The islanders saw the creature hanging from Sha’ul’s hand and said to one another, “This man must be a murderer. Even though he escaped the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”
Even though the islanders were proven wrong and changed their opinion on Sha’ul, their observation offers a glimpse at their worldview. They believed in a force of nature that acts to bring punishment upon the wicked through humans or all of creation, if need be. The craving for Justice is natural and hints at the innate morality that all peoples share. Part of what makes Messiah’s work so important is that it overturns that natural craving for Justice and turns it against our flesh when we make repentance. When we regret our sins and turn away from them to HaShem, the sins are destroyed and we should work to take life from our fleshly nature by dedicating ourselves, our lives to HaShem. All stumble and stray, but all have the opportunity to become who we truly are when we cleave to our Heavenly Father.
