The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 35
SECT. XXXV.
JƲdah having ſhewed himſelf very unnatural (as we have ſeen before, Sect. 33.) towards his Brother Joſeph, we come now to obſerve how he was puniſhed in his Children; He had at that time, (f)Facta haec erant paulo poſt venditionem Joſephi eodem ipſo anno, & intra ſpatium 23 annorum omnia iſta peragi poterant. Erat tum Judas 19 vel 20 annorum. Tribus primis annis genuit tres filios: potuit Er uxorem ducere anno 17 & Onan 18 (qui revera multi dies poſſunt dici) Tamar ex Juda concipere & parere anno 21 poſt venditionem Joſephi. Quod ſpectat ad filios Pharez, dicendum natos eos (quemadmodum & decem filios Benjaminis) in Aegypto, nempe intra annos 17 quibus Jacob in Aegypto vixit, ideo que in Aegyptum ingreſſi dicuntur. River.namely, ſince Jacob's return out of Meſopotamia, and coming into Canaan (contrary to Gods Command, and the good example of his Progenitors, and doubtleſs without, if not againſt his Fathers adviſe and conſent) married a Canaanitiſh woman, who bare him three Sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah: The eldeſt of theſe he married to Tamar, but He being very wicked, the Lord by ſome remarkable judgment ſlew him. Then He ſpake to his ſecond Son Onan to marry her, and to raiſe up Seed to his deceaſed Brother, *For the condition of ſuch a Marriage was, that the firſt-born was to be counted the deceaſed Brothers Son.according to the uſe and cuſtom of that time, which 'tis like was at firſt preſcribed to them by God, (but when it was preſcribed doth not appear) and was confirmed afterwards by an expreſs Law, [ſee Deut. 25.5, 6. Ruth 1.11. Math. 22.24.] and this was to preſerve the Preheminence of the Firſt-born, as a Type of Chriſt, otherwiſe, and in any other caſe, the Brothers marrying of the dead Brothers Widow was forbidden, Levit. 18.16. Thou ſhalt not uncover the nakedneſs of thy Brothers Wife: it is thy Brothers nakedneſs. And this Law ſeems to be of a moral nature, and perpetually binding; and hereupon Herod was reproved by John Baptiſt, for marrying his Brother Philips Wife; but the former was preſcribed to the Jews only upon that particular reaſon before mentioned, and being only a temporary exception or diſpenſation from a perpetual Precept, concern'd only their peculiar ſtate, and with it, it is at an end. But Onan though he married her as his Father injoyn'd him, yet wickedly envying the honour of his dead Brother, he reſolved not to be the Father of any Child, that ſhould be reputed His Brothers, and not his own, and therefore rather than he would raiſe up ſeed unto his Brother, he ſpilt his ſeed on the ground. For which great wickedneſs God cut him off with ſudden Vengeance. Onan being dead, his third Son Selah was to marry her, but Judah (it ſeems) fearing the like ill hap to him which had befallen his elder Brothers, and ſuſpecting (perhaps) ſome fault in her, or that ſome unluckineſs followed her, he perſwades her to go to her Fathers Houſe, and there continue till his Son Shelah was grown up, pretending to her, He ſhould then marry her, but intending no ſuch thing. Shortly after Judah's own Wife the Daughter of Shuah died; and when his mourning for her was over, he went up to his Sheep-Shearers at Timna, at which time they uſed to feaſt and rejoyce with their Friends. Tamar underſtanding this, and perceiving how Judah had dealt with her as to Selah, ſhe putting off her Widows Apparel, and putting on a Veil, and diſguiſing her ſelf, ſhe ſat in an open place, in the way to Timna, where Judah was to paſs, both to tempt and be tempted. Judah not knowing her thus veiled, and taking her for an Harlot, he applies himſelf to her accordingly, and promiſes to ſend her a Kid from his Flock for a Reward. She (as it ſeems whiſpering or changing her voice and tone, that he might not diſcern who ſhe was) conſents to him, on condition he would give her a Pledge, viz. his Signet, his Bracelets, and his Staff, that he would perform what he promiſed. Hereupon He lay with her, and ſhe conceived by him, and went her way, and took her Widows Apparel again. Judah ſends the Kid to her by his friend, intending to take up his Pledge; But he not finding her, Judah ſaid, Let her take it, and keep it to her ſelf, leſt by overmuch inquiry after her, my folly with her be diſcovered, ſo much are men more afraid of ſhame before men than of ſinning againſt God. About three months after it was told Judah that Tamar was with child by Whoredom. When He heard this, He was very angry, and ſaid, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt; that is, let her be carried before the Magiſtrate, that ſo ſhe may be puniſhed as an Adultereſs with burning, according to the Law of the Country.(g)It ſeems it was either law or practiſe even among the Canaanites to puniſh Adultery with death, and ſometimes with fire. In ſuch deteſtation have ſome Heathens had that ſin, ſee Jer. 29.22 23. So Moſes's Law after, Deut. 22.22, 23. condemned them to be ſtoned, and a Prieſts Daughter for Fornication to be burnt, Levit. 21.9. For in regard of the promiſe that Judah had made of his third Son Selah to her for an Husband, and ſhe had accepted of it, ſhe was in the caſe of a betrothed Woman, and ſo her fault was to be reputed Adultery, for which Crime no leſs puniſhment was thought fit even before the Law was given. Judah herein bewrays his own partiality in his own ſin, and inhumane cruelty, in thus judging her to fire, and the fruit of her Womb yet unborn, and that before he had heard what ſhe could ſay for her ſelf, never minding how unjuſtly he had dealt with her, in not giving Shelah to her, and poſſibly being willing to rid her out of the way, becauſe he was unwilling to match Shelah to her. But Tamar being brought forth, ſent to her Father-in-law the Signet, Bracelets and Staff, affirming, that by the Man to whom thoſe belonged, ſhe was with Child. Judah being thus convicted, did not ſhuffle as many would have done in ſuch a caſe, but being conſcious of his Crime, he acknowledges thoſe things to be His; and thus ſhe convicts by his own Seal, entangles him with his own Bracelets, and beats him with his own ſtaff. He now acknowledges ſhe was more Righteous than himſelf, becauſe he had fail'd to give his Son Shelah to her, which if he had performed, her Chaſtity might poſſibly have bin preſerved; And thus the cauſe fell, when the Proſecutor was turned from charging her, to accuſe himſelf, wherein he teſtifi'd his Repentance, and as an evidence thereof he ceas'd from offending in that kind again with her, and wherein he had done amiſs, reſolved to do ſo no more, ſee Job 34.32. Shelah was after married, and probably to Tamar. See Numb. 26.20. Tamars time of travail now drawing nigh, behold Twins were in her Womb. Her travail was very painful and perillous by the ſtrife of the Twins in her body; and by that God ſeem'd to Chaſtize her for her great offence. One of the Children putting forth his hand, (which was not according to the ordinary courſe of Nature) the Midwife bound a Scarlet thread upon it, by that mark to diſcover him from the other, ſaying, This comes forth firſt; for ſo ſhe perſwaded her ſelf it would be. But He drawing in his hand again, behold his Brother came out. Then ſhe ſaid, How is it that thou art firſt broken forth? This breach is thine, (or thou art firſt broken forth into the World, and haſt put back thy Brother,) and thou ſhalt bear the name of it, and ſhalt be called Pharez, which ſignifies a breach. Then came forth the other with the Scarlet thread, whom they called Zarah, (h)Zarah ſignifies riſen or ſprung up, as the Sun is ſaid to riſe.from a word ſignifying to appear, becauſe he firſt appeared, and in part came forth firſt, All theſe things ſeem here ſo punctually related to ſhew the birth of Pharez, who was one of our Saviours Progenitors, and to intimate to us that it is of meer Grace, that one of Judah's Family, the fruit of Inceſt, was choſen to be the Stock from whom the Meſſiah ſhould Spring; as alſo to aſſure us that Chriſt will not reject great Sinners, who repenting of their Sins fly unto him for pardon, ſeeing he would (as to his humane Nature) deſcend of ſuch as were guilty of ſo great Tranſgreſſions.
Gen. 38. whole Chapter.