We are still in chapter 38 of Genesis with our word for today. We have both the verb זָֽנְתָה֙ and the noun זְנוּנִ֑ים in our chapter today: commit fornication, be unfaithful, abandon someone to fornication, immorality. The verb is used 57 times in the Old Testament, the noun 11 times. God is consistent about warning his people against the dangers of our word. Exodus 34:15-16 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they וְזָנ֣וּprostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters וְהִזְנוּ֙prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. Leviticus 19:29 Do not degrade your daughter by making her a לְהַזְנוֹתָ֑הּ prostitute, or the land will turn to תִזְנֶ֣ה prostitution and be filled with wickedness. God uses our word a lot to describe how his people have treated him for all the love and faithfulness he has shown them. Hosea 1:2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a זְנוּנִים֙ promiscuous woman and have זָנֹ֤ה children with her (literally children of whoredom), for like an זְנוּנִ֔ים adulterous wife this land is guilty of תִזְנֶה֙ unfaithfulness to the Lord.” Hosea 4:10-11 They will eat but not have enough; they will engage in הִזְנ֖וּprostitution but not flourish, because they have deserted the Lord to give themselvesto זְנ֛וּתprostitution.
A big part of our word has to do with the dynamic of unfaithfulness. Genesis 38:24-26 About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been זָֽנְתָה֙ immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by זְנוּנִ֑ים immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.” Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.
The irony is that both Tamar and Judah were unfaithful not just the immoral sexual activity which goes against what God created sex for but also in Judah’s failure to follow through with allowing his son to marry Tamar. We will look more into this idea of levirate marriage when it comes up again in the future. Tamar got tired of waiting on Judah to do what he was supposed to do so she took matters into her own hands because Judah was unfaithful she became unfaithful as well. This is what Judah meant when he said “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.”
This story also highlights how quickly we are to condemn others of their sin while being completely bind to our own. I’ll close with Jesus words about this very thing. Matthew 7:3-5 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
