38:1 Switching focus from Joseph for awhile, we take a look into the life of Jacob's son Judah. Judah is the son of Jacob and Leah and although his parents were particularly focused in faith, he was not quite there. Judah breaks off from the family to live on his own.
38:2 Judah marries a Canaanite woman named Shua, meaning wealth. We know from past readings that the father's of this family have gone to great lengths to ensure their children marry people of the faith. Judah does not follow the pattern set by Abraham and instead follows the pattern of Esau.
38:3 Shua becomes pregnant with a son and names him Er, awake.
38:4 Shua then becomes pregnant again with another son and names him Onan, strong.
38:5 For a third time, Shua becomes pregnant and names her son Shelah, a petition.
38:6 Judah marries his firstborn, Er, to a woman named Tamar, palm-tree.
38:7 Yet Tamar loved God and had God's protection. Er was an evil man and in order to save Tamar from his wicked ways, Er dies.
38:8 Judah marries his son Onan to Tamar.
38:9 Onan realized that Tamar was a child of God, who had a purpose assigned to her from God. She was a good woman and would only bear a child from a faithful man. Instead of consummating his marriage to Tamar, Onan refrains (fearing the same outcome his brother Er suffered).
38:10 Onan also died to protect Tamar from a corrupt marriage.
38:11 Judah sends Tamar away to her home temporarily, until his third son becomes an adult.
38:12 Judah's wife, Shua, dies. Judah goes to Timnah to see his friend.
38:13 Tamar is alerted that Judah will be in Timnah and is now a widow.
38:14 Tamar disguises her appearance, wrapping her face and covering it with a veil. While there, she noticed that Shelah was grown yet had not been offered to her as a husband. Judah likely caught on that his sons were not worthy of her.
38:15-16 Mistaking Tamar for a prostitute, Judah begins to make a deal with her. Her offers her a goat but Tamar requests more.
38:17-19 In order to give Judah what he wants, Tamar requests his ring, cord and staff (everything that established his authority). Tamar conceives. Judah offers Tamar a goat and she pretends that she needs proof that he will deliver his promise. Temporary possession of Judah's most important items is given to Tamar as the proof.
It was important to God that this family remain pure in faith; in order to ensure such a hope, the faithful Tamar is destined to become the mother of Judah's children.
38:20-21 Judah awakens and Tamar is gone. He asks the men around him where the prostitute went but they tell him that there never was a prostitute.
38:22 Judah searches but cannot find her. The men insist that there was never a prostitute.
38:23 In order to avoid shame, Judah allows Tamar to go free with his possessions.
38:24 About three months later, it is revealed to Judah that Tamar tricked him and is pregnant with his child. Judah is furious and wants her brought to him to be killed.
38:25-26 Tamar uses Judah's ring, cord and staff to prove that he is indeed the father of her child.
38:27-28 Tamar comes to the end of her pregnancy and gives birth to twins. The first twin sticks his hand out first and the nurse ties a red thread on his wrist; she believes that he is the firstborn.
38:29 Instead, the other twin comes out before the baby with the red thread on his wrist. This baby was named Pharez, breach.
38:30 The twin with the red thread on his hand came out second and was named Zarah, rising.
