OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

                                      History Repeats Itself (2010) (12" x 12" x 1.5")

It is intriguing to contemplate the times that OT events seem to recur several times, often within the same families. Thus, we have the well recognized cases of (in no particular order):

    both Abraham and his son Isaac trying to pass off their wives as their sisters in order not to put themselves in harm's way of a ruler's wrath;

    Jacob resorting to trickery;

    two patriarchs finding brides at a well (illustrated in the above collage)

    the many times the older child is overlooked in favor of a younger one when it comes time to inheriting from their father;

    mere humans hoping to rival God in power;

    the disobedience of the Israelites in the wilderness;

    the constant lure of idol worship;

    two instances of attempted homosexual gang rape;

    children disappointing or rebelling against their parents;

    the three irregular couplings in the lineage of Jesus involving, respectively, Tamar (with her father-in-law, Judah), Rahab (a foreign prostitute), and Bathsheba (through an adulterous relationship);

    God bringing children to barren women;

    repeated unsuccessful attempts by Satan to cast blame on or mislead God's chosen; and

    foreign leaders relying on the prophetic skills of Jewish prophets.

I am sure there are many more, but I would just like to point out another example that is not as widely cited in this regard. That is the similarity between the respective stories of Jacob's daughter Dinah (Genesis 34) and David's daughter Tamar (II Samuel 13). On the surface, it would appear as if these represent two quite different situations since Dinah was loved by her seducer while Tamar is totally rejected by hers. But the similarities outweigh this fact. We can see this if we compare the two narratives side by side.

    I may be mistaken, but I believe I am correct in stating that these two women are the only daughters mentioned by name for their respective fathers.

Both stray outside the boundaries set at the time for young unaccompanied marriageable women. Dinah is the most to blame of the two since she makes it a habit to go alone into Hivite territory where the ruler's son Shechem sees her. Tamar only agrees to be alone with the supposedly ailing Amnon when he refuses to eat unless it is from her own hand.

    Both sexual unions were strictly forbidden by the laws and customs of the times since (1) the Hivite prince was a Gentile and Dinah was a Jew and (2) Amnon was Tamar's half-sister.

    The women's respective fathers refuse to take any action to redress the harm done, Jacob for fear of the Hivites and David because Amnon was his firstborn son.

    Therefore, the blood brothers of these women (Simeon and Levi for Dinah and Absalom for Tamar) decide to take justice into their own hands.

    Rather than taking action directly and immediately against the offenders, the brothers decide to resort to trickery instead. Thus, Simeon and Levi seemingly agree to the marriage proposal made by Shechem but stipulate that the Hivites must become circumcised first. The brothers then take the opportunity to kill all of the tribe while they are still recuperating from the operation.

In the case of Absalom, he bides his time until his half-brother is not on his guard anymore and invites him to a banquet attended by David's other sons. When Amnon is incapacitated with wine, Absalom's servants strike him down.

    Both fathers react violently when they hear of these treacheries. David tears his garments in grief, and Jacob chastises his sons for possibly jeopardizing the tribe's safety.

    The fallout from these examples of revenge is far-reaching in each case. The oldest son Reuben had already been eliminated as Jacob's heir due to his sinful actions. Then, because of Simeon and Levi's sinful deed, the chosen position fell to the next in line, Judah (see Genesis 49:5-7). And Jesus would come from that tribe.

A similar consequence resulted from Absalom's treachery in that he was exiled and subsequently murdered so that Solomon, another person in Jesus' line, came to power.

This common phenomenon of repeating patterns within the Bible first leads the reader to a sense of deja vu, which upon further reflection confirms the truth that all history is under the firm control of God.