Genesis 38:24-26 "And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff. And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more."
Genesis 38:29 "And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez."
Judah’s wife was dead, and he was going on with his life. He totally ignored Tamar and his responsibility to her. In response to Judah’s unrighteousness, Tamar put aside her garments of widowhood, clothed herself as a prostitute, and went and sat by the way she knew Judah would pass. Judah saw her and went in and lay with her.
When Tamar inquired about what he would offer as payment, he told her he would bring her a kid of the flock. She asked him to give her something in pledge for the payment that she would return to him when payment was made. She demanded his ring, bracelets, and his staff. After Judah had lain with her, she got up and returned to her father’s house and put back on her garments of widowhood.
Judah sent his friend Hirah back with the kid to pay this supposed prostitute, but she was nowhere to be found. Rather than make a spectacle of looking for her, Judah told Hirah to just let it go. He would forfeit the pledge rather than risk embarrassing himself by being seen to chase after a harlot. Not only did Judah not know that the supposed harlot was Tamar, but he also did not know that she was now pregnant by him with twins.
Word eventually reached Judah that Tamar had played the harlot and was with child. His self-righteous reaction was to let her be judged by the magistrate and burned as an adulteress. It was at this point that Tamar revealed who the father was. Judah finally acknowledged his unrighteousness (at least in this act).
When Tamar went into labor, it was discovered that she was having twins. The midwife marked who she assumed to be the first child with a thread tied around his wrist. However, the baby withdrew his arm, and his brother was born first, much to the astonishment of the midwife. This baby was named Pharez.
Right in the middle of Jospeh’s story, we have this story of Judah. It made me think of times as a child when we would be watching our regular TV program and the announcer would break in and say, “We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast for the following important announcement.” What could be so important about Judah’s wayward living?
Dear ones, we see here how all the willful sin and unrighteousness of men can never thwart God’s purpose. After all of this, there was something important about Pharez. We will find that this Pharez was in the direct lineage of the kings of Judah and of Jesus (Mattew 1:3-16). Out of the brokenness of Judah and Tamar, and their descendants through Pharez, was born He would be King of kings and Lord of Lords!