ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Sapate Fepueli 19, 2023 

From Sister-in-Law to Wife  יבם

Hiki mei he tuofefine ‘i he fono ko e uaifi

GENESIS 38:9

BUT ONAN KNEW THAT THE OFFSPRING WOULD NOT BE HIS. SO WHENEVER HE WENT IN TO HIS BROTHER'S WIFE [TAMAR] HE WOULD WASTE THE SEMEN ON THE GROUND, SO AS NOT TO GIVE OFFSPRING TO HIS BROTHER.

GENESIS 38:9

Ka na‘e ‘ilo ‘e ‘Ōnani ‘e ‘ikai ‘o‘ona ‘a e hako ko ia; pea ko ia ‘i he‘ene ‘alu atu ki he finemotu‘a ‘o hono ta‘okete, na‘a ne hua‘i ia ki he kelekele, koe‘uhi ke ‘oua te ne ‘ange ha hako ki hono ta‘okete.

This story may be unpopular in Sunday school, but it's important. Here is our first encounter with "levirate marriage." Levirate is from the Latin levir ("brother's wife"). In Hebrew, the verb is yavam ("to consummate a marriage with a brother-in-law"), related to y'vamah ("brother's widow"). The law is this: if a brother dies without leaving offspring, his surviving brother marries the widow (Deut. 25:5-10). Their child will carry on the name and inheritance of the deceased brother. This is why Onan "wasted his semen." He didn't want to impregnate Tamar and thus "give offspring to his brother." He wanted all the inheritance to himself.

With this law in mind, the Sadducees challenged Jesus with the story of the widow who married seven brothers in a row, each one dying, none leaving offspring (Matt. 22:23-33). "Whose wife will she be in the resurrection?" they demand to know. Silly Sadducees. They knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. Wedding rings won't adorn resurrected fingers. Marriages and baby-making will be over in the New Jerusalem, for we will be the children of God and members of the bride of Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit, grant us love for our brothers and sisters and a firm hope in the resurrection of the body.