Reeling from Revenge

Day 9: Genesis 32-35

What can I say about this reading today? A lot happened. Esau forgives Jacob. Jacob wrestles with God and God changes his name to Israel. Shechem rapes Jacob’s daughter Dinah and so Simeon and Levi seek revenge on Shechem and his family. Rachel dies in childbirth. Jacob returns back to the land of Abraham and Isaac.

If we look at all these stories together, I’m mostly struck by the contrast between Esau and Jacob’s two sons (Simeon and Levi). Both men were angry and wanted revenge. When Jacob stole Esau’s birthright and the blessing, Esau even vowed to kill Jacob. When Dinah was raped and deviled, the whole family was upset. But with time (at least 14 years), Esau’s bitterness dissipated so that when he meets Jacob on the road, he embraces him. He no longer wants to kill Jacob. The brothers, though, don’t have time on their side. They seek revenge right then and kill hundreds of men as a result. They even loot the town and take the women and children as their own. Jacob condemns their actions and curses them as he is dying. And if I’m recalling correctly, their descendants don’t inherit the part of the Promised Land promised to them. They have to suffer major consequences as a result of their actions. And Esau, because he does not seek revenge, doesn’t suffer.

Here you have two instances with different results. If Simeon and Levi hadn’t taken revenge into their own hands, they would have been blessed. Another reminder not to play God. Not to dole out justice as we see fit and instead let the Lord take care of it for us. God sure has emphasized this idea a lot in my reading so far. I guess this is a lesson that God really wants me to learn.

I do wonder a bit about the application of this chapter for me. I have never been wronged the way Esau or Dinah had been wronged, so I cannot know what it's like to want someone dead. I'm sure if I had ever been raped, I would want revenge. But for someone who has "lesser" evils done to her, I still typically don't want someone harmed or punished as a result. I just try to ignore it and move on. But I can learn more about the practice forgiveness. Forgiving others. Forgiving myself. And expressing my feelings to God rather than trying to deal with them myself.