Jacob took so much care to arrange his camp for maximum protection from Esau. He even went back to make sure no object was left behind on the other side of the Jabbok stream. Why, then, would he not recognize the danger to Dinah in Shechem?
Oddly, Dinah is missing in the meeting with Esau. Tradition says that Jacob hid her from Esau so that he would not want to take her in marriage. Leah and Rachel were thought to be twins as Esau and Jacob. According to the midrash, Esau was supposed to marry Leah, but instead took idolatrous Canaanite wives. Regardless, the sons appear with their mothers, yet Dinah is missing, presumably hidden from the lustful Esau. Next, Dinah is raped at Shechem where Jacob purchased a field.
Why didn’t the Holy One protect Dinah? This is a question often asked when bad things happen to good people in a fallen world. The real question is, “Why didn’t Leah, Jacob, and her brothers protect Dinah?” As with sending seventeen-year-old Joseph alone to seek his hostile brothers in far-away Shechem, Jacob’s lack of attention draws attention!
This is so human of Jacob. And maybe this is what we all fear, our own fallibility as human beings. We can have glorious triumphs, then fail miserably in the next breath or oversight. We should fear this...for it makes us more vigilant...yet we shouldn’t fear that the Father can’t help us through Jacob’s troubles.
If Jacob was congratulating himself on concealing Dinah from Esav’s lustful eyes, then how did he feel when she was violated and captured by an uncircumcised Hivite? Perhaps the answer is that Dinah did not deserve to be erased from the meeting. Neither should she have been left alone with the idolatrous Shechemites. Sometimes we fear the wrong things. Sometimes a great spiritual victory "in the world" is followed by a miserable failure at home.
Not finding the balance with his daughter's care brought on one of Jacob’s grievous troubles...which led to another trouble with Shimon and Levi. Jacob oddly encounters trouble after trouble AFTER he crosses into the land of his fathers.
The sages note something in the narrative. Jacob delayed to fulfill his vow to bring tithes back to Beth-El. The Torah emphasizes the importance of paying a vow without delay. Yeshua and his half-brother James (Yaakov) emphasize the DANGER inherent in not paying a vow.
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But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes' or ‘No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil. (Shem Tov Mt 5:37)
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But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment. (Ja 5:12)
Where does this ominous sense of “judgment” and “evil” come from? In Temple times, paying a vow “without delay” was timed to occur on the three pilgrimage feasts. Ultimately, it wasn’t Esau who brought harm to Dinah. It was Jacob’s lack of attention to the “feasts.” (refer to last two weeks' newsletters) The more blessings, the harder it is to protect them. Our own carelessness or inattention can be equally as damaging as a known danger such as Esau.
The sages say that Jacob’s trouble with Dinah and Shechem came about precisely because of what Yeshua and his brother Yaakov warn their listeners. Judgment and evil came upon Jacob because he didn’t bring the flocks to Beth-El and pay his vow of a tenth quickly. Protection is within the agreement. Breaking or delaying to fulfill the agreement is a choice to walk unprotected and to need the mercy of Adonai.
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Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.' (Ge 28:20-22)
Adonai kept His part of the bargain, down to allowing Jacob to return in safety. The door is open for Jacob to pay his tenth of the flocks and return to his father’s house, yet he essentially circles the airport, delaying in Shechem where Dinah will be raped and later, Joseph kidnapped and sold. The Jewish sages comment concerning these events:
- Whoever delays the fulfillment of his vows causes his record to be examined in Heaven.
This explains Yeshua’s “evil” caution and James’ “judgment” caution. There is a Heavenly court. The court systems commanded upon human beings reflect this reality above. While we may not like legal systems, their establishment and their obligation to function in fairness and truth is an aspect of Divine judgment and authority.
A contractual obligation becomes binding, whether enforced through an earthly court, or in Temple times, a sacred vow was processed through the Temple system. In Acts, those who had taken a nazirite vow had to notify Temple authorities of its completion. There was human oversight.
When one takes a vow directly before Heaven’s court and angels as Jacob did at Beth-El, there is no human judge or Temple court who can judge the individual situation and suggest leniency due to extenuating circumstances. Yeshua’s context suggests that the same legal principles apply to the Heavenly court. From the beatitudes in Hebrew Matthew, Shem Tov translated English version 5:33-37:
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Again you have heard what was said to those of long ago: you shall not swear by My name falsely, but you shall return to the Lord your oath.
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But [And] I say to you not to swear in vain in any matter, neither by heaven because it is the throne of God, nor by earth because it is the footstool of His feet, nor by Jerusalem because it is the city of God,
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Nor by your head, for you are not able to make one hair white or black.
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But let your words be yes, yes, or no, no. Everything in addition to this is evil.
Jacob’s location at Beth-El, the House of God, when he took his oath connected him with the gates of heaven, the throne, earth, Jerusalem, and even his head, which he placed on the stone that he anointed. He swears upon the things Yeshua specifically says not to!
The context of taking the Name YHVH in vain is a legal one. In Jewish understanding, it means to take a false oath, in other words, to give false testimony in a legal matter. Yeshua first cites the Jewish understanding of Exodus 20:7:
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You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Do not swear falsely in a human court. Yeshua then uses “and” to clarify and extend it to an oath taken before the Heavenly court, or literally “in Heaven,” b’shamayim: “And I say to you not to swear in vain in any matter, neither by heaven (b’shamayim) because it is the throne of God, nor by your head, for you are not able to make one hair white or black.”
Yeshua is not saying we should never testify in court under oath. This would be contrary to the commandment. The confusing translation in English texts is “but”: ”But I say unto you...” as if Yeshua is changing the commandments. In the extant Hebrew text of Matthew's Gospel, the letter is vav, which in some cases may mean “but,” but in most cases means “and.” So Yeshua is saying, “AND I say unto you...” Veh ani omer lachem...
In fact, Chapter Five of Matthew, the beatitudes, follows this pattern. Verses 17 & 18 assure the disciples that Yeshua did not come to annul the Torah, but to fulfill it (le’hishalem). His statements are clarifications, not annulments. The “but” statements in the original language were likely “and” statements, which changes the perception that Yeshua was fundamentally changing the ancient words. Only in a couple of cases do we read aval, or “but” in the beatitudes. One of these is verse 37. Let’s see what may be going on in context that sheds light on Jacob’s vow:
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Again you have heard what was said to those of long ago: You shall not swear by My Name falsely, but you shall return to the Lord your oath. And I say to you not to swear in vain in any matter, neither by heaven because it is the throne of God, nor by your head, for you are not able to make one hair white or black. But let your words be yes yes or no no. Everything in addition to this is evil. (33-37)
Yeshua warns his disciples that taking an oath independently of oversight is dangerous, for one is making an appearance before a Heavenly court and before the Throne. Therefore, if it is important not to testify falsely before a human court and judge, then how much more important not to presumptuously swear falsely before the Heavenly court? This is why delays become dangerous. If one experiences hardship in paying a vow to the Temple, then a Temple judge/court can show mercy and extend the terms.
If one vows to a Heavenly court, then even Yeshua says it is dangerous! Evil and judgment can follow an inattentive slow-payer.
We see the double principle extensively in the TANAKH. Even a call, one in which a person is chosen for a task, may begin with “Abraham, Abraham,” followed by the agreement to consecrate Isaac. Or ”Moses, Moses,” followed by the agreement made at the burning bush where Moses would return the flock of Israel to receive the Torah. The usual response is “Hineni,” or “Here I am.” I am available for the execution of the agreement. Jeremiah 32:1-16 suggests that doubling a text, i.e., writing two copies of a deed and sealing with a signet ring are part of the legal process. In the Hebrew Matthew, Yeshua clarifies using the Scriptural double principle of legal agreements…
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But let your words be yes, yes, or no, no. Everything in addition to this is evil.
In other words, use the legal system or counsel, which can identify a foolish vow and caution you against it. In Torah law, underage daughters or wives may have vows overruled by fathers or husbands. Without oversight, men may be more presumptuous in their vows and promises, shunning legal counsel and wise oversight, then enter into an agreement with Heaven which they may forget or become slow to keep.
This invokes the record-examination in the Heavenly court, which may open the door to evil until the person pays the vow, such as Jacob finally did when he returned to Beth-El. In fact, Adonai had to remind him! If the Holy One Himself issues an invitation to an agreement with the double legal summons, it is safer than a human initiating it with Heaven. The Holy One guarantees safety and assuages fear when the task becomes frightening.
Jacob even added a foolish vow that brought about the death of his beloved Rachel. It’s what we don’t know that should give us pause before swearing an oath or making a promise we may not be willing or able to keep. Take counsel. Take your time. Keep it simple. Don't add unnecessary words to your answers or intentions. Then keep your promises. There's trouble enough walking as the House of Jacob without adding words that leave us exposed to more. Paul and Yaakov show us how:
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...you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.' (Ja 4:15)
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but taking leave of them and saying, 'I will return to you again if God wills,' he set sail from Ephesus. (Ac 18:21)
