I’m BACK!!! It’s been two weeks since my last post. I’ve been kicking myself in the butt over and over again for not making the time to write. If you got the newsletter last week then you know what’s been going on. If you didn’t get the newsletter than what are you waiting for to subscribe?!? Stop reading and go on over to the right hand side of your screen and type in your email address. I send out a newsletter the 1st and 15th of every month. I really don’t want you to miss the next one.

This week I want to continue learning about the women of Genesis. We’ve been in Genesis for what seems like forever! But it’s been a ton of fun getting to meet some women who I had never noticed before. Today’s woman of the bible is Tamar! Tamar is part of Jacob’s family through marriage. Click on that read more button and jump into this unexpected story.

In Genesis 38 we see how Judah, one of Jacob and Leah’s sons, branches off and starts his own family. He gets married and has three sons. He arranges a wedding for his eldest, Er. Er marries Tamar. But sadly Er is not a good guy. He is actually so evil that God decides to eliminate him. This leaves Tamar as a widow. Being a widow is never easy and in biblical times it was even harder. Remember that women didn’t have the kind of rights that we have today. They were pretty much helpless without the backing of a man, father or husband. To help widows from utter helplessness there was a custom in place. This custom called for the deceased husband’s brother to take the widow as his wife and carry on the brother’s name. That’s how Tamar went from widow to wife. After Er’s passing Judah arranged for his second son Onan to marry her and carry on Er’s name. Onan wasn’t fond of the idea of his seed carrying on his brother’s name. He went out of his way to make sure that Tamar never became pregnant. His plan didn’t work out well, God was not amused. He was seen as wicked by God and so God eliminated him too. Onan’s death left Tamar a widow all over again. Luckily for Tamar, Judah had a third son. At the time of Onan’s death the third son, Shelah, was too young to marry. Out of fear of losing Shelah the way he lost Er and Onan, Judah sent Tamar back to her father’s home to wait there for Shelah to grow up and become her husband.

Shame on Judah for blaming innocent Tamar for his sons’ deaths which were caused by their own wickedness.In any case, Tamar waited. And waited. And waited. All along she was in mourning for her two dead husbands. She waited for Shelah to grow up. And grow up he did, but he never went to Tamar and she was never called back to her husbands’ home. She was left, forgotten.

So much time passed that her mother-in-law passed away. After her passing Judah decided to go check on his workers who were shearing his sheep near Tamar’s father’s house. He must have forgotten about the proximity to Tamar’s home or the possibility of running into her. Tamar however did not forget the debt that was owed to her. She disguised herself as a prostitute to deceive Judah and seduce him. The old man completely fell for it. She convinced him to leave valuable personal items as collateral in the meantime that he sent payment for her services. Of course she ends up getting pregnant. The town finds out and the word gets back to Judah. The law is that prostitutes are to be put to death so he condemns her and calls for her death. Not realizing that she was his very own daughter-in-law. She sends him the collateral items with a message, “Recognize these? The owner is the father of my child.”
Bam!
Judah had no option but to take responsibility.
Tamar is saved from her death sentence and ends up having twin boys.

Poor Tamar. I’m thinking that all she wanted was security. Love would have been a great bonus but in her situation she needed to be taken care of. She was wronged repeatedly by Judah and his sons. So she took manners into her own hands. Her methods were probably not the most morally correct but she got results.
I think that sometimes we don’t get the results we want because we are afraid to do something we normally wouldn’t do. Think outside the box. Be creative and innovative when searching for solutions. Maybe try a disguise.
I am NOT saying that prostitution is ok.
I am saying that being bold before the Lord is. Nothing you or I do will surprise our God. He has placed everything we need within us. And by “everything” I mean the HOLY SPIRIT.
I am studying the book of John with some of my students from church and today I read John chapter 3. The second half of verse 34 blew my mind. John 3:34b “for God gives the spirit without limit.” As I finish writing this post I recall this verse and the thoughts that ran through my head.God blesses us without limit. There is no end to the amount of Himself that God gives to us. Starting with His creativity in designing and creating this world we get to enjoy. Continuing with the sacrifice of His one and only son. He tops the giving with an unlimited supply of Holy Spirit!
We in our humanness are the ones who create limits for God. Suggesting that He can’t do one thing or the other.

Today I want to suggest that perhaps the solution to the situation you’ve been dealing with has been in front of you this whole time! I am sure Tamar felt limited. She probably felt hopeless and helpless. I bet she even felt a bit confined. But she was outright bold and fearless. She was determined to break the limits that had been wrongly placed on her by others.

Today I dare you to be fearless! I dare you to tear down the limits that you’ve created around yourself. I dare you to step into that which God has been calling you to. Like Tamar take off the figurative widow’s clothes and throw on a brand new veil. Tap into the unlimited supply of Christ’s spirit that resides within you and watch as He brings forth double the blessings!My Prayer for You:
Heavenly Father I pray for all of the eyes reading this. I ask you to bless them. I ask you to reveal to them where in their lives they have raised limits before you. I ask you to give them boldness and courage to tear down the limits and to take of the “widow’s clothes”. I ask you to dress them in new clothes of an unlimited nature. That abundance may be upon them. That they may experience your faithfulness in an extravagant way. I thank you for Tamar’s story. It reminds me that you created me to be creative and innovative. I pray that you may spark creativity and imagination in the minds of my readers today. That they may be able to see through your eyes. Thank you Jesus for your goodness. It’s in Jesus’ holy name that I pray, Amen.

Memory Verse: John 3:34
John 3:34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

I would love to hear of your bold moments. Share one in the comments below. Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe to get more from SuperStarNat.com