Genesis 38:27–30

Genesis 38 completely interrupts the story of Joseph. In Genesis 39 the story starts again... It seems that we have the shameful story of Judah told to sharpen our sense of how Joseph stood firm under a temptation of the same kind... The Tamar of this chapter is the first of the women named in the genealogy of our Lord in Matthew 1. Of those four women, only Ruth had a clean record morally, and she came from an accursed race. Such names would never have appeared in the record if it were not for the grace of God — the grace that triumphs over human sin.

Even here grace secures a pledge. Pharez is a second supplanter, one who takes another's place. The hope of Israel is in the womb, and a blessing is in the cluster. Yet it is the cluster of a wild vine, fit to be doomed to the sickle, if sovereign, abounding grace did not say, "Do not destroy it." Isa. 65:8; Matt. 1:3.

The colour "scarlet" stands for the rights of the Lord to rule. It is both remarkable and instructive to see how the thought of Christ's supremacy runs through Scripture like a "thread of scarlet." This beautiful thought first appears in what may be one of the darkest chapters in the Old Testament, Genesis 38. In dark, sordid circumstances something shows itself that has power to "break through" and to "rise up" — as the names of the twins suggest. This leads at last to the line from which David comes.

Pharez, the "breaker forth," breaks out into fruit beyond counting, which fills all the later history of Judah. From him come her kings, and her great King. His twin is Zerah, whose name means the sunrise, and from him come singers later on, such as Ethan, and warriors, such as Shammah, Sibbechai and Maharai, strong defenders of the throne.

Tamar gave birth to twins. One began to come first, but the other took his place (vv. 27-29). This is another lesson of the first being last and the last first, as with Esau and Jacob, and many others.

The closing verses (vv. 27-30) of this chapter show how mercy rejoices over judgment... The midwife had seen nothing like this before and exclaims, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" (v. 29 — older translations read, "How have you broken forth?"). But in this way the line to Christ moves forward. Pharez comes out, the second Jacob, one who takes another's place. From him would come the True Inheritor of every blessing. Christ is the righteous One who takes the place of every usurper. He will prevail, and His kingdom will stand for ever.

It is Tamar's sin that brings her in, and Rahab's faith that brings her in. For Ruth to come in, the law's sentence against the Moabites had to be set aside. And Bathsheba — named even as the wife of Uriah — shows us grace triumphing over even a believer's sin. Salvation for sinners, through faith, apart from law, and eternal: this is what the simple placing of these names declares.

Yet through this guilty Judah, and through Tamar, came the One who cleanses from all sin by His blood. He will reign over the whole universe to God's glory. That reign goes far beyond all that Joseph pictured, just as He Himself went far lower in humiliation and suffering.

The colour "scarlet" stands for the rights of the Lord. It is both striking and instructive to see how the thought of Christ's supremacy runs through Scripture like a "thread of scarlet." This beautiful thought comes in at one of the darkest chapters in the Old Testament, Genesis 38. In dark, sordid circumstances something appears with power to "break through" and "rise up" (as the names of the twins suggest), and it reaches its high point in the family line that David comes from (Ruth 4:18-22).

Tamar gave birth to twins. One began to come out first, but the other took his place (vv. 27-29). This is another lesson of the first being last and the last first, as in the case of Esau and Jacob, and many others.

God gave special rights to the firstborn son of each family (a double inheritance). Again and again we meet firstborn sons who fail, and their blessing goes to another who has no claim to it. Cain was the firstborn, but Seth took his place. So it was with Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Reuben and Joseph, and others. The underlying principle is clear: the firstborn speaks of man in his natural strength: 'for he is the firstfruits of his vigour' (Deut. 21:17). And this is the point: natural man acting in his own strength always leads to failure. For blessing to come at all, God has to provide the 'second'. Hebrews 10 states the principle plainly: 'He takes away the first that he may establish the second' (v. 9).

Shelah is fruitful, but Tamar's children far more so. From them Pharez, the "breaker forth," breaks out into a vast fruit that fills the whole later history of Judah. From him come her kings, and her great King. Twin with Pharez comes Zerah, whose name means the [sun] rise, and from him come singers later on, such as Ethan, and warriors such as Shammah, Sibbechai and Maharai, strong defenders of the throne.

The closing verses (vv. 27-30) of this chapter show how mercy triumphs over judgment. J. G. Bellett wrote of this, "The hope of Israel is in the womb, a blessing is in the cluster. Yet it is truly such a cluster of wild vine as might well be doomed to the sickle, if sovereign, abounding grace did not say, 'Destroy it not' (Isa. 65:8; Matt. 1:3)." The midwife had never seen anything like this, and she cries out, "How have you broken forth?" (v. 29). But in this way the line to Christ is carried on. Pharez comes out, the second Jacob, one who takes another's place. From him would come the True Inheritor of every blessing.

This chapter needs few words to prove how low Judah had sunk… And notice that it was not Reuben or any other head of a tribe, but Judah who proposed selling Joseph. He then showed in his own house the evil that drew down curse after curse, until he himself, the head of that house, had to admit the sad shame of Tamar. She was more righteous than he was, though he had sentenced her to die by fire. Yet through this guilty Judah, and through Tamar, came the One who cleanses from all sin by His blood and who will reign over the universe to God's glory.

In Judah's history we find the utter wandering and misery of Judah, but in it and out of it comes the genealogy of grace. He marries Canaanite women. Sin is in his family. He commits sexual sin with his own daughter-in-law. Everything had gone wrong. Yet from this sprang the One in whom men would bless themselves. They would say, "May the Lord make your house like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah," and "may you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem." Yet of Perez himself it might be said, how have you broken out?

The midwife had seen nothing like this before and exclaims, "How have you broken out?" (v. 29). But this is how the line to Christ moves forward… We wonder how any good could come out of such a disastrous series of events. But what is impossible with men is not impossible with God. He brings glory to His Name out of the darkest shame.

Shelah is fruitful, but Tamar's children much more so. One of them is Perez, the "breaker forth." He breaks out into a large family that fills all the later history of Judah. From him come her kings, and her great King. His twin is Zerah, whose name means the sunrise. From Zerah come singers later on, such as Ethan, and warriors, such as Shammah, Sibbecai and Maharai — sturdy defenders of the throne.

Judah is brought to know and confess his sin… and then mercy triumphs over judgment. Perez comes forth, and he is a second Jacob, the supplanter. Despite his elder brother's natural claim, he gets the birthright. The kingdom suffers violence at his hand, and he takes it by force. And from this Perez comes the true Inheritor of the blessing. He is the righteous Supplanter of every usurper. He will prevail, and His kingdom will stand for ever. (Matt. 1:3.)

The story of Tamar shows us how, in God's marvellous way of grace, Christ comes into connection with Judah. So her name appears in the Lord's genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew. Hers is the first of those four women's names, and their presence there shows the grace that has stooped to take up men… It is Tamar's sin that brings her in, as it is Rahab's faith. For Ruth to come in, the law's sentence about the Moabites had to be set aside. And Bathsheba — named even as the wife of Uriah — shows us grace triumphing over even a believer's sin. A salvation for sinners, through faith, apart from law, and eternal: this is what the simple insertion of these names declares.

Is it not remarkable that the elders and the people should take the house of Perez as a pattern of blessing for the house of Boaz? Who was Perez? Let Genesis 38 answer… But it was through Perez, son of Tamar, that the promised blessing had to come. God led His line of promise through the base things of the world, and took up those whom man would spurn. This was to magnify His grace and exalt His name.

The colour "scarlet" stands for rights of lordship. It is both remarkable and instructive to see how the thought of Christ's supremacy runs through Scripture like a "thread of scarlet." This beautiful thought appears in what may be one of the darkest chapters in the Old Testament, Genesis 38. In dark and shameful circumstances, something with power to "break through" and to "rise up" (as the names of the twins suggest) is clearly at work. It leads on to a generation from which David springs.

In that beautiful passage, Isaiah 60:1-7, the same thought is in view. Sin, darkness and turning away from God have marked His people, and thick darkness covers them. But the Lord rises upon them, His glory shines out, and nations and kings come to acknowledge the "rising" (Zerah) that has broken through the darkness and shown His supremacy over all.

Scripture always puts Perez, the son of Judah and Tamar, ahead of his twin brother Zarah, or Zerah, so he held the right of the firstborn. In David's reign the family of Perez held the highest rank in the tribe of Judah, and it appears to have stood out for its many children and its strength.

Perez, the "breaker forth," breaks out into abundant fruit, which fills all the later history of Judah. From him come Judah's kings, and her great King. Twin with Perez comes Zerah, the sunrise. From him came singers, such as Ethan, and warriors, such as Shammah, Sibbechai and Maharai — strong defenders of the throne.

Of all the women who might have been named, these four were, in different ways, the apparent blots on the genealogy. Far from hiding what was shameful about them, the record brings in details one might have thought could be left out. It is as if it wants to draw our attention to what might otherwise have been less noticed. So it mentions Zerah's twin birth with Perez, though Zerah himself is not in the line of the genealogy, as if to recall the sin that brought them into being.

Genesis 38 shows one of those remarkable cases where divine grace triumphs gloriously over man's sin. "It is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah" (Hebrews 7:14). But how? "Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar" (Matthew 1:3). This is especially striking. God, in His great grace, rises above the sin and folly of man to bring about His own purposes of love and mercy.

Yet through this guilty Judah, and through Tamar, came the One who cleanses from all sin by His blood. He will reign over the universe to God's glory.