Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: DISGUISE (08/12/21)
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TITLE: Tamar, Ashamed No More | Previous Challenge Entry
By Laurie Kiel
08/19/21 -
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Never say never to God. I have broken that rule countless times over the years, only to find God’s plan was better.
My heart is to bring Biblical women to life through dramatic biblical monologues and biblical devotions that show their story is our story. My life verse is Roman 15:4: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” (NIV)
“There's one person I could never write a monologue about. Tamar,” I’ve told my sisters multiple times, breaking the rule I just mentioned. So, I'm getting ready to write and I’m mentally running through my list of possible biblical characters, praying about which woman to write about next.
“Tamar.” a still small voice tells me.
‘That’s a great suggestion, Lord. Any other ideas?”
“Do you not like Tamar?"
“It's not that, Lord, but her story is rather, shall we say, problematic.”
“Are you ashamed of My earthly ancestor?”
“No, of course not.”
“Are you ashamed of Me?”
The question stabs my heart.
“Never, Lord!"
“I chose Tamar to be listed in my earthly genealogy for a reason. Tell her story for all the Tamars out there.”
And I asked myself, if Tamar came and spoke to us today what would she tell us?
(WOMAN PUTS ON A BIBLICAL HEADDRESS)
Do you ever feel ashamed of something that you think can never be forgiven, never excused, never redeemed? I know the feeling. My name is Tamar, a name irretrievably soaked and stained with shame--or so I thought. I was married twice, neither time of my own volition. The first marriage was to Judah’s first son, Onan. What a wicked man. I cannot, I will not relive the horror of being married to him by describing what he did to me. God agreed about Onan’s wickedness and struck my husband dead.
It is Jewish tradition that when a husband dies with no offspring, his brother must marry the widow and any offspring of the union is considered belonging to the original husband. Because of that my second husband Er, Onan’s brother, made sure there'd be no child. And he was also struck dead.
These deaths were not my fault! I did nothing wrong! But I know that's not what Judah thought. I could tell by the way he looked at me. He told me to go to my father's house as a widow and wait for his third son to grow up.
And I wait...
And I wait...
And I wait...
Years passed. I put my life on hold. I put my dreams of someday being a mother on hold.
And then I saw my chance. Judah’s wife had died. Shortly thereafter I heard he was on his way to Timnah for sheep shearing. So I decided to disguise myself. After all I'd had a lot of practice. I had disguised my true self as an inconsequential meek wife twice. And now I was disguised as an obedient widow waiting patiently.
It was time to turn a disguise to my advantage. It's not easy for me to tell you what I did next. I disguised myself as a temple prostitute and waited for Judah to pass by. I have neither the time nor the heart to tell you my entire story. You can read it in your Scriptures in Genesis 38:1-30.
Suffice it to say, that for the rest of my life I had a new disguise. I disguised myself as a woman who didn't care she was dressed head to toe in shame. But my shameful act did give me my precious boys Perez and Zerah, the joy of my life. I was never ashamed of my beautiful boys.
But the day came when I went to heaven, and my rags of shame were replaced with a robe of righteousness. And I learned that I had been given the precious, unbelievable gift of the Messiah coming from the descendants of my son Perez who had been conceived in shame. God had used Perez and me.
So I tell all of you Tamars out there, rip off your disguise of guilt and shame. And let the true gem that God created you to be blaze forth.
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