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Gen 38:4-10 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.  And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

It is easy to see exactly what Onan did; he spilled his seed. Why did this action prompt God to kill him? Is this a terrifying story told to prevent us from spilling our seed or God might kill us, or is there more to the story than appears on its face? Why was God displeased? Onan violated the duty of the husband's brother. Although not codified by Moses in the Law, it was doubtless known to the Jews prior to the formal written law.

Gal 3:19  Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Deut 25:5-10  If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.  And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed.

This law of the husband's brother is put in place to protect the birth right. The eldest son inherited all the land given to his family by Moses when Israel settled in Canaan. When the eldest son died childless, the next brother raised up seed to his brother's wife, and the product of that union inherited the birthright, not the brother himself. Think about that. The brother loses the birthright and the son of the eldest gains it through his wife.

Look at the trap laid for Jesus by the Saducees in Matt 22. They used this very law to disprove the resurrection. Of course, Christ easily answered their accusation.

Mat 22:23-33  The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.

This was the sin of Onan. If you understand this law, then the book of Ruth makes more sense. Read Ruth chapter 4. You will see the kinsman redeemer. It is the child, not Boaz. It is the child born in Bethlem Judah who redeemed the Jewish (Naomi) and the Gentile (Ruth the Moabite) brides! What a spectacular picture of Jesus Christ!

Ruth 4:11-15  And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem: And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.  And he shall be unto thee a restorer of thy life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him.

Thanks for this thread. I am in the middle of reading Francine Rivers’ “Lineage of Grace” going over the lives of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary. I realize it maybe light weight, but I always have to be reading a novel, so my new genre is Christian Historical Fiction. I am always interested in any recommendations of books.

God was not happy with ONAN.

Blade