Chapters 37 & 38: God worked in mysterious ways
Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons since he was the child of Rachel. He was spared the task of working in the field. Instead he was made a supervisor for his father's business. He got to dress better than his brother. All these created jealousy from his brothers. To make matters worst, he related to them how one day he would dominate them. Even his parents would one day pay homage to him. When he told this to Jacob, his father rebuked him too.
One day, at the age of 17, Jacob sent him on a normal task of visiting his brothers in the field in Shechem, a hostile city, to see how they were doing. When he reached Shechem he could not find his brothers. Upon inquiry he was told that they had gone to Dothan and so he continued his journey there.
When the brothers saw him coming they conspired to kill him. Reuben, the eldest, was against the idea. He proposed that they put him in a pit and leave him there to die. Actually he intended to rescue him later after they all have their fun.
So they seized Joseph , took off his clothing and put him in a pit. As they were eating their meal an Ishmaelite (or Midianite) merchant, passed by, on his way to Egypt. They decided that it would be better to sell Joseph to him. This would free them from the guilt of killing him (Reuben was away at that moment).
When Reuben returned, the first thing he did was to look for Joseph. It was too late. They have to come up with an explanation for Jacob. They decided to take Joseph's robe, tear it and stain it with blood; to make it appeared that Joseph was devoured by wild beast. Jacob believed their story and mourned the death of Joseph (put sackcloth upon his loin). When Joseph reached Egypt he was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh.
Judah was a man of the town and married a Canaanite, something Abraham would not allow Isaac to do. His first-born was wicked in the sight of God and died in his youth. According to tradition, it was the duty of the second son to have a child with Tamar, the widow of Er. However Onan did not like the idea of having a son on behalf of Er, since tradition demanded that all sons, including the one born for Er, share his inheritance. So in his intimacy with Tamnar he withdrew himself when he ejaculated. The Lord was unhappy with his disobedience and "the Lord slew him"
The duty now fell on Shelah. However Shelah, was too young, so Judah asked Tamnar to wait in her parents' home just in case "God is again angry and kill Shelah".
Conveniently Judah forgot about the whole affair. One day Tamnar heard that Judah was coming to Timnah for business. She posed as a prostitute and sat at the entrance of Enaim. Judah did not recognise her because she covered herself with a veil. He approached her for her service and promised her a kid from the flock as payment. She requested for some collateral and Judah gave her his signet, cord and staff. So they have sex.
When Judah sent the payment his man could not find Tamnar. After about 3 months, word came to Judah that Tamnar was pregnant. Judah felt disgraced and wanted her burn. She used the collateral to reveal the father of her child. Judah acknowledged his deeds and proclaimed that she was more righteous then he.
Tamnar gave birth to twins. During delivery one of the baby's hand came out and the midwife bound it with a scarlet tread to identify him as the elder. However before he could come out, his brother came out before him. So he was named Perez (break through) and his brother Zerah.
This is a rather usually chapter. It is an interlude in the story of Joseph. However the Lord deemed it important enough to have it written. It was also important enough to be referred to in Matthew 1:3, the genealogy of Jesus. It was customary to mention only the male lineage in the genealogy. However three ladies (other than Mary of course) - Tamar, Rahab and Ruth - were mentioned in Matthew 1:3. Even the mother of Solomon, Bathsheba, was referred to but not mentioned by name. The common factor for all these ladies was they chose to be God's people, even though they were Gentiles. After Er, Tamar could have returned to her own people and got married. Instead she considered herself to be a Hebrew and followed the Jewish tradition. No matter what it took she was determined to be part of Jacob's family, God's people. This was also the case for Rahab and Ruth.
God's plan was for all from the very beginning. We are not just talking about nationalities; it is for the despised and the marginalized. The prostitutes and the immoral. Actually the salvation of God was meant for people who have sinned. Jesus stated in Matthew 9:13, "I desire compassion and not sacrifice, for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
