"It's not fair!"

Today: Genesis 38-40

"It's not fair!" is a pretty common statement and thought for many people. Today is Thanksgiving day in the U.S. and while many are feeling pretty grateful, I'm sure some "It's not fair!" exclamations were made...as in "It's not fair! My favorite football team lost!" or "It's not fair! I can't eat pie and stay thin like my sister!"

But perhaps there were more serious statements, too. Someone probably thought, "It's not fair! I should be home with my family instead of sick at this hospital" or "It's not fair!
I should have food--at least a turkey--to feed my kids."

Even though all of us have plenty of things to be thankful for (if you're reading this, you're breathing...and reading...so there's two!), life doesn't always seem fair. What do you do in the "It's not fair!" moments in your life?

In today's passage, it was very interesting to read about two people--Tamar and Joseph--who faced extremely "unfair" situations.

Tamar was a widow whose husband "grievously offended God and God took his life." She was a woman who could have been seriously angry at her husband and God. To top it off, her husband's family treated her poorly. Their tradition stated that her deceased husband's brother(s) should have married her--restoring her place in their family and her livelihood. Instead, she was basically left to fend for herself.

Tamar took a unique approach to her "It's not fair!" situation--she resourcefully (maybe even deviously?) tricked her father-in-law (the same guy who unjustly kept his youngest son from marrying her) into sleeping with her and taking her back into the family. Wow. I don't know many people today who would still have that fight, that courage, within them to go after what was rightfully theirs...and back then, it would have been even more difficult for a widow to do so.

What's really amazing is that Tamar's name is mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. First of all, women's names didn't normally appear in genealogies. At. All. But the fact that this once abandoned...and later scandalously courageous...woman was mentioned as one of Jesus' ancestors? That's mindblowing.

The other person who faced an "It's not fair!" situation in today's passage was Joseph...again. The guy sold by his brothers into slavery is thrown into jail unjustly--because he actually did the right thing! To top it off, he helps two politically well-connected guys in jail by interpreting their dreams. And at the end of the passage, we learn that one of the guys (Pharaoh's cup bearer) was restored to his place of honor...only to forget Joseph, the guy who helped him. It's not fair!

Throughout today's chapters, you won't read that Tamar or Joseph said anything resembling "It's not fair!" even once. Tamar powers through her unjust situation through her ingenuity, courage and resourcefulness. Joseph just keeps trusting God, working hard, doing and being his best. God saw their attitudes and their hearts and completely turned around their unfair circumstances. We've got more reading to do before we find out the rest of the story...

Tomorrow: Genesis 41-42