Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”
About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”
Comment: I heard of a father who used to tell his son ‘Do what I tell you, don’t do what I do!’ When Judah returned home or possibly before the shearing was finished he sent his friend with the goat to pay his debt to the unknown ‘way-side lady’, Tamar, who had hidden her identity by her costume. There was no known lady at the spot, so his friend brought the goat back. There was no lady at the spot, and the locals didn’t know of anyone about there, who was a cult prostitute for the local Canaanite God. We might well ask why Judah, one of the followers of the True God, played around sexually, currying favour with a local ‘baal’, god. He didn’t search too hard for her because the things she held until she got the goat were never much his and any person who was given them to hand back would know whom her ‘customer’ had been. Several months later he heard that his ‘daughter-in-law’ was pregnant. “The harlot! Kill her, burn her, her cried!’
Prayer: Please help me to walk Your way, but thank You that there is a way to be forgiven and restored in Your Grace.
As I read it! 