Day five 16 days - Weaponised

Numerous times in the Bible we see sexual violence used as a weapon of war. Women are taken as spoils of war and it's hands down one of those most uncomfortable things to read in there. One of the passages which deals with this is Deuteronomy 22:10-14. It first reads as legalising the rape of women taken captive in war. Women taken captive were to be brought into the house of the captor, then married after a month. 

As abhorrent as it is to us in this era, taken in the context of the time it was revolutionary. Women were possessions (to man, not God), pawns in war, family and estate. In this scripture, men were forced to humanise the women they encountered and treat them as wives, given time to grieve, then married honourably. If they changed their minds, they couldn't be sold as slaves, only divorced as a wife with the onus being on the man as the one who dishonoured her.

As with many of these ancient directives, this was a confronting law made to curb the sexual violence that came with war. It was an attempt in that ancient context to protect women. I'm not saying this is ok, reading some of these texts often makes me shrivel inside to think of the women at those times, but I do believe the message of the Bible when it comes to women is one of progress and tipping the tables so to speak on the prevailing narratives of the time.

Progress has been slow even in our modern times. It wasn't until 2008 for example that the UN recognised rape as a war crime. The past few years has seen weaponised rape catapulted into the news. In the Ukraine war it was one of the first reports we started to see as stories emerged from the front line. In Israel just last month, rape was prolific and even flaunted to the victims families. Women and children have subsequently been disproportionately impacted by the ensuing war in Gaza with further accounts of sexual assault. The scenes from these past weeks won't be easily forgotten by anyone and nor should they be.

The helplessness we might feel can become overwhelming. The sheer mountain of suffering happening right now is beyond comprehension. I know of no other way to gain any kind of peace than through prayer. Writing helps to order my thoughts, activism gives me some sense of purpose but handing it over is the only real relief. On my arm is this tattoo...



Psalm 61:2 and Micah 6:8. Justice and mercy as directed in Micah are my motivation. Knowing to go to the rock when I am overwhelmed is my safeguard in Psalms. There's no way any of us can carry all of this alone.

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