38.14-18 and 39.7-18). The climax of the Tamar-Judah story is the birth of Perez and Zerah. Perez becomes the ancestor of Israel's greatest king David (Ruth 4.18-22). The long road of the divine promise to David included this irregular detour through Tamar and Judah. This irregularity ties in with the larger theme of the Joseph story as a whole: God manages to bless Joseph and his brothers in spite of and through the many detours of sibling rivalry, deception, slavery, imprisonment and famine. In verse 7: The story does not explain the way in which Er was wicked nor precisely how the Lord put him to death. The details are not necessary to the plot. In verse 8: The duty of a brother-in-law involves the custom of a levirate marriage. The levirate obligation requires the brother of a married man who has died childless to have sexual intercourse with the dead man's wife. The brother must do so until she becomes pregnant and has a child who will carry on the dead  man's name (Deut 25.5-10). In verses 9-10: Orian spilled his semen on the ground ... what he did was displeasing. This is not meant as a generalized judgement against masturbation or birth control. It violates only specialized case of failure to fulfill levirate obligation. In verse 11: Judah has no intention of allowing Shelah to perform the levirate duty of a brother-in-law with Tamar. He apparently assumes association with Tamar somehow caused the death of his other sons. He does not want the same to happen to is only remaining son, Shelah (v. 14). Comments or Questions..