Articles
FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES (Part II)
— Scott Cain —
Those with Friends in Low Places Often Lead Family into Low Places. Judah’s wife
bore three sons, & each birth came with brow-raising details. For instance, at Judah’s
first son’s birth, “he called his name Er” (Genesis 38:3), but when the second arrived,
“she called his name Onan” (38:4). Whereas either God or the mothers had named
the family’s most recent generations (17:19; 29:31-35; etc.), Judah made it a point to
name his firstborn, but not his second: why? Might he & his wife have agreed to give
each other dibs on naming their sons? Perhaps. Then again, perhaps Judah was
doting on his firstborn & detached from his second, the sort of favoritism that had
plagued his father & his grandparents (Genesis 37:3; 25:28): if so, such spoiling of his
firstborn would help explain how Er came to be so wicked, & the shunning of his sec-
ond would facilitate a sibling rivalry that might explain Onan’s selfish refusal to rear
up an heir to his older brother. At best, Judah’s influence upon his oldest two sons is
suspect.
Then there is the third son. When Shelah was born, the family had moved to Chezib,
a town in the lowlands near Adullam (Genesis 38:5). By this point, Judah had literally
led his family into low places, into an environment of lower standards, but the low-
est point was yet to come.
Those with Friends in Low Places Often Lose Family in Low Places. Some lose to sin.
Judah’s eldest son married a woman from the area, but he was so wicked that God
slew him before he bore any children (Genesis 38:6-7). Judah realized the im-
portance of his lineage, since God’s blessing to Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob had been
shamefully forfeited by his older brothers (Genesis 35:22; 34:30), therefore he insist-
ed that Onan marry Er’s widow Tamar & sire a child that would be Er’s heir (38:8).
Onan refused, instead spilling his seed on the ground & essentially discharging the
Messianic lineage into the dust, thus God slew him (38:9-10). Within a matter of
weeks, if not less, Judah’s oldest sons were dead, both slain for their iniquity.
