It’s a question that echoes through the stories of our ancestors, a question of faith, fear, and the unseen hand of providence. : Isaac and Jacob, their families growing, their presence increasingly noticeable in the land of Canaan. Naturally, the local kings were getting nervous. Should they attack? Should they try to wipe out these newcomers before they became too strong? They gathered their advisors, these kings, ready to make a decision that could change everything.
But here's where the story takes a fascinating turn. According to Legends of the Jews, that monumental collection of Jewish folklore and biblical commentary compiled by Louis Ginzberg, God Himself intervened. He heard the prayers of Isaac and Jacob, and what did He do? He didn't send an army of angels. He didn't strike down the Canaanites with lightning. Instead, He filled the hearts of the Canaanite kings' advisors with fear.
Imagine that scene. These advisors, hardened veterans, seasoned politicians, suddenly gripped by an overwhelming sense of dread. The text says “great fear and terror.” When the kings asked for their counsel, the advisors practically begged them to reconsider.
"Are you silly?" they asked, according to the legend. "Is there no understanding in you, that you propose to fight with the Hebrews? Why do you take delight in your own destruction this day?" It’s almost comical, this sudden reversal.
And then they reminded their kings of a particularly gruesome event. "Behold," they said, "two of them came to the city of Shechem without fear or terror, and they put all the inhabitants of the city to the sword, no man stood up against them, and how will you be able to fight with them all?" They were referring, of course, to Simeon and Levi's devastating response to the rape of their sister Dinah (Genesis 34).
It's a brutal story, but it highlights a crucial point. The advisors weren't just afraid of the Hebrews' military might (which, let’s face it, was limited at that point). They were afraid of something more. They sensed a power, a force, a divine protection surrounding Jacob and his sons. They recognized that these Hebrews weren't just another tribe to be conquered.
So, what are we left with? A powerful image of divine intervention, not through brute force, but through the subtle manipulation of fear. A reminder that sometimes, the greatest battles are won not on the battlefield, but in the hearts and minds of our adversaries. And a lingering question: How often are we, too, guided by unseen forces, influenced by fears and anxieties that we don't fully understand? Perhaps more than we realize.