Yitro
Exodus 18:1-20:26
Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6
It is one thing to proclaim law; it is quite another to enforce it equitably. Since the beginning of time, officials issued statutes that appeared to be democratic, humane and just but were often disregarded with impunity. For example, the modern period provides too many illustrations of governments that created grandiose, democratic-sounding laws that were, in practice, despotic, tyrannical and cruel.
The effectiveness of law is not only how just and impartial it appears to be, but also how carefully it is enforced, especially when leaders violate the very rules everyone is expected to obey. Yitro, this week’s Torah portion, presents an opportunity to examine several of the Ten Commandments juxtaposed with two later instances in which leaders were called to account for their blatant violation of them.
The violation of the commandments against murder, bearing false witness and coveting a neighbor’s wife or property (Exodus 20:13-14) by King David and King Ahab serve as illustrations that those responsible for enforcing the law must not be above it; every citizen must be treated equally.
The better known of the two accounts is that of King David, in which the beautiful young Batsheva yielded to the king’s sexual advances. When David learned she was pregnant, he compounded his sins of coveting and adultery with an even greater violation of the law — the sin of murder.
David wrote to Joab, his trusted general and magistrate, and requested that Uriah the Hittite, husband of Batsheva, be placed in the most vulnerable front-line battle position. When Uriah was killed, David married his widow. But the evil deed did not go unnoticed. Nathan, the prophet came to David and told him a parable:
“There were two men in the same city, one rich and one poor. The rich man had very large flocks and herds, but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought. He tended it, and it grew up together with him and his children; it used to share his morsel of bread, drink from his cup, and nestle in his bosom; it was like a daughter to him. One day, a traveler came to the rich man, but he was loath to take anything from his own flocks or herds to prepare a meal for the guest who had come to him; so he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.
“David flew into a rage against the man, and said to Nathan, ‘As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!’ Nathan turned to David and said, ‘Ahtah haish. Thou art the man!'” (II Samuel 12:1-7, paraphrase)
A remorseful David suffered recurring nightmares and was not able to find peace for the rest of his life.
Comparable to the shameful account of King David and Batsheva is that of King Ahab and Jezebel. In this shocking chronicle, Naboth, whose prosperous vineyards, planted on patrimonial property adjoining the royal compound in Jezreel, was an upright, pious man known for his devotion to God by his fastidiously prepared festival pilgrimage offerings. However, King Ahab coveted Naboth’s property and offered a rich sum for their purchase. When Naboth declined because the land had been occupied by generations of his ancestors, Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, took it upon herself to help her husband.
Jezebel wrote to the village elders demanding that Naboth be charged by two witnesses (Deut. 17:6, 19:15) with cursing God and the king (Exodus 22:28). Although the charges were false, Naboth was accused, found guilty and stoned to death by the villagers(Lev. 24:16; Deut 17:2-7).
Upon learning of Naboth’s death, Ahab hurried to confiscate Naboth’s property. On the way he encountered the prophet Elijah, who questioned the sinful king:
“Why are you in such a hurry O king? God asks, ‘Would you murder for the purpose of taking possession of the victim’s property?’ You have done what is evil in God’s sight. You have used your royal station to murder and steal. You have broken the Law and nothing shall save you from retribution. Your blood will be spilled on the very spot where Naboth was murdered. Your male issue will wither and die and Jezebel shall be devoured by beasts in this very field of Jezreel” (I Kings 21:19-23).
These illustrations of royal wrongdoing emphasize the principle that no one — king or commoner, rich or poor person, native born or alien — is above the law. Over and above its ethical instruction, this recognition demonstrates the true greatness of the Ten Commandments.