Jacob
said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me.” (Genesis 34:30)
This
is one of the R-Rated stories of the
Bible. Jacob’s daughter Dinah was raped by Shechem, son of the local chieftain.
To make things worse, Shechem’s townspeople thought they would use this crime
to their advantage and cheat Jacob out of his livestock and property (how’s
that for depraved?). When Dinah’s brothers heard about the attack, they hatched
a plan to avenge her. When the dust had settled, Shechem and his fellow
citizens were dead.
Jacob
panicked. What have you done? What if the
other towns of this land join forces against us? We’ll be destroyed!
Three
days ago we read about a dispute involving Jacob’s father Isaac. He chose the
non-confrontational route when some Philistine hotheads plugged up his wells.
There’s something to be said for diplomacy and allowing cooler heads to
prevail. It sounds like Jacob would also have preferred avoiding confrontation.
But now it was too late. His children’s impulsive reaction could not be taken
back.
When
the enemy is bigger and stronger, it’s usually wise to tactfully negotiate a
settlement that doesn’t include getting your butt kicked. But sometimes the
most important question is not, What are
my odds? Sometimes the principles are important enough that someone has to
stand up for what’s right. Is it possible there are times when it’s better to
go down fighting than to compromise?
When
is diplomacy the best path? When is confrontation necessary?
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