Nebuchadnezzar and the Lawgiver of Israelites

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:1 View source
Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team ·

, shall we?

The verse "These are the ordinances that you shall place before them" (Exodus 21:1) seems straightforward enough. But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw much more. Shemot Rabbah connects this verse to another: "The might of the King is that He loves justice [mishpat]" (Psalms 99:4).

But what does might have to do with justice? The Midrash (rabbinic commentary) explains that God’s might is most evident when He executes judgment upon idolaters. It’s a display of ultimate power, a cosmic balancing of the scales.

The story of Nebuchadnezzar, the arrogant Babylonian king, illustrates this perfectly. He boasted, "Is this not the great Babylon that I have built by my vast power and for the glory of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:27). Big mistake. God essentially told him, "Hey, pal, that 'vast power' you're so proud of? It's all Mine!"

As we find in (1 (Chronicles 29:1)1), even David recognized this: "Yours, Lord, is the greatness, and the might, and the splendor, and the triumph, and the glory." Everything ultimately belongs to God.

The Shemot Rabbah continues, drawing a parallel between God's love of justice and its importance for the Israelites. God gave the Israelites mishpatim, ordinances, so that when disputes arose, they could come to judgment and make peace. In essence, justice fosters harmony within the community. The text goes on to say: "You established equity [meisharim]" (Psalms 99:4); You established uprightness [yashrut] for Your beloved as, by means of the ordinances that You gave them, when they enter into disputes with one another they come to judgment and make peace.

But what about the idolaters? When will God bring them to justice? The Israelites themselves ask this question! God's answer is striking. He tells them to wait until "their time will arrive to be harvested," alluding to (Isaiah 27:2), "On that day, sing about it: a vineyard of wine."

Think of a vineyard. You don’t pick grapes before they're ripe. God is saying that divine timing is crucial. He waits until the "grapes" of the idolaters' sins are ripe before bringing judgment. Only then will He "stomp" them, as it were. The Midrash uses the imagery of stomping grapes in a winepress, connecting it to the verse "I will cast my shoe at Edom" (Psalms 60:10). It's a powerful, visceral image.

The Shemot Rabbah emphasizes that God is not acting out of immediate fury. He says, "I have no fury," unlike the idolaters who are filled with fury against His children. Instead, He waits patiently, allowing their sins to accumulate, before finally enacting justice. As Rabbi Levi said, "Israel is Mine...Fury is Mine...You become filled with what is Mine against what is Mine."

The Rabbis further explain that if God were to abandon his attribute of justice – if He were to stop being patient – He could destroy them instantly. "If I hone [shanoti] My flashing [berak] sword" (Deuteronomy 32:41). But He doesn't. He continues His general course of judgment, which involves delaying judgment for sinners. "My hand will grasp judgment" (Deuteronomy 32:41).

The Midrash concludes with a powerful message to Israel: Just as God could violate justice but chooses not to, so too should you remain within the bounds of justice. "These are the ordinances [mishpatim]."

So, what does all this mean for us? It’s a reminder that true power isn't about brute force, but about the careful, deliberate application of justice. It’s about patience, timing, and ultimately, about following in God's footsteps by upholding fairness and equity in our own lives. It's a lofty goal, to be sure, but one worth striving for, wouldn't you agree?

Themes

Moses King David Daniel Prophecy Repentance Holy Land Exile Egypt Sinai

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