Readings for today: Genesis 34-37
Father, the stories of the Old Testament seem so foreign to me. I struggle as I read about the choices Your people make. Then I think about my own choices and I realize I am no different. Teach me even through all the brokenness how to follow You.
The choices the children of Jacob make are deeply unsettling. Massacring an entire city? Selling their brother into slavery? It’s hard for me to connect to what’s going on or how any of this could be even remotely be connected to God. It’s hard for me to understand why God even puts up with them. Why He continues to reach out to Jacob and remain faithful to His promises? In my humanness, I think there must be a limit. There must be a point at which God will say, “No more!” That’s enough. You’ve gone too far. The fact that God continues to associate and even protect such a broken, dysfunctional family creates all sorts of questions for me. Questions about God’s character and nature. Questions about His purpose and intent. Questions about God’s wisdom. These can be scary questions on some level for me because I was taught never to question God. Furthermore, I was raised in a home where you never questioned authority. So the fact that these questions even pop into my mind can raise all kinds of fears. Thankfully, I learned years ago that God’s not scared of my questions. God’s a big boy and can handle anything I might throw at Him. All one has to do is look throughout the Scriptures and see how God invites His people to bring all of their hopes and fears, doubts and uncertainties, confusion and struggles to Him. The Psalms are filled with all kinds of questions. The Book of Job must not be forgotten with it’s honest, searching, probing questions of God’s justice and righteousness and goodness. This is what I love about the Christian faith. This is what I love about my relationship with God. But still I wrestle through these passages every year.
One thing I have learned is to appreciate the cultural distance between the Ancient Near East in which Jacob and his family lived and the 21st century, Western culture in which I live. In those days, a family’s honor was everything. It was worth more than all their wealth or influence or power. In fact, it was the source of all those things. When Dinah is raped by Shechem, it’s important to note the language that is used to describe the act. Humiliation. Defilement. It’s not just a violent act done to someone they loved but a shameful act against their entire family. The shame is compounded by Shechem’s request to marry Dinah. And lest one have any sympathy at all for Shechem’s family, their true intentions are revealed when they discuss the economic impact of intermarriage. It’s clear their end goal is to eliminate Jacob and his clan altogether. This creates a blood feud between the two people groups and blood feuds in the Middle East – even to this day – are brutal. Jacob’s sons massacre the males in the city thus eliminating any potential future threat or retaliation. They carry off all the wealth of the city, including the women and children and assimilate them into their own clan. It’s as if Shechem and his family never existed. Jacob knows their actions could potentially create ripple effects that would spread throughout the region. It’s possible clan members have intermarried into other tribes or other people groups and would feel compelled to respond. But Jacob’s sons are unrepentant. The honor of their family and clan must come first.
So how does such a story relate to me? In 21st century America? Well, if I am honest, the one thing that does resonate in this story is the impulse to retaliate. To seek revenge. To get back at those who hurt me. I don’t like feeling weak. I don’t like feeling shamed. I don’t like feeling wounded. So when these things happen to me, my first response is almost always to think of ways I can get back at the other person. Repay them for all the pain they have caused me. I scheme of ways I could respond. I have all sorts of dreams/fantasies of what I could say or do that would balance the scales. Make things even. Sure, I would never massacre an entire city but I have lost control of my anger at times and lashed out. When attacked personally or professionally, I have found myself responding in kind. Using the gifts I have and the resources I’ve been given and the power I hold to defend my honor and that of my family or those I love. Far too often, I have refused to turn the other cheek. The results are always the same. Violence begets violence. Pain begets more pain. Hurt people simply go on hurting people. What’s the answer? Forgiveness. Reconciliation. Letting go of my need to defend myself and instead laying down my pride and ego for the sake of the relationship. Some see this as weakness. What I’ve found is that it is the ultimate sign of strength. Only the truly strong can relinquish their need for vengeance. Only the truly strong can let go of their need to get back. Only the truly strong don’t need to defend themselves or their honor. Only the truly strong can put the welfare of others – including their enemies – above their own.
Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 38-40