Genesis 38:26

"And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I, forasmuch as I gave her not Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more."

"More righteous than I..." A better word would have been, "She is less sinful than I", but, under the circumstances, it was an astounding victory for Tamar. God had vindicated her case against the house of Judah, in effect, taking the Messianic line away from it and bestowing it upon Tamar, making it the new household of Judah. It was unlawful for Judah to continue his relationship with Tamar, and he strictly honored it. There is a glimpse of greatness in this patriarch, who in time would justify his right to stand in the line of Messiah, who in fact, would be forever known as, "The Lion of the Tribe of Judah."

Sinful as were the deeds of Tamar here, it should be remembered that she was not motivated by lust, but by her lawful desire for a child. That God indeed overlooked her mistakes would appear to be certain in the light of subsequent developments.

In the blood-line of the Messiah, there were no less than three women who attained their status through adultery - Tamar, Ruth the Moabitess, and Rahab the harlot of Jericho. Perhaps, we should not ascribe such a sin to Ruth, but going to bed with Boaz is not far removed from it. Some would include Bathsheba in this list, but she was not in the blood-line of Jesus. (Mary was descended not through Solomon but through Nathan.)