After Tamar (1) tricks Judah into impregnating her, she gives birth to twins. They are Perez and Zerah.
The name Perez means “breaking out,” because he broke out of the womb first before his twin brother.
Though we know nothing more about Perez and what he did, future generations esteem him. Several generations later, one of his descendants is Boaz.
When Boaz marries the widowed and childless Ruth several centuries later, the townspeople proclaim blessings on her. They say, “may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah” (Ruth 4:12).
And this blessing comes to be.
Ruth has Obed, who is the father of Jesse and the grandfather of King David. Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus honors all four (Matthew 1:5–6), as with their ancestor Perez (Matthew 1:3).
Though Perez’s conception occurred in a duplicitous situation, he made his life matter.
What can we do to make our lives matter?
How can we rise above our circumstances and not let them define us?
[Read about Perez in Genesis 38:27–30. Discover more in Luke 3:33.]
Learn about 100 more biblical characters in More Old Testament Sinners and Saints, available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.
More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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