Still More Righteous

Starting in verse 3, we start learning about the four women listed in Jesus' genealogy.  These were not good upstanding women.  They came with a tainted history.

Matthew 1:3- Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.

Tamar was most likely a Canaanite and she was Judah's daughter- in- law.  She was married to Judah's oldest son, but he died.  According to custom, she then married the next oldest.  It was his duty to provide a child to carry on his brother's name.  But he refused, so he too died.  Judah's youngest son was too young to marry, so he told Tamar to return to her father's house and when the youngest son was old enough to marry, he would marry Tamar.

But this never happened.  So Tamar dressed herself as a prostitute to trap Judah.  Before he left her, she got him to promise that he would return for his staff, his ring and his sash.  Three months later, Judah heard that his daughter- in- law had been playing the harlot and was pregnant as a result.  When he called her before him to accuse her, she presented his belongings and said she was pregnant by the man who owned the items.

A foreigner and an adulteress?  But, she was still considered more righteous than Judah.  

Genesis 38:25-26-When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.” So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again.

Why would she be considered more righteous than Judah?

She was considered more righteous because Judah neglected to fulfill his vow and left her in her father's house.  Now, instead of accusing her, he is taking the blame for what had happened.

I have more to say about Tamar, but I want to introduce the next two women first.  Stay tuned for next week!

The Start of a Nation

Since I posted last week about living out the Scriptures, I've started digging into the book of Matthew.  I chose Matthew because it contains a considerable amount of instruction on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus.

To start with, I did a little bit of research on the background of Matthew.  It is believed that it was written before 70 AD and the fall of Jerusalem and that it was written to a predominately Jewish audience.  There is a heavy emphasis on Old Testament references (including how Jesus fulfilled the prophesies of the Messiah).  There is also an emphasis on the genealogy of Christ (chapter 1).  Since Matthew was making the case that Jesus was the Messiah the Jews were looking for, he had to show that Jesus had a claim to David's throne.

Matthew 1:1- The book of the genealogy of  Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Verse one echos the genealogy accounts in the book of Genesis and suggests that God was beginning the "new creation" that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians.

Genesis 5:1- This is the book of the genealogy of Adam.  In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17-  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

As I started reading verse 2, something caught my attention.

Matthew 1:2- Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers,

Did you catch it too?  Both Abraham and Isaac had more than one son, but neither of them are mentioned.  Only Judah and his brothers are.  Why?  Some suggest that Ishmael, Esau and their descendants were not to be included in the covenant, but that Judah and all his brothers were (this is where the 12 tribes of Israel come from).  Considering what was written about Ishmael and Esau in Genesis, I'm inclined to believe this line of thought.

Genesis 16:11-12- Behold, you are with child, You shall bear a son.  You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction.  He shall be a wild man.  His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him.

Genesis: 39-40- Then his father Isaac answered him: Look, your dwelling place will be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of the sky above. You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will break his yoke from your neck.

The hostility between Hagar (Ishmael) and Sarah (Isaac) was passed onto their descendants.  It can still be seen in the Middle East today.

The hostility between Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom)  has become the norm rather than the exception.

However, as you'll see in the next couple weeks, it wasn't God's plan to completely shut these nations out of the covenant promise.  The next few verses show how beautifully God weaves all nations into His plan.