“Moreover, may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah, through the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.”
— Ruth 4:12
Next they spoke of Tamar and Judah, whose history was very shameful. Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law who dressed up like a harlot and had a child through Judah. If I were Boaz, I would have been insulted if someone likened my fiancée to such a woman. However, this case actually was meant as an encouragement to Boaz, for though Ruth as a Moabitess came from a dark background, so also the birth of Perez came as a breaking forth from a dark background to become a blessing to Israel. Eventually both Perez and the child born of Boaz and Ruth became the means for Jesus Christ to come in the flesh (Matt. 1:3, 5).
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, page 86.
Tomorrow: “The Blessing to Naomi”