Tamar

Judah the self-righteous. Still he is being led by fear. In his mind, it was appropriate and right that he should protect his last son from whatever evil Tamar was bringing to his household.

In sending Tamar away, he withheld from her the possibility children. For her, this was the possibility of entering into her potential – of achieving her life’s purpose. In denying Tamar, Judah abused a widow.

Then, in irrepressible irony, he became a widower. Alone and in search of affection and familiaty, he tasted what he had done to Tamar – just as he had tasted the thing that he had done to his father.

In this sense, Tamar is Judah’s match. Her deception was born out of an essential frustration. Judah was, on the other hand, trying not to lose. He had wrested leadership away from his rival Joseph – a desperate, despicable move. But he couldn’t enjoy his triumph as long as Jacob was alive. His last hope was to preserve the victory for his son – whose very existence he believed was threatened by Tamar. He felt very justified in his injustice toward her.

Tamar is the hero of this story. She risked everything to win her destiny. She will either win or die.

I wonder what if feels like to risk everything in a single moment- to not play it safe? Is God calling you today?