Joe wrote:It seems like you have to do a lot of work to make it work Meggie. I am not saying it is a bad idea, but it is also not wholly provable. And I understand why, it seems contradictory to some other things we know to be true.
I have much to learn.
But in my humble opinion an important thing I can see is that it was Judah who was careless, this is evident many times. And it was Judah's bastard offspring who could not do well, one was condemned immediately. They could never do well, and Judah didn't see that.
Tamar was low and is given a place of honour, Judah supposing her to be the problem.
And then it was Judah who said that Tamar was more righteous than he, ...and at that point he still doesn't understand, thinking that he should have given her to Shelah too. These are not the words or actions of God.
Despite Judah, Tamar was preserved and so was Judah. And those twins are the first counted heirs.
I have more to think about.
Thank you for your thoughts Joe! While the LXX doesn't say it quite the same as the Hebrew we're told God conceals and kings search out (Pro 25:2). God's people are to be a royal (kingly) priesthood (Ex 19:6).
I think you are correct in your view of Judah. Israelites are not called "stiff necked (Jer 17:23)" for nothing. Look at us today. A rebellious and stiff necked people whoring after every god except the Almighty God. Even when our people can see we are in a very bad way and our future is looking dim as it is today, we see them chasing after all manner of mischief. Just look at the insanity of the WN on SF. They mock God and make their impotent plans to save their people. If it weren't so serious I'd be on the floor laughing.
It's not the other peoples of the world that are the problem, It's us. If we did not chase after their gods they would not be in our land (Ex 34:24; Pro 16:7). It was Judah's disobedience to God that got his sons destroyed. I mean who is it that miscegenated with the non-whites in order to produce an offspring that is our enemy and children of hell?
I find it hard to believe that Judah didn't know what he was doing. He knew the Law of raising up a brother's seed, but not the Law that forbade marrying a Canaanite? I dont think so. I think he was just a stiff necked Israelite and was going to force his desire on God. Dont we stiff necked Israelites love to play god (Gen 3:22)?
What I see in this event is God bringing to fruition his plan (Isa 46: 10-11, 48:3; Pro 19:21). Onan was killed by God, IMHO because of his evil intentions toward God, His people and His plan. Note, the Law of God does not call for the death of a brother that refuses to bring up seed to his deceased brother (Deut 25:5-10). God had purposed that the lineage of Christ be pure and He brought it about inspite of the stiff necked Judah (Isa 14:24).
If you will notice, Judah refused to give Shelah to Tamar (Gen 38:14). I think God made a believer out of him as He will Israel's stiff necked children of today (Psa 66:7).
We find this tidbit from the script of the movie "The Matrix" (emphasis mine):
"That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around. What do you see? Business people, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system, and
that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inert, so hopelessly dependent on the system that they will fight to protect it...If you are not one of us, you are one of them."
BBE Jeremiah 50:2 Give it out among the nations, make it public, and let the flag be lifted up; give the word and keep nothing back; say, Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is broken, her images are put to shame, her gods are broken.