A Story of Redemption: Tamar
- ellertson87
- May 29, 2016
- 7 min read

Adaptation from my April 26, 2016 Sermon on Tamar, Mountain View Christian Church
It is obvious that the story of Tamar is not a comfortable one. It is a story of evil, disobedience, and sexual immorality and yet, we see that the LORD remains sovereign, nothing is outside of his control, nothing will disturb his purposes. In spite of Judah’s sinfulness and Tamar’s scandalous act, the LORD kept his promise to Abraham “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.” As we work through the metanarrative of the Bible, that is the big over-arching story, we see that God is at work. This part of the metanarrative-- The story of Tamar demonstrates that God uses imperfect people to achieve His own perfect purpose.
The story of Tamar falls between the story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers and his refusal to sleep with Potiphar’s wife. This may seem strange, but this interlude describes what happens in Judah’s life after he stopped his brothers from killing Joseph and selling him instead into slavery and creates a contrast with the purity with which Joseph acts. It helps us understand how the Israelites ended up in Egypt and also their need for Yahweh’s deliverance. It shows us the full spectrum of the responses that Israelites had to the covenant with Yahweh—extreme disobedience on Judah’s part and reverent relationship on Joseph’s.
The story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis 38 picks after the unfortunate experience involving his brother Joseph who is, at this point, in Egypt. Judah leaves the comfort and safety of his family and goes to a city, Adullam, which is the ancient seat of Canaanite kings. There in Adullam, he spies a beautiful woman and takes her as his wife and she bears him three sons Er, Onan, and Shelah. We already see the depths of depravity this chapter depicts, the disobedience—the Old Testament law forbade intermarriage between Yahweh’s people and pagans because it threatened their covenant relationship. In spite of this, sometime later, Judah married his son Er to a Canaanite woman named Tamar. The text actually tells us little about Tamar, but she remains childless after Er is struck dead by the LORD for his evilness. In spite of his own pagan marriage and then the marriage of his son to a Canannite, Judah follow the practice of Levirate Marriage and had Tamar marry Onan so that children could be raised in Er’s name and claim his birthright. Onan, too was evil, and agreed to marry Tamar but made sure she did not conceive. For his evil disobedience, he too was put to death by the LORD.
At this point, Tamar was left with only the option of Shelah who Judah said was too young to be married. Yet, it was more likely that Judah feared for his life because something was wrong with Tamar. It did not seem as if he ever considered the issue was really with this sons or even himself. So, he sends Tamar back to her father’s house, yet time passes and he does not allow the marriage. At this point, Judah’s own weaknesses are revealed. He sends Tamar back to her father even though the custom was that she was to remain with her husband’s family. In Levirate Marriage, if there were no other male relations of her husband’s she would then be free to remarry outside of the clan, but because Tamar and Shelah were considered married under the law, that too was not an option for her. Judah has, at this point, treated Tamar with nothing but dishonor and has also dishonored the LORD by his failure to act.
So Tamar takes matters in to her own hands in a way that may seem downright deceptive and manipulative. And perhaps it was, but Tamar is ultimately fulfilling the religious duty to her husband that really belonged to Judah. While Judah condemned her, the Word does not. It contrasts the sexual immorality between Judah and Tamar with Joseph’s own purity, certainly, but the story ultimately shows Tamar as Yahweh’s unlikely tool. She may be a Canaanite, but she is treated with respect because she fulfilled the requirements of Hebrew Law when Judah did not and ultimately gave birth to a son whose descendants would be none other than King David. Kind David whose own descendant Jesus came to establish a new covenant which is described in Hebrews 8:
8 For he finds fault with them when he says:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
Out of sin and imperfection, the way is paved for a new covenant, one which is not characterized by the wickedness, sin, deceit, and sexual immorality that characterizes this story. This covenant which results from a genealogy with pagan women such as Tamar woven is particularly beautiful because it allows all, pagan or Jew, to enter into relationship with the Creator. Tamar’s actions, while not perfect, are used for God’s purposes. Ultimately, the story of Tamar shows us that even in cases where God’s presence may not be readily visible, he is surely working all things together for His purposes. What is perhaps even more significant is that He is working all these things together for His purposes even in the presence of the sin. In the story of Tamar, the LORD is at work to keep His promise to provide a Messiah through the descendants of Judah. We can see clearly that God uses imperfect people to achieve His own perfect purpose. Even among a people who Scripture will repeatedly show us will turn away from their covenantal promises, God works out his perfect purpose.
Understanding that God uses imperfect people to achieve his own perfect purpose must also have practical implications for us today. Although we are several millennial removed from the story of Tamar, the issues we struggle with as humans are no different.Firstly, what does the fact that God uses imperfect people mean for us? It is important to state that God does call us to holiness, purity, and obedience. He calls us to be in right relationship with him just like we see in the story of Joseph. Yet, we know that even those of us who are in right relationship, those of us who have been adopted into the body are not perfect. Ideally, God’s sovereign power and purposes would be accomplished through obedient servants, but we know that is not always the case. Some of us are left to wonder if God can use us where we are at, with what we are struggling with. The story of Tamar shows us even when we go our own way, do our own thing apart from God, God can still work. Phil 1:6 says “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” If we believe that God’s promises are true, I know that even when I act in disobedience or rebellion, His goal will be achieved.
Secondly, what does it mean that God will achieve his perfect purposes? The story of Tamar shows us that we don’t always see the bigger picture. The characters in this story don’t see much beyond their own immediate situation and yet we can see a much larger picture. God is using a pagan woman to fulfill Hebrew Law. He knits her into the genealogy of the Hebrew Messiah even though she is a Canaanite. Our actions don’t surprise God and He will always use them, but in His own timing and for his own purpose. Romans 8:28 says “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The story of Tamar should make us step back and realize that while our circumstances may be difficult, we do not often know the bigger picture.
Finally, now that we know that God uses imperfect people to achieve his perfect purpose. We should consider what that perfect purpose may be? The story of Tamar should remind us the beauty of the covenant that God has crafted into his interactions with his people from the very beginning. The covenant came to fruition in the person of Jesus whose life, death, and resurrection secured for us that ability to be in right relationship with the Creator for ALL people. We know that the LORD remains at work through Jesus that promised Messiah, even today. Hebrews 8: 1 tells us “we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty of heaven.” When we read the story of Tamar, we should hear the echoes of the covenant relationship we have with the Creator of the universe, our Savior operating as our mediator, and His promised Holy Spirit guiding and protecting us.
Today, as we conclude, I want us to really believe that God will use us, as imperfect people, to achieve His purposes, His promises, and His will. I want us to identify with the imperfect people of Scripture and believe that God can work as mightily in our lives as he did in theirs. If God can use a disobedient patriarch who disobeys the Law and raises up evil sons, he can use you. If God can use a woman who resorts to prostitution, he can use you? Today, let’s take the truth we know from this story—that God uses imperfect people to achieve His own perfect purposes and make it a question.
Lord, how can you use me to achieve your own perfect purpose?
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