Equestrian fans may prefer a blog about English saddles, but those who seek to understand the Messianic mindset need look no further. Here’s part two of my three-part posting of my Va Yishlah commentary. Or listen to it!
Let me be clear: We are NOT speaking of petty offenses today. Such things are relatively easy to forgive. But when it comes to extreme violations – the rape of a sister, the molestation of a son or daughter, the assault or murder of a parent or other loved one – these crimes are the deepest violations one can think of. These things are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to forgive, apart from the direct intervention of God on our hearts, minds and actions.
Does that mean taking such actions is justifiable? Is the underlying message of this parashah that it’s OK to obey The L-RD and his commands up to a point, but if it gets really personal, then toss the Torah aside! Do whatever it takes to gain a sense of justice, because we can repent and be forgiven?
No. Absolutely not! That sort of double-mindedness is why most of us who come here from a more mainstream Christian or Evangelical background left the church in the first place! We who are Messianics believe that what is done in the flesh still counts, that our grace in Yeshua did not come cheap.
Although these are admittedly the hardest of situations, the Torah is not silent on such matters. First, what does the Bible have to say about the issue of retribution or revenge?
Romans 12:17-21
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, “I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,” says the L-RD. Instead, do what the Scriptures say: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.” Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Now, most of us are familiar with this passage. Yet people make the mistake of assuming that by placing a matter like this into the hands of God, they are somehow being pushovers, or it means the offenders will only get the justice due them in the world to come. But this is not so. In fact, throughout the Bible, The L-RD promises that the feet of the unrighteous will slip and they will have their destiny overtake them. Sometimes, we’re just not aware of it when it happens.
So let’s look at the situation with Jacob’s sons and how they dealt with the rape of their sister. What does the Torah say about how to handle the rape of a young woman who is not someone’s wife or engaged?
Deuteronomy 22:28-29
“If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.
Remember, people of Jacob’s time were under the Noachide laws. Yet Shechem and Hamor were going above and beyond the cure the Torah demands. They were trying to make the situation right! Yet instead of trusting God, Levi and Simeon substituted The L-RD’s justice for their own, because they allowed anger to rule them, rather than the Spirit of The L-RD.
That is really what is at issue here. Retribution and revenge arise from a core emotion of anger. How are we to deal with our anger? Can allowing anger to rule us solve anything? Let’s look at what we are told in the book of:
James 1: 20
Your anger can never make things right in God’s sight.
Soak that in. Indulging our anger can never make things right in God’s sight. Never! Ultimately, this is a problem of serving our own desires, rather than serving God.
Did Jacob’s sons know what they ought to do? Yes. The Noachide laws include prohibitions against murder and falsehood, and a command to set up courts to deal with those such as Shechem.
Tags: English saddles, Torah, Va Yishlah