旧约 - 创世记(Genesis)第38章

At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.
There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her;
she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.
She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.
She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD'S sight; so the LORD put him to death.
Then Judah said to Onan, "Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother."
But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother.
What he did was wicked in the LORD'S sight; so he put him to death also.
Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.
When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,"
she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked.
"I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked.
He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again.
Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her.
He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said.
So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.'"
Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her."
About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!"
As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are."
Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.
When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.
As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first."
But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez.
Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah.
创世记第卅八章   第 38 章 

  创 38 章 > 敬虔与罪性的对比,是何等的强烈…… 

  38 章 这一章清楚记载了犹大不道德的品行,跟约瑟的德行成强烈的对比。犹大引致家庭里彼此争竞、尔虞我诈。下一章则记载约瑟的正直和智慧,反映出他的敬虔品性。因为他的忠心,神大大地赐福给他和他的家,是他所不能想像的。 

  创 38:8-10> 神对孤儿寡妇的关心是何等的细致;面对有需要的人时,我的表现…… 

  38:8-10 律法书记载了在家庭里娶寡嫂为妻的法例(参申 25:5-10 )。这条法例的目的是要使无儿无女的寡妇可以生儿子,那儿子可以承受她丈夫的产业,将来可以照顾她。因为犹大的长子珥──她玛的丈夫──没有儿子,所以无人传宗接代、承受产业,与神立约之福也不能延续下去。神叫俄南死,是因为他不肯尽对哥哥珥和寡嫂她玛当尽的本分──给他们留后。 

  创 38:15-23> 在充满邪淫的时代,我会如何谨守自己的生活? 

  38:15-23 为什么这里好像对卖淫毫不理会?原来,在迦南地的异教风俗中,作妓女是一件平常的事。事奉迦南女神的公众庙妓,是迦南宗教的崇拜对象,她们比一般的妓女更受人尊重。一般妓女有时行淫被捉会被惩罚,但是迦南宗教鼓励人与庙妓行淫,好使农作物和牛羊多产。她玛为了继承丈夫的谱系、成为犹大长子谱系之母而引诱犹大;犹大则欲火攻心而嫖妓,他们两个都不义。 

  创 38:15-24> 在没有道德的地方,我要怎样做才能实践神的心意? 

  38:15-24 犹大为什么对自己去嫖妓直认不讳,却要把作妓女的儿妇处死呢?要明白这种矛盾,我们就要知道当时迦南妇女在社会上的地位。妇女最重要的功能是生儿育女,为家族传宗接代。为了确保儿女是丈夫所生的,人们都期望新妇是处女,作妻子的亦不可红杏出墙、不守妇道。如果妻子犯了淫乱之罪,就要被处死。不过,有些妇女没有家庭,她们可能作庙妓,靠拜偶像之人的奉献来维持生活;或者作一般的妓女,受寻芳客的供给。她们所生的儿女不列在任何人的家谱中,因此和她们发生关系的人,也就没有跟任何家族人的亲属犯奸淫。 

  犹大觉得招妓度宿是无伤大雅之事,更何况他乐意付费。可是,他却要处死她玛,因为如果她是作妓女而怀孕,所生的孙儿就不属于他的血统。犹大显然从来没有想到道德的问题,他所关心的只是保存家族的血脉。但是她玛而不是犹大,主动地使这个家族有合法的后嗣,这真是一种极大的讽刺。她引诱犹大的行为却比犹大所做的更合乎律法的精神,因为他没有叫他的小儿子示拉娶她为妻。 

  这件事绝不是说神不计较人作妓女。其实,在整部圣经中,行淫都是严重的罪行。论到此事中的德行,可取之处只是尽上对家族本分的忠心,这也是重要的。其次,犹大与她玛是耶稣基督在肉身上的直系祖先(参太 1:1-6 )。 

  创 38:18> 她玛的凭据,表达了犹大的不义。我生命中是否也有印迹显出我的罪? 

  38:18 印是盖在法律文件上、使之生效的证物。每个印都有独特的设计,用石头刻成,可当作指环戴在手上或串在项链上,是极为重要的图章,不可离开主人。有财有势的人才会用印,盖在泥封或腊封的文件上。她玛因为得到犹大的印,所以有十足的把握,证明犹大与她有关系。 

  创 38:24-26> 别人犯错时,我总想指责;我,能否先坦诚反省自己的罪呢? 

  38:24-26 当她玛说自己怀了孕时,犹大并不知道那是他的骨肉,要将她处死。犹大把自己所犯的罪隐藏起来,却对她玛毫不留情。当我们恼怒别人所犯的罪时,其实我们同样也有犯罪又不想面对罪的倾向。我们若承认自己的罪,求神赦免,我们就更能饶恕别人了。──《灵修版圣经注释》