Josepj - the Scarlet Thread

 

About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again. When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah. (Genesis 38:24–30 ESV).

 

Today’s reading is full of deceit, separation, and immorality. Judah, from whose line Jesus the Messiah would come, was a wicked man at this point in his life. Judah was the one who proposed making money by selling Joseph into slavery. Joseph was now separated from the family against his will. But Judah willingly chose to be separate, living among the Canaanite people. Two of his sons were so wicked that God killed them. Judah promised their widow, Tamar, that his third son would become her husband, but he never made good on the promise. Furious and fearful, Tamar trapped Judah by disguising herself as a prostitute. Unprincipled Judah bought her services, but not before Tamar extracted, as payment, Judah’s own seal, cord, and staff. She became pregnant, and when Judah heard about this embarrassment to his family, he demanded that Tamar be burned to death. In her own defense, Tamar exposed Judah with the evidence of his seal, cord, and staff, so he was caught in his hypocrisy. Sheepish, he had to admit that she was better than he was.

 

Tamar gave birth to twins from this encounter. One of the boys was named Perez, the other Zereh. The name Zerah can mean “scarlet” or “brightness.” He was so named because, when the twins were born, Zerah’s hand emerged first. The midwife tied a red thread around his wrist to establish birth order. But then he withdrew his hand, and his brother Perez was born first. Zerah came out of the womb with the red string on his wrist, thereby earning his name.

 

This Zerah grew up and became the patriarch of the Zerahite clan of Israelites mentioned in Joshua 7:16–18. Zerah’s great-grandson Achan disobeyed the Lord and took some of the spoil from Jericho in direct violation of God command (Joshua 7:20–21). Years later, the Zerahites were among the Israelites who returned to Jerusalem from their seventy years in Babylonian captivity. The returning tribe of Judah, including the children of Zerah, numbered 690 members (cf. 1 Chronicles 9:3–6). Zerah’s twin brother, Perez, was an ancestor of Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 1:3–17).

 

Zerah reminds us that God doesn’t overlook anyone because of their parentage or the circumstances of their birth. Every person holds a unique place in God’s order and plan, and everyone is responsible to God for what he does with what he is given. The whole story of Joseph is one of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Even the wickedness of Judah toward Joseph could not overturn the purpose of God’s redemptive plan! God would use both of these men in a mighty way to bring that plan to fruition. Knowing this solidifies our faith even more!