Readings for today: Genesis 34-37
The desire for revenge can be strong. I think of a friend of mine whose father was murdered in cold blood. The killer was sent to prison for life without parole. For years, my friend brooded on his fate. He longed to avenge his father by taking this man’s life. He would often fantasize about what he would do to him if he ever got the chance to meet him. Then he became a Christian. He realized his desire for revenge was a sin. “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” He came to the conviction that only God has the right to take a life. Only God is just enough and righteous enough to exact vengeance for the wrongs that have been done. My friend eventually made an appointment to meet his father’s killer in prison. Sat across the bullet proof glass from him. Picked up the phone and told the man he forgave him. Immediately the Holy Spirit came over him and he felt more freedom than he’d felt in years. He was released from bondage to his sin.
There is an ancient legal principle called “Lex Talionis” or the “law of retaliation.” It originated in ancient Babylonian law and was eventually incorporated into Roman law and then into the legal systems of the West. It is also found in the ancient Code of Hammurabi and the Law of Moses as well. Essentially, it outlaws revenge. It makes justice proportional. Colloquially, it means “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Punishment is meted out in a way that corresponds to the original harm. I think of Don Corleone in the first Godfather movie who, when asked to murder the men who beat another man’s daughter, refuses on the principle that she didn’t die. He was employing “lex talionis.”
One can see why such a law is necessary from our reading today. Left unrestrained, human beings will always seek revenge for the wrongs done to them or those they love. They will avenge their family name. They will defend their family honor. So when Dinah is raped, Simeon and Levi refuse to compromise. They want revenge and massacre an entire city in response. Not only that but they plundered the city, leaving nothing behind but an empty shell. It was brutal. It was swift. It was overwhelming. And now they have to deal with the fallout. What would happen if the survivors sought revenge on them? What about the relatives of the people they killed who lived in other cities and communities throughout the land? A vicious cycle could have been created that would threaten the promise of God should Jacob and his family suffer a similar fate. So now they have to move. Now they are on the run. And God protects them from their enemies in order to preserve their line and fulfill His promise to Abraham and Sarah.
Revenge is a sin because it creates a never-ending, always escalating cycle of violence. A harsh word is met by harsh actions. A painful experience is compounded by more pain and suffering. An attack is met by an even stronger attack. Eventually, it all leads to death. It could be the death of relationships. It could be the death of a community. It could be actual, physical death in some cases. This is why God makes an exclusive claim to the right for vengeance. He knows we cannot restrain ourselves and will lead to our destruction.
Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 38-40