Cruelty and Violence

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

CRUELTY AND VIOLENCE

Gen 49:5-7

5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers — their swords are weapons of violence. 6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. 7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

NIV

Jacob said Simeon and Levi were cruel brothers, men of wrath and Jacob would scatter them in Israel. At first sight, we would think their anger and cruel actions were righteous indignation for the act against their sister, Dinah with their destruction of Shechem, killing every male after they plotted by having them agree to be circumcised. Adult males were in such pain they could not defend themselves and Simeon and Levi did cruel acts of violence and carried off all the women and children. Jacob prophesied their part in Israel would be the least of all. When the numbering of each tribe Simeon was the smallest number and only allotted a portion of Judah’s land, while Levi had no land but only some cities were given to him. Violence, but more so, cruelty has no place in the kingdom of God. We would think there would never be any violence within the body of Christ, the church, but we cannot put out the possibility of cruelty existing within the church. Of course, nothing like the actions of physical cruelty of Simeon and Levi, but mental or spiritual cruelty might exist in the church. We also know that anyone who would be like that is not someone we would want to take counsel from or garner advice in spiritual matters, as well as human matters. The question is what this cruelty in the church would look like. First, it could be from the pulpit, if the pastor is teaching false doctrine. This is not just cruel but might be seen as violence against the truth of God. Then, as unfortunate as it is, we have witnessed cruel behavior with the formation of cliques where someone is excluded and feels the pain of rejection. We have witnessed other acts of cruel behavior of gossip, that may or may not be founded on any firsthand knowledge of truth. This too is violence against the truth. It might even be possible that self-centeredness, jealousy, envy, pridefulness, and other attitudes of the heart are in some way violence against the truth and perhaps acts of self-cruelty.  Jesus said we are to love one another, as he has loved us, as well as love others as we love ourselves. Love is not compatible with cruelty or violence. Let love reign in our hearts and we will have a place in the kingdom of God.