The reading for Thursday, January 12, 2023 , is Genesis 38 - 40

Today's reading: Genesis 38 - 40

Judah & Tamar, Joseph & Potiphar's Wife, the Cupbearer & the Baker, 

Er and Onan were so wicked in the Lord's sight so the Lord put them to death. What did they do that was so wicked? Jacob was no angel from my point of view. Jacob deceived Isaac and got his brother's blessing and birthright. In Onan's case, it tells us that it's because he would not fulfill his duty as a brother-in-law by producing children with Er's wife, Tamar. This just seems an odd custom to me. I cannot understand it without more cultural explanation. Tamar is not given to Judah's 3rd son, Shelah, as the custom would indicate, so Tamar takes matters into her own hands. Tamar poses as a proustite in order to sleep with Judah. Judah and Tamar negotiate a price for her services as a prostitute. Why does this seem permissible for Judah? How did Tamar know that he would partake of her "services"? When Judah tries to pay this prostitute his friend is looking for a shrine prostitute. What is the significance of shrine here? Tamar gets pregnant by Judah. All these women getting pregnant by sleeping with a man just once seems rather lucky to me. I am thinking also of Lot's daughters. Anyways, Judah hears Tamar is pregnant and calls for her death. So it's okay for Judah to sleep with a shrine prostitute, but when Tamar is found to be pregnant, Judah calls for her death. When Judah finds out that he is the father, he acknowledges that Tamar is more righteous that Judah because Judah did not give her Shelah as a husband. Tamar gives birth to twins. One twin sticks his hand out first and then pulls it back in and the other twin comes out first? How does that even work? 

Now Potiphar's wife tries to get Joseph to sleep with her. When Joseph won't do it, Potiphar's wife lies and gets Joseph put in prison. I was wondering how the servants believed Potiphar's wife about screaming when she said that Joseph came to make sport of her. Then I conjectured that Potiphar's wife probably had screamed when Joseph ran away. She just hadn't screamed for the reason she had claimed. 

Joseph interprets dreams via the Lord. I wonder if we would do well to pay more attention to our dreams? Then the chief cupbearer forgets Joseph. I feel bad for Joseph, but find this so true to life. We get excited in our good fortune and may often forget those who helped us along the way. 

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