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. – Genesis 38:13-14

Today's Scripture Reading (October 19, 2024): Genesis 38

I believe that the church is the hope of the world. And maybe to go beyond that, I think we have the responsibility to be part of the hope-giving process for the world. It is not just the responsibility to be part of the hope-giving process for the church but also to give hope to the entire planet. And this might be one of the most foreign concepts for us. In our minds, we are responsible for our hope. But the problem is that we were designed for community. And hope becomes a function of that community.

Tamar's hope for the future lay in having a child through Shelah. From our cultural position, we don't understand this hope. They would not have understood our culture either. This was where Tamar's life choices had taken her. But there had also been others who had a responsibility to her hope. Onan had a responsibility to Tamar's hope. But he let jealousy move him away from that responsibility. The responsibility fell to Shelah, but his father, Judah, didn't want to lose yet another son. So, he formed a barrier to that hope. What she needed, and what we often need, is grace extended to us so that we can find the path to hope. But for Tamar, no one had given her grace. As a result, she was also without hope.

During the Middle Ages, when disease hit an area, there would be a search for hope and grace. The Pope would send out a decree, and everybody who could leave the area would be encouraged to do so. This partially accounts for the spread of disease during certain periods, but it also leaves behind a hopeless town or city. Often, those experiencing poverty and didn't have the resources to leave the area, these people were stranded in the disease-stricken area. However, as the Pope issued the decree for the people to leave, monks often took it upon themselves to move into the cities and care for the people. There was a realization of their responsibility to provide hope.

There is a story that comes from the end of the American Civil War. The Southern forces were in disarray. The South didn't have the men or the weapons to continue to fight against the Union troops. Northern forces surrounded them. Within the Confederate forces, some pockets wanted to fade into the mountains and continue an extended gorilla war, But General Robert E. Lee declined the idea. The war was over. So, on the morning of April 9, 1865, Lee got up, dressed in his best dress uniform, and walked out of his camp to present his surrender to Ulysses S. Grant. It was a moment without hope. There was absolutely nothing that General Lee could do. His life choices had carried him to this point. And I am not sure we all don't have a lot of General Lee moments.

On that morning, General Lee had these expectations. His army would be rounded up and imprisoned. He would be arrested and tried for treason and most likely convicted and sentenced to death. Lee did not expect that his trial or his expectation would be delayed. He had led rebel forces against the sitting government of his nation. I am not sure that I can imagine the lack of hope in that moment of his life.

General Lee entered the tent where Grant sat, commanding the Union forces. He was welcomed warmly by his opponent and offered a seat. General Lee asked for the terms of surrender for the Confederate army. The answer that Grant gave him was not the expected one. Grant said, "Tell your forces to lay down their weapons and go home. Become the farmers and ranchers that you were before the war began. And you can go home too." It was a completely unexpected act of grace that restored hope where there had been none before.

Tamar needed a path to hope. She needed a General Grant. And Judah could have been that person, but he had chosen a different path. As a result, Tamar took things into her own hands.

There is always a path to hope, but it is often up to those around us to help us find that path. That path needs grace; the result is always hope whenever grace is extended. And we have the responsibility to make sure that we are the ones that extend that grace.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 39