Week 3 Genesis 38
The story of Judah is a curious & interesting one about some shenanigistic sexual deceptions & misadventures. But it isn’t one of my favorite OT stories. I read it and wonder: What’s the Point?
I think there are (at least) three types of stories in the OT:
Type #1. Stories about good people who live pretty good lives. These stories illustrate how I should act & live. They’re stories of reputable people who I can imitate (for instance the story of Job).
Type #2. By contrast these are stories about people who aren’t good and who don’t live exemplary lives. Stories that illustrate how I shouldn’t act & live. They’re about disreputable people who I don’t want to imitate (for instance the story of Solomon in his later years).
Type #3. Stories about people who might be reputable or might not be. These stories aren’t there to tell me about a person I should or shouldn’t imitate. They’re there for some other reason that I have to figure out.
The story of Judah is one of those Type #3 stories. And I figure that Judah’s story is likely there for just one reason. Judah’s Extended Family Line will eventually become the Dominant & Primo Line of the Abraham clan. And that line runs through Judah & Tamar’s son Perez.
Perez is in the family line running from Abraham-to-Jesus. His name eventually reappears in Matthew 1:3 (about 900 chapters later). It’s a bit of a wait. But when I get there I won’t ask: who is Perez? Genesis 38 already told me.