We are done with our series of reflections on a cure for hostility. This time, as we turn our attention to Genesis chapter 34, an unusual story happened in Jacob's family. This is more of a tragedy that happened to an ancient city due to a leader's fault.
Reflecting on the message of the chapter, I gave A City's Death as its title.
When I first shared this message in an English Public Worship in one local church in South Korea, at that time one city in America caught my attention. It was the city of Detroit.
As I checked the current economic status of Detroit, it is good that somehow it is now recovering from its previous collapse. There was a time that Detroit was all over the news when the city declared bankruptcy on 8 July 2013.
As I checked the story behind that collapse, I stumbled upon at least three dominant narratives as to the causes of the crash. The most popular one is that Detroit's bankruptcy was due to the fault of the free market. The city was a victim of free market forces.
Together with the failure of the automobile industry, the second narrative includes other two forces, the combination of which resulted in the city's failure. These are destructive government policies and labor unions.
I like the third version, for here I found the spiritual and moral dimension. The key to understanding the situation of Detroit at that time was to grasp first the reason for its previous prosperity. Explaining the failure as purely the free market's fault does not show us the whole picture. The spiritual and the moral sides must be taken into consideration. God and the keeping of his commandments are central to understanding Detroit's prosperity. And since God's commandments particularly the 8th commandment has been violated in terms of tax increases on businesses and productive individuals and the act of redistributing wealth, bankruptcy is an inescapable result. I hope that after a decade, the proponents of interventionist policies have learned their lesson.
Though our biblical narrative is different from what happened in Detroit ten years ago, we see the same principle that a violation of God's moral laws pays a dear price especially if such violation is committed by a leader. It is not only him that will suffer, but also the people under his leadership. So let us ask this question, what destroys a city, and how it will be prevented?
A city dies under the leadership of abusive politicians who do not have regard for the basic rights of others.
Simeon and Levi, the sons of Jacob, brought this destruction upon an unsuspected city as an act of revenge due to Schechem's violation of their sister, Dinah. The city's destruction though excessive, could be a way of God's judgment upon Hamor, his son, and the city. This does not mean that Simeon and Levi are justified in doing such acts of violence.
The city's destruction took the form of the death of every man, plunder of the city's property, and slavery of women and children. This tragic event occurred due to the abuse of power.
We don't know the position of Shechem in the city. But we know for certain that his father Hamor was the leader of the city. In today's terms, he is the "city's mayor".
Perhaps, Schechem thought that since he was the son of the political leader, he could do whatever he wanted. And so when he saw a beautiful foreign woman, he violated her. In the eyes of Israel, what Schechem did was a great disgrace - "a thing that should not be done" (v. 7).
Though the Ten Commandments were not yet given until the time of Moses, the seventh commandment was naturally implanted in human consciousness. Schechem knew that he was doing a thing not only against Dinah, but also against God, himself, and his people. But his lust for Dinah took control of him which caused him to disregard the standard form of decency. He thought he was above the law, but he was wrong.
A city that has a criminal as its leader will suffer misery. A leader who does not fear God will certainly abuse his power. He does not consider his power as entrusted by God. So instead of using his power for the public good, he makes use of it to take advantage of others.
On the other hand, blessed is the city whose leader fears God. He knows that the authority he has comes from God. And so he exercises his power as intended, to protect the life, liberty, and property of its people. This is his way of giving glory to God as a public servant.
As Christians, we have a responsibility to pray for those in authority for us to live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Timothy 2: 1-2).
A city dies once it is trapped under a deceptive public contract.
After hearing what his son did, Hamor tolerated his son's offense and gave in to his request to get Dinah as his son's wife. And so Hamor came up with a proposal. He proposed to Israel to intermarry with them, settle in their land, do business in it, and acquire property in it.
Jacob's sons responded deceitfully. They said that they would only accept Hamor's proposal on one condition, circumcision of every man.
Both Hamor and Shechem did not suspect anything about the response of Jacob's sons. They favorably accepted it and shared it with their people as good news. They said that Israel was friendly to them and so the men of the city complied with the condition. None of them suspected that the agreement they entered into would bring destruction upon them and their families.
In today's context, many public agreements were promoted promising a good life for the people. Welfare, jobs, and low-cost housing are a few examples of these. People expect that through these programs, their lives will be better. Only to realize later that instead of improving, their standard of living is decreasing. This is because the chosen means are inconsistent with the goal that they want to accomplish.
One lesson I learned from this story is that any policy that is widely promoted and accepted by the people should be carefully examined. As God's people, we should not follow the crowd in accepting a popular message simply because it is good to our ears and appears promising at first sight. We should learn to examine them in the light of God's word.
A city dies once life, freedom, and property are trampled.
And so we conclude the story. Hamor assured his people that Israel was friendly. Instead, the people of the city reaped Israel's hostility. Hamor also promised the people that Israel's property would be theirs. Instead, Israel plundered their property. And so the people who believed in the deceptive promises of a corrupt leader ended in death, poverty, and slavery. Their life, freedom, and property were taken away from them.
I wonder how many Christians today read public policy. Try reading them and examining their content. And then assess their content in the light of God's word. If you find a policy that is consistent with life, freedom, and prosperity, pray for the political leaders advocating it. And pray also that people will understand and embrace it.
On the other hand, if you find policies that are contrary to life, freedom, and prosperity, pray that they will be repealed. Pray that these destructive policies will be replaced with good ones.
Conclusion
A city is destroyed under an abusive political leader who does not have high regard for the rights of others; once it is trapped under a deceptive contract; and once the life, freedom, and property of its people are no longer respected.
On the other hand, a city with a God-fearing leader, whose contracts were honest, and whose life, liberty, and property of its people are respected, such city will thrive and will continue to live in prosperity. Let us pray that God will raise such kind of leaders in our time. And how I wish to see Christian leaders working hard for the shaping of public policy for the glory of God.
The Church is called to be the salt and light of the world. Our saltiness and light do not come from us. They come from our relationship with Jesus. Jesus as our King is wise, powerful, and righteous. He does not abuse his power. He used it wisely and lovingly. He does not give us false or deceptive promises. All his promises were true and reliable. Even though in time, we don't see their fulfillment, it does not mean that Jesus failed us. One thing is sure, Jesus who began a good work in you, is faithful, and he will complete it until his Second Coming.
Jesus gave us life. He also gave us freedom, and He wants us to live life to the full and to use our freedom to serve one another for God's glory.
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