May the mumbling commence!
Talk about having egg on your face! A person’s true nature will eventually come
out. Read from Peterson’s The Message:
Three months or so
later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law
had been playing the whore – and now she’s a pregnant whore.”
Judah
yelled, “Get her out
here. Burn her
up!”
As they
brought her out, she sent a message to her
father-in-law, “I’m pregnant by the man who owns these things. Identify them,
please. Who’s the owner of the seal-and-cord and the
staff?”
Judah saw they were his. He said, “She’s
in the right; I’m in the wrong – I wouldn’t let her marry my son Shelah.” He
never slept with her
again.
When the
time came to give birth, it turned out that
there were twins in her womb. As she was giving birth, one put his hand
out; the midwife tied a red thread on his hand saying, “This one
came out first.” But then he pulled it back and his brother came out. She said, “Oh! A breakout!”
So she named him Perez (Breakout). Then his brother came out with
the red thread on his hand. They named him Zerah (Bright).
(Genesis 38:24-30)
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:
About three months later Judah was
told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty
of prostitution, and as a result she
is now pregnant."
Judah said, "Bring her out and have her
burned to death!"
As she was being brought out, she sent a
message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns
these," she said. And she added,
"See if you recognize whose seal and
cord and staff these are."
Judah recognized them and said, "She is more
righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah."
And he did not sleep with her
again.
When the time came for
her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand;
so the midwife
took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This
one came out first." But when he drew back his hand, his brother came
out, and she
said, "So this is how you have broken
out!" And he was named Perez. Then his brother,
who had the scarlet thread on his
wrist, came out
and he was given the name Zerah. (Genesis 38:24-30)
Peterson strikes the word that many
of us would find offensive not once but twice.
The men called her a whore. The
NIV still packs some punch by calling her guilty of prostitution.
Judah had some righteous
wrath. Burn her! He had it at least until he saw the seal,
cord and staff. Then he was deflated.
Judah knew he was in the
wrong. He was withholding his son Shelah
from Tamar. Judah was forcing Tamar to
earn her living from prostitution. And
he took advantage of her vulnerability.
Yep! That’s egg on the face in spades.
It is things like these that I
think about in the passage from the gospel according to John where the adulterous
woman is brought out to be stoned. These
were likely the kinds of things that Jesus was writing in the dirt.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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