The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah. These three were born to him by a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua. Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death. – 1 Chronicles 2:3

Today's Scripture Reading (May 8, 2022):  1 Chronicles 2

Children are important. Of course, we argue over how important they might be in our contemporary culture. Some people consciously make the decision not to have any children. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with making that decision. Some are just not psychologically or physically built for children. But maybe one of the tragedies of life is that children are sometimes given to people who don't want them and withheld from people who want nothing more than to have children of their own.

One of the mysteries of Chronicles is that it is written very late in Israel's history. Ezra likely wrote the Book in the post-exile world of the fifth century B.C.E. (400s). Jacob had twelve sons and from those sons arose thirteen tribes. And because Ezra wrote it in close association with the descendants of David, it is probably not surprising that it is Jacob's son Judah and his children and descendants that not only get the first mention but the most extensive treatment.

But that does not mean that everything that comes from Judah is good. The author of Chronicles tells us that Er, Judah's firstborn son, was wicked, and God put him to death. It is a thought echoed from Genesis 38:7, which states the same thing. We are not told what that evil might be that Er committed, but rabbinic literature ascribes to Er the crime of trying to keep Tamar from getting pregnant. The reason was a selfish one. It was not because Tamar didn't want children but because Er was afraid that a child would spoil Tamar's beauty. And that was a sin against Tamar, against the tribe of Judah, and God himself. That was the evil of which Er was found guilty by his God.

According to the story in Genesis, Onan was instructed by Judah to sleep with Tamar after Er's death so that there would be a child that would come from Tamar. But Onan knew that any child that emerged from Tamar would not be considered his; rather, the child would belong to his deceased brother. And so, Onan slept with Tamar but spilled his seed on the ground rather than impregnating his sister-in-law. It was a similar sin to what Er had committed, and as a result, Onan also died at a relatively young age.

And it all began with one man who didn't want to impregnate his wife because it might spoil her beauty, an act of selfishness that God found unthinkable.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 3