{"id":855,"date":"2014-02-06T11:28:36","date_gmt":"2014-02-06T15:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=855"},"modified":"2014-02-06T11:28:36","modified_gmt":"2014-02-06T15:28:36","slug":"var-_gaq-_gaq-_gaq-push_setaccount-ua-25646250-2-_gaq-push_trackpageview-function-var-ga-document-createelementscript-ga-type-textjavascript-ga-49","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=855","title":{"rendered":"<script type=\"text\/javascript\">  var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-25646250-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);  (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text\/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https:\/\/ssl' : 'http:\/\/www') + '.google-analytics.com\/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();  <\/script>  <\/heat> Judah and Tamara &#8211; Held on Sunday, February 02, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Outline of Post on the Scripture Session held on 02\/02\/14<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Previous Week\u2019s [01\/19\/14] Review<\/li>\n<li>Background to today\u2019s Reading<\/li>\n<li>Reading Gen. 38: 01 &#8211; 36<\/li>\n<li>Discussion<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Previous Week\u2019s [01\/19\/14\/ Review<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Our meeting began with Tina sharing that a debate on science and religion will take place between Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham: Are evolution and religion at odds? If you are interested in reading an analysis of how Americans view this &#8216;hot button&#8217; issue, here are the results of the PEW Research Center survey: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2014\/02\/03\/bill-nye-vs-ken-ham-are-evolution-and-religion-at-odds\/\">http:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2014\/02\/03\/bill-nye-vs-ken-ham-are-evolution-and-religion-at-odds\/<\/a>.\u00a0 After the debate I came across an article entitled, \u201cI\u2019m a Christian and Ken Ham doesn\u2019t speak for me,\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2014\/02\/05\/i-m-a-christian-and-ken-ham-doesn-t-speak-for-me.html\">http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2014\/02\/05\/i-m-a-christian-and-ken-ham-doesn-t-speak-for-me.html<\/a> which is critical\u00a0 of both Ken Ham and Bill Nye.\u00a0 Although I might not agree with every point in this article, it does serve as an example of what Christians need to do, recognize that the Bible is not a Science Book and Modern Science is not above criticism.<\/p>\n<p>The topic that Tina mentioned was a natural lead into another \u201chot button\u201d topic, the Bible and History.\u00a0 In a fundamental sense breakthroughs in Science and History, more than any other factors, have shaped the world in which we live.<\/p>\n<p>There is a continuous struggle among our study group with understanding that the Bible is not written to record history even though there are historical records in it.\u00a0 It seemed like most of the group who shared their thoughts felt that we needed to continue to push at this notion and at the same time not be consumed by it so that we end up not being uplifted by our study of scripture.\u00a0 We ended by my emphasizing three points that we can always rely on.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>The Bible was written by people who believed<b><\/b><\/li>\n<li>The Bile was written to people who believed<b><\/b><\/li>\n<li>The Bible was written for the sake of the people\u2019s believing.<b><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The important thing is that God\u2019s message is enriched not diminished by realizing these three statements.\u00a0 As an example, let me point to a tension that was raised in the very beginning of the Genesis story.\u00a0 The story of creation is meant to affirm a radical truth; creation &#8211; the entire universe or universes \u2013 is good; not perfect but good.\u00a0 Secondly, there is something concerning good and evil that we human beings have failed at and that failure had an origin.\u00a0 To argue over the cosmological account of the universe, the Big Bang or whatever later understanding Cosmologists will achieve, or over Evolution or whatever later understanding Biologists will achieve is to miss the point of the story, create a somewhat false conflict but, much more to the point, diminish the revelation God in his love shares with us.<\/p>\n<p><b>Background to today\u2019s Reading: Gen. 38: 01 \u2013 30.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Chapter 37 ends in v. 36, \u201cThe Midianites, meanwhile, sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and his chief steward.\u201d\u00a0 Chapter 39 begins in v. 1 \u201cWhen Joseph was taken down to Egypt, an Egyptian, Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and his chief steward, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.\u201d\u00a0 Chapter 38 has been inserted into the Joseph story.\u00a0 It is a story of Judah, the fourth of Jacob\u2019s sons, and his family.\u00a0 It introduces us to Tamar.\u00a0 Jesus\u2019 genealogy in Mt. 01:03 we read, \u201cJudah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar.\u201d\u00a0 If for no other reason [even though there are plenty of other reasons] understanding this story is important.<\/p>\n<p>The story presumes the marriage customs and laws of Judaism which required the brother of a deceased brother to marry his brother&#8217;s widow. \u00a0Moreover, the first child born of this marriage would be considered the heir of the deceased brother.\u00a0 Judah, in fact, fails to fulfill this custom while Tamar, using all of her wit and resources, succeeds in fulfilling it.\u00a0 Judah, to his credit, acknowledges in the end the superior moral character of Tamar.\u00a0 \u201cShe is more right than I am . . .\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Reading: Gen. 38: 01 &#8211; 30 <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/38\">http:\/\/usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/38<\/a>.\u00a0 <b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion<\/b><\/p>\n<p>We broke up the story into five episodes, as it were, and discussed each somewhat separately<\/p>\n<p>In the first episode, vv. 01 \u2013 05, Judah has left his brothers and took up residence in Bethlehem, marries a Canaanite woman who gives birth to three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah.\u00a0 His marriage to a Canaanite woman brings up again the issue of intermarriages.\u00a0 Keep in mind though that the narrator\u2019s audience lived long after this issue had been settled.\u00a0 However, the narrator makes clear that the promise continues through these marriages.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure how much of a clash this was to the narrator\u2019s audience but it is more evidence that God\u2019s ways and our ways are not the same.<\/p>\n<p>In the second episode, vv. 06 \u2013 11, the plot of this story is introduced.\u00a0 Judah selects Tamar to be the wife for Er, his eldest son who is killed by God.\u00a0 Following the Levirate marriage laws, Judah has Onan, his second son,\u00a0 marry Tamar to continue the progeny for Er.\u00a0 <del cite=\"mailto:Study\" datetime=\"2014-02-06T09:35\">\u00a0<\/del>Onan has intercourse with Tamar but spills his seed to avoid a child being born who would be Er\u2019s and not his. God then kills Onan.\u00a0 It is at this point in the story that Judah fails to live up to the demands of his community and Tamar finds a way, in the next two episodes, to fulfill that demand.\u00a0 In so doing, she continues the line of the promise.<\/p>\n<p>Jodie asked if the Levirate law requires the next brother to carry on the line.\u00a0 Ken wondered why the child was identified with the lineage of Er and not just Judah\u2019s clan\u00a0 in general.\u00a0 So much of the culture of the Israelite community is a work.\u00a0 Being without children is also a dominant theme from Sarah to Tamar and beyond.\u00a0 We will see as well the theme of the line being passed on through the younger son.\u00a0 The story has meaning and the meaning is in the totality of the story.<\/p>\n<p>Judah sends Tamar to her father\u2019s house as a widow out of fear of losing his third son.\u00a0 Like so often in these stories and in our lives as well, failure is followed by cover up, lies.\u00a0 Tamar though obeys Judah, puts on her widow\u2019s clothes and returns to her father\u2019s house.<\/p>\n<p>Probably 20 years pass in the setting of vv. 12 \u2013 23.\u00a0 Judah\u2019s wife dies.\u00a0 Shelah has grown up.\u00a0 Tamar makes her move.\u00a0 Her change of clothing is symbolic.\u00a0 Judah is vulnerable.\u00a0 Throughout Tamar\u2019s identity is an issue.\u00a0 On face value, how could Judah have sex with Tamar and not recognize who she is.\u00a0 Yet the issue of her identity allows us to enter into the story teller\u2019s world.\u00a0 Tamar calls on all of her resources.\u00a0 She reveals her shrewdness, cunny in obtaining the person identify symbols from Judah.<\/p>\n<p>In two short verses, 24 \u2013 26, the story turns.\u00a0 Judah learns of Tamar\u2019s pregnancy, judges that has acted the whore [zona] and moves to have her burnt.\u00a0 Tamar in a masterful way sends off Judah\u2019s identifications with the questions, please whose are these.\u00a0 Judah realizes that it was he who had sex with his daughter-in-law [zana].\u00a0 To his credit he affirms Tamar\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<p>Needless to say this story caused considerable discussion and before I knew it our time had run out without getting to the closing episode in vv. 27 \u2013 30.\u00a0 God directly kills two of the characters.\u00a0 Onan spells his seed, an episode that has identified his name with that act.\u00a0 Judah fails, and deceives.\u00a0 Tamar presents herself as temple prostitute.\u00a0 Sex abounds and the story moves forward.<\/p>\n<p>You are invited to respond to these or other questions that might arise within you as you read this passage.\u00a0 Your comments, observations, questions are welcomed.\u00a0 See \u201ccomment\u201d link below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Outline of Post on the Scripture Session held on 02\/02\/14 Previous Week\u2019s [01\/19\/14] Review Background to today\u2019s Reading Reading Gen. 38: 01 &#8211; 36 Discussion Previous Week\u2019s [01\/19\/14\/ Review Our meeting began with Tina sharing that a debate on science &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/?p=855\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,9,5],"tags":[18,11,6,19],"class_list":["post-855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-science","category-scripture","tag-religion-and-culture","tag-science-and-religion","tag-scripture-criticism","tag-scripture-study"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=855"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":856,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/855\/revisions\/856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}