This complex chapter requires some explanation to help us understand the message. In the ancient Near East if a man died childless, in order to ensure that his name was not blotted out forever, the woman was required to marry within her deceased husband’s family, generally a brother. The children of this marriage, however, were considered to be the children of the first deceased husband. The purpose of this practice was to protect the rights of the deceased (the right to heirs) as well as the rights of the widow (to have children and the much-needed protection and care of a husband). This law was taken up and included amongst the other laws in Deuteronomy 25:5. In this story Tamar’s rights are neglected by Judah who was the very one responsible for upholding her rights. In its context this story serves to contrast the integrity we are about to see in Joseph. In Genesis so far, we have seen that God’s favour is not dependent on our integrity (Jacob proved that!) and yet what we now begin to see is that integrity is nevertheless vital. We see the mess that Judah’s lack of integrity makes here, and we see how much God blesses Joseph’s integrity. God is committed to blessing us, but we should not take this for granted. God’s blessing is not earned by our integrity, but integrity does position us to receive God’s blessing. Always do the right thing. Whether it seems advantageous or not, do what is right. Don’t neglect your responsibilities to care for and protect the rights of others.
Think about how you can show greater integrity.
Read Genesis 38
