There are two Tamars in the Bible – both victims of injustice. Both suffered injustice at the very hands of those who were to advocate for and carry out justice on their behalf. Both speak to us today as we are surrounded by Tamars in our community and nation.
Both Tamars are frequently excluded from the pulpit, stage, and classroom because their stories involve sex. And, more so, we often just don’t know what to do with these stories. The first is awkward because it includes descriptions of sexual acts and prostitution. The second, because it includes rape. But these are exactly the stories our world needs right now.
Tamar of Genesis
The Tamar in Genesis was a widow twice-over, and at the mercy of her selfish father-in-law who promised her his other son – but refused to allow her to marry just yet. He left her perpetually betrothed with no future.
Her first husband, Er, was such an evil man that God struck him down. Having no child, Tamar was given to Er’s brother, Onan, as a wife, so that Onan could produce a male child to carry on Er’s name and to provide for Tamar. Though this seems weird to us today, this was the custom in the ancient near East. Onan, well, Onan wasn’t exactly an upstanding man, either. Onan selfishly refused to father a child for his brother. When he had sex with Tamar, he took steps to make sure she could not become pregnant. Finding this act evil, God killed him. Tamar thus far was married to an evil man, and then a very selfish man who cared nothing for Tamar or producing an heir for his brother.
Since Er and Onan had another brother, Shelah, custom dictated that Judah, their father, give Tamar to him in marriage, to raise up a son for Er. Judah, suffering the loss of two sons feared for the life of his third son. He put off the pending marriage saying that Shelah was too young. And perhaps he was. Yet, the narrator tells us that Judah was being selfish. His concern was not for Tamar’s pain and life, but for his own pain and life. This selfishness caused Tamar to become a victim. She was trapped as a widow, betrothed and unable to find protection and shelter outside of her parent’s house. Unable to move forward in her life in any way. Living in a state of perpetual betrothal, she was unable to find marriage elsewhere. She had no son to provide for her. A widow with no children had no standing in the community. She was stuck. She was the victim of injustice.
So, she took matters into her own hands. She saw Judah’s actions for what they were. Unjust. She pretended to be a prostitute and positioned herself in Judah’s path. While her actions are not right, do not overlook the fact that Judah chose to go to a prostitute. Neither actions are justified in the text.
Later, when Judah heard that Tamar was pregnant, he pronounced sentence upon her. Death by stoning. Judah felt himself righteous in issuing that order. He likely felt vindicated. He lost two sons while they were married to her. Now, instead of waiting for his next son to grow up (who was already grown), marry her and likely die as well (or so he thought), Tamar had been unfaithful and would die. Death to Tamar. Shelah would live.
When brought out to face the stoning, Tamar also brought the items that implicated Judah as the father of her unborn. Here is where the story takes an unexpected turn.
Judah changed.
He realized that while Tamar’s actions (posing as a prostitute and sleeping with him) were not right. She was still more righteous than him. He accepted his guilt.
Judah realized that he had left Tamar no other recourse. She was stuck as a perpetual victim. She had found a way out. Neither Judah nor the narrator condone Tamar’s action, but neither do they condemn her. Rather, they condemn Judah. Judah was the cause of injustice in Tamar’s life. Tamar was a victim that, out of desperation, found a way to no longer be a victim.
Tamar of Samuel
In Samuel, Tamar was a child of the king. She was in a position of honor. One of her half-brothers, Amnon, lusted after her and tricked her into being alone with him. He then raped her and cast her aside. According to the law, Amnon’s punishment should have been death.
You would think the king, her father, would seek justice for his daughter. He did not. He merely became angry.
But.
Did.
Nothing.
Tamar’s brother, Absalom, saw the injustice but his hands were tied, though, he longed for justice for his sister.
He waited.
He bided his time.
He struck.
He killed his half-brother, executing the justice denied by the very father – the king who was charged by God to uphold justice in the land. Then Absalom went a step further and tried to take over the kingdom. The story continues with a battle for the kingdom.
Tamar was a victim denied justice. Her rapist was free. She was cast aside. Treated as worthless. Her brother advocated on her behalf to restore justice, by taking the action of judge and jury into his own hands.
Tamars and Justice
The two Tamars of the Hebrew Bible are victims of injustice. Injustice that was foisted upon them. Injustice that makes God weep.
With the Tamar of Genesis, Judah, the creator of the injustice, finally realized his role. He saw that he was the first domino. Though he initially tried to condemn Tamar’s act of desperation, in the end he condemned himself. She was more righteous than him.
With the Tamar of Samuel, we see another victim of injustice, unable to defend herself. And we see the one who loved her, her brother, execute justice on her behalf. He, like the first Tamar, went outside the bounds of what is right to find justice. Once again, the one who had the power to create justice failed to do so.
In both of these stories we see the price of injustice. In both of these stories we have a chance to see ourselves. Sometimes we are the victims of injustice. Sometimes we are the creators of injustice. From Genesis we must learn to see the story behind the story. It is easy to focus only on the thing before us. Judah only saw a pregnant betrothed daughter-in-law. He only saw her guilt. But the story behind that guilt was his oppressive injustice that created the situation. From Samuel, we see a man kill his brother. But the dead was guilty of rape, condemned to death by the mosaic covenant – a penalty withheld by their own father.
With both Tamars we may be tempted to focus on the resolutions which were…less than perfect. But in both stories the narrator focuses on the underlying injustices, not the remedies. The resulting actions that seek to reestablish justice are neither condoned nor approved. The narrator is silent on that aspect, choosing not to speak condemnation upon the victims who wanted justice. The focus is on the instigating injustice and the need for justice.
Today, America and the world are struggling with racial protests and some rioting. What is most discouraging in the responses are those from some Christians. There are many who wear the label of Christian who focus only on this latest domino – the protests and riots. (And, who wrongly call the peaceful protests illegal. They. Are. Not.) They are unwilling to look beyond this latest domino. They are unwilling to see the instigating injustice that stares them in the face through so many videos and testimonies of horrible systematic injustices.
It is easy to see only a pregnant betrothed woman standing before us.
To see only the man who kill his brother standing before us
It is easy to see only the protests and riots on the screens before us
It is far more difficult to see the father-in-law who is withholding justice from a hurting widow.
To see the person in power who gives a show of anger turn a blind eye towards the victim.
It is far more difficult to see the prevalent oppression and even death of those with different skin tones at the hand of those our communities have empowered.
How dare we condemn those fighting and begging for justice. Just as the narrators of the Tamar stories focus on the instigating injustice, we, too, need to learn to focus on the instigations of the underlying injustices.
What if God is calling us to proclaim, “You are more righteous than I!”?
Can we accept that seeing the creation of the injustice is where we need to train our eyes?
Can we accept that proclaiming “You are more righteous than I!” is meant to condemn the instigating injustice, and at the same time refrain from adding a “but” to address their desperate acts seeking justice?
The question we must begin with is “How am I wrong?” not “How are they wrong?”
Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? -Jesus (Matt 7:3, NASB)
JoAnna Hoyt 