Reading between the Lines: Dinah & Tamar

This week on Reading between the Lines, we are learning more about the stories of Dinah and Tamar.

 

These stories are hard. They remind us that life in ancient Mesopotamia was violent. Families united against family, sometimes resulting in fighting, sometimes resulting in death. The use of force, especially against women was common. Women did not have full authority to approve or deny who they would marry. These stories grate against most of our understanding of how the world should work, this sounds so different from how we treat one another now.

 

But, my friends, we know this story also tells us some truths about how little progress we have made in how we treat one another. Violence and sexual violence against women still occurs and is still a method of warfare. Countries are still seeking to have more land and more resources, invading another area once they have the strength they need. Families still have generations-long feuds with one another, that though they are not as violent as what happened in Shechem in these stories, are still passed on through the generations.

 

In the midst of a portion of scripture that tends to focus on the patriarchs of our faith, the stories of these two women were recorded and discerned to be integral to the entire story of God’s people that they have remained part of scripture. They are reminders of how power and control can quickly cause us to harm others, when we exploit them for our own gains and desires. May their stories call us back to who God has called us to be - co-workers seeking to restore peace and wholeness in the world.

 

CW: infertility, rape/sexual violence, and genocide