God has killed Shelah’s older brothers, Er and Onan, for their extreme wickedness.
The custom of the people is that Er’s widow, Tamar (1), should be passed to the third brother so he can produce offspring through her for his dead brother.
But Shelah isn’t old enough. So Judah sends Tamar home to live with her parents until Shelah grows up, pledging that she will one day marry him.
Yet Judah doesn’t follow through on his promise to Tamar. He fears that Shelah will die just like Er and Onan.
This suggests that Judah may blame Tamar for his sons’ deaths. He doesn’t want to risk the life of his only remaining son, so he withholds Shelah from Tamar.
As a result, Tamar takes extreme action to get what is due to her and what Judah promised to give.
Though Shelah’s presence brings about these events, he does nothing good or bad to make them happen.
We know nothing about his character. But we do know that God views his older brothers as wicked and doesn’t proclaim the same judgment on Shelah.
This suggests that Shelah isn’t like his brothers and chooses a better path.
What negative traits of our family and friends should we avoid?
What admirable traits of our family and friends should we follow?
[Read about Shelah in Genesis 38:11–14. Discover another son who stood out from his brothers in 1 Samuel 16:1–13.]
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 is an adult who dreams of being a teenager. When he’s not contemplating grown-up thoughts, his mind retreats to the domain of invented worlds with his loyal and most real, yet still imaginary, friends.
What grand adventures they have: righting wrongs, solving problems, and making their world a better place to live.
These short stories and novels are what his teenage self daydreamed about: adventure, intrigue, making a difference…and someone special to share it with.
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