Day 12 -- Genesis 37-39

In the Book of Genesis having offspring is the strongest imperative for both men and women. Remember Rachel's cry to her husband--"Give me children, or I shall die!" (30:1) (You have perhaps noticed that the childless have no place in the genealogies; their future is lost.) Having children to pass on the Promise to Abraham motivates everything.

So we need to read the story of Judah and Tamar in Chapter 38 in the light of this overarching imperative. The institution of "levirate marriage" provided that if a man died without issue, his wife would pass to his eldest brother (and occasionally to his father) with the injunction that he provide offspring for the dead man. The child of this union would be considered, legally and in every other way, the issue of the deceased. This institution remained in vigorous operation throughout the Old Testament period and into the time of Jesus.

It was completely practical. In a time when people oftened died young, levirate marriage insured that the memory of the dead would continue, that inheritance would be passed along in an orderly way, and that a bereft wife would be cared for and retain her place in the family.

The duty for a living brother to take a deceased brother's wife and raise up children for him was sacred in the Bible world. In our reading Judah's son Onan defies that duty and is put to death by the Lord as a result ( 38:10). Judah neglects that duty and has to be tricked into performing it by humiliating means. But the story is blame-neutral. Tamar uses the only weapons a woman--her sexuality and her wits--to insure her place in a world where the childless had none. No one could blame her for that.

And behind the scenes, God is always working to insure the continuation of the Family of Promise--that is also the theme of the wonderful tale of Joseph.

In the Bible the word for being blessed, being lucky and being happy are all the same. The meaning is completely interchangeable. Within the Family of Promise, Joseph is clearly the Chosen One. He has star quality--what we would call "charisma." It is something that is hard to define, but in every situation Joseph is always at the center. He shines. Favored by his father and blessed by God, he is remarkably lucky--and likeable. We want him to succeed.

Dogged by jealousy, he has the gift of being noticed and appreciated by the powerful. Pursued and then betrayed by women, he has the uncanny knack of turning misfortune into advantage.
We know from the beginning that Joseph's story will end happily because he has "it."

God's interest insures his ultimate happiness.

Besides charisma, however, Joseph also possesses integrity--the other quality that sets him apart. He is honest. He is loyal. And that uprightness is a clue to why some are Chosen Ones and others are not. God's choices are not arbitrary. He seeks out the potential for righteousness in people. He seeks out people with whom he can work.

Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, and now Joseph clearly have "it"--a quality that is hard to define, but impossible to overlook. None of these people is wholly good. In fact, they are all deeply flawed. They sometimes act despicably and suffer for it. But that does not ultimately matter, because God is able to work with them.

They are open to his grace. They are able to live in relationship with him--to "walk" with him-- to live "the new life." And as we read their stories, we should rejoice because so are we. We are also Chosen Ones. God has taken an interest in us, and his interest insures our ultimate happiness. We are blessed. Thanks be to God!