Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You have had an excellent weekend so far and that You are looking forward to the week ahead.
This week I would ask You to kindly focus Your minds on the women who are abused.
1 in 5 adults experience Domestic Abuse during their lifetime. This equates to: 1 in 4 womenand 1 in 6-7 men. The police recorded 1,500,369 domestic abuse-related incidents and crimes in England and Wales in the year ending March 2022. The number of domestic abuse-related crimes increased 7.7% compared to the previous year. Women are more likely to experience repeat victimisation, be physically injured or killed and experience sexual violence.
In the Bible, all violence is considered an offence against God and against humanity. Scripture is full of condemnations of violence – time and again violence is associated with wickedness and condemned as “detestable to the Lord” (Psalm 11, Proverbs 3 & 10). In particular, violence against women is condemned. In Jewish law, rape was viewed as equivalent to murder (Deut 22:26), as was pressuring a woman physically (Deut 22:25–27) or psychologically (Deut 22:28–29) into sex. The Bible recounts many stories of the horrific sexual abuse of women. In Old Testament narratives, rape is viewed as an “outrage” (nebalah) – a term which only occurs 13 times in the Old Testament and is reserved for extreme acts of violation against God and human beings, including the rapes of Dinah, Tamar, and the woman of Bethlehem .We never see the word ‘abuse’, but the term ‘oppression’ (meaning crushing or burdening someone by the abuse of power or authority) is everywhere. The Psalms in particular portray oppression in a manner that echoes the way abuse survivors describe their abuser:
“His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.” Psalm 10
God is on the side of the oppressed and abused (Psalm 56). The scriptures clearly express God’s desire for a dramatic transformation of society for those who are burdened, marginalised, or unjustly treated (Luke 4:18-21; Proverbs 14:31; Matthew 9:13; Mark 3:4-5). Jesus refuses to play by the rules of violence and power (Isaiah 42:3, Matthew 26:52, Mark 10:41-45). This new revolution – modelled by Jesus himself – means that the powerful should give up their privilege to the vulnerable, the abuser should stop using violence against those powerless to resist, and the institution should stop ignoring the trauma of the abuse survivor. The way of Jesus calls us to relationships of non-violence and peace. We are to resist using violence even in retaliation for violence used against us (Luke 6:29). This does not mean a capitulation to the inevitability of violence, but the promise of a day when those who continue to pursue violence will be dealt with (Romans 12:17-19; Revelation 22:12-15).
Have another positive week. God Bless You all.
Praise to you, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, source of all consolation and hope. By your Son’s dying and rising He remains our light in every darkness, our strength in every weakness. Be the refuge and guardian of all who suffer from abuse and violence. Comfort them and send healing for their wounds of body, soul and spirit. Rescue them from bitterness and shame and refresh them with your love. Heal the brokenness in all victims of abuse and revive the spirits of all who lament this sin. Help us to follow Jesus in drawing good from evil, life from death. Make us one with you in your love for justice as we deepen our respect for the dignity of every human life. Giver of peace, make us one in celebrating your praise, both now and for ever. Amen.
