BibleProject | One Story: Foundations of the Bibleಮಾದರಿ

Yesterday’s reading ended on a cliffhanger, leaving the future of God’s partnership with Jacob’s family unclear. While the Bible tells one unified story, which you’ll learn about in today’s video, the story takes many unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Genesis 38, for example, feels like a strange interruption to the main storyline. The narrative cuts away from Joseph to focus on the story of Judah and Tamar. This account features the ancient cultural practice of levirate marriage (Deut. 25:5-10; Num. 27, 36), which required a man to marry the widow of his deceased brother. Children born through levirate marriage would receive the name and inheritance of the deceased man. This ancient practice protected the vulnerable widow from destitution and kept the deceased man’s family line from dying off.

But the men of Judah’s family refuse to uphold this practice for Tamar. Onan denies her a son, and then Judah denies her a husband, leaving her desperate and jeopardizing the future of Judah’s family line. When Tamar realizes her father-in-law has deceived her, she uses counter-deception to save the family. Her intervention forces Judah to confront his failures and commend Tamar’s righteousness.

Meanwhile, back in Egypt, Joseph’s behavior is a refreshing contrast to his father’s. Even in the face of danger and suffering, Joseph trusts God’s wisdom and refuses to let fear drive his actions. Yet despite his faithfulness, Joseph still ends up in prison, feeling forgotten and alone. If God is with him, why is Joseph down in this pit?

Reflection questions:

• What shared themes, words, and objects do you notice in chapters 37, 38, and 39? How do these hyperlinks help you understand the design of the story?
• Read the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife carefully. Where else in Genesis have you seen a powerful foreigner try to take a beautiful member of Abraham’s family? What happened in those stories? How is Joseph’s case different?