Till Shiloh Comes by Gilbert Morris Read Free Book Online Page A

for her. She was half-starved at the time and either would have died or been forced to become an immoral woman in order to survive. But Jacob had felt pity for the child and had commanded his people to care for her. Levi’s wife had taken her in, and Tamar had proved to be a hard worker, never shirking any task.
    She was also clever and affectionate and soon grew attached to Jacob. She enjoyed cooking special foods for him, and the old man was pleased with her attention. She in turn loved to sit at his feet and listen to his stories of the history of his people and of his God. She hung on to his words with such attention that Jacob often said, “I wish my sons paid as much attention to our history as you do, my child!”
    Early one afternoon Tamar brought Jacob a dish of tender-roasted kid and fresh dates covered in honey. The old man blessed her, and she sat at his feet as he ate, begging for more stories of El Shaddai and of the tribe. She was eighteen years old now and had blossomed into a womanly, dusky beauty. Jacob smiled and shook his head. “Daughter, you know all of my stories.”
    â€œPlease tell me again about the ladder reaching up to heaven, master.”
    Jacob was always willing to tell of his encounters with the Lord, and he spoke for a long time, then finally reached over and touched the young woman’s crown of lustrous black hair. “Why do you love to hear about these things, Tamar?”
    â€œBecause they’re so wonderful, master!” Tamar’s eyes glowed, and her lips were parted in wonder. “To think that El Shaddai has chosen your family to bring a Redeemer into the world! Is this not so?”
    â€œYes, it is so. I call the One who is to come Shiloh.”
    â€œWhen will He come? In our lifetime?”
    â€œOnly God knows that, child.”
    Tamar was silent for a moment; then she asked, “Will it be through your firstborn that Shiloh will come?”
    The question troubled Jacob, and he hesitated before answering, “I do not know that either. But I do not think so.”
    Tamar knew very well that Reuben was not Jacob’s choice to receive the blessing, even though he was the firstborn. She also knew that the old man had never forgiven Simeon and Levi for their murderous attack on the men of Shechem. For a long time she had considered the sons of Jacob, trying to understand which son would be chosen to bring Shiloh into the world.
    During the years she had lived with Jacob’s tribe, Tamar had slowly developed a desire to be an instrument in the family of Abraham, the man of faith. She had soaked up the history of his family, and as the years passed, she had developed a longing to be a part of the history of the Redeemer. How she came by this, not even Tamar herself could tell, but it was now the strongest force in her life.
    By a process of elimination, she had come to believe that the fourth son, Judah, would receive the birthright and the blessing from his father. She had pondered on this for many months now, and as she sat at Jacob’s feet, she decided to make a bold request.
    â€œMaster, I am old enough to be a wife, am I not?”
    â€œWhy, so you are, my child.” Jacob smiled. “Which young man has been looking on you with desire?”
    â€œI wish to be the wife of one of your people, for I have come to feel myself as one of them in spirit.”
    Jacob was pleased that she would identify so closely with his people. “Has one of the men spoken to you of marriage?”
    â€œI would like to be the wife of Er, the son of your fourth-born, Judah.”
    Now Jacob was indeed amazed! “Er? But why him, daughter?” He wanted to demand, “Why would any young woman desire such a weakling for a husband?” Both of Judah’s older sons, Er and Onan, were weak men. Even worse, they were immoral men, who could not be controlled either by Jacob or by their father.
    As for Tamar, she would have tried to