Today in our Sabbath class we talked about two women. The story about Tamar and the seed of Judah, in Torah, is found right in the middle of the 1st year of Joseph’s descent and dwelling in Egypt. Zelicah, the wicked woman of Potiphar tried to get her way, but could not convince Joseph to comply with her desires. Yehovah will have His way in the lives of His righteous men!
Tamar And the Seed Of Judah
In both these stories I see Yehovah’s hand at work. In the house of Judah it is all about being fruitful and multiplying his seed. Tamar was a woman of worth who was taken from her father, Elam, the firstborn son of Shem, for Judah’s first-born son, Er.
Jasher 45:23 And in those days Judah went to the house of Shem and took Tamar the daughter of Elam, the son of Shem, as a woman for his first-born, Er.
But Er was wicked, he spilled his seed on the ground, and Yehovah killed him.
Jasher 45:24 And Er came to his woman Tamar, and she became his woman, and when he came to her he outwardly destroyed his seed, and his work was evil in the sight of Yehovah, and Yehovah slew him.
Judah knew Torah and gave Tamar to Onan his second-born.
“If brothers [אחים, a·chim] dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not come to man [לאישׁ, to a eesh] outside the family; her husband’s brother [יבמה, her ya·bam] shall go to her and take her as his woman, and perform the duty of a her husband’s brother [ויבמה, her ya·bam]. And it shall be that the first-born son [הבכור, bek·ore] which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. (Deu 25:5-6)
But Onan refused to raise up seed in Tamar for his brother and he also let his seed fall unto the ground. Therefore Yehovah killed him also.
But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to Tamar, his brother’s woman, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased Yehovah; therefore He killed him also. (Gen 38:9-10)
Now the story gets interesting. Tamar is owed seed and she is going to get it one way or another. You will have to listen to the story to see what happens.
Yehovah Used Potiphar’s Woman, Zelicah, To Bring Joseph To Where He Wanted Him
In Joseph’s descent into Egypt Yehovah has now used his brothers, the Midianites, the Ismaelites, the Medanites, Potiphar, and now Potiphar’s woman (Zelicah) to test, mold and bring Joseph to the next phase of his journey.
Torah does not do this story justice. Zelicah was ruthless in her pursuit of Joseph.
Yasher 44:15 At that time whilst he was in his master’s house, going in and out of the house and attending his master, Zelicah, his master’s woman, lifted up her eyes toward Joseph and she looked at him, and behold he was a youth comely and well favored.
16 And she coveted his beauty in her heart, and her soul was fixed upon Joseph, and she enticed him day after day, and Zelicah persuaded Joseph daily, but Joseph did not lift up his eyes to behold his master’s woman.
Please join me as we learn about these two women.
Tamar And The Seed Of Judah
2G44 Genesis 38 – 39 and Yasher 44:11-80
[Click here to download this audio mp3]
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