Sin was well established by this time in the history of mankind and there was one thing that had become apparent, it could spread like wildfire, if not kept in check! This is something that is certainly still true today and we only need to listen to the news to hear the devastating results of evil being repaid for evil both domestically, politically and world wide. Sin is rampant in the form of all kinds of abuse, violence, murder and greed.
Jacob had brought his family to the Promised Land but had not settled in Bethel where God wanted them to be but instead chose the city of Shechem —a city with an ungodly influence! The first thing we learn from the events that follow, is that it is important to listen to and follow all of God's instructions!
Very low morals existed in this part of Canaan and it seems that perhaps Jacob had neglected to ensure his daughters were well supervised. Dinah was only a teenager and did not see the dangers ahead of her. She wanted to mingle with the people where she lived and her naivety led her into trouble!
"Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this young woman as a wife."
And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came. Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, a thing which ought not to be done. But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it."
Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife."
But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. And they said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone."
And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son. So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father. And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: "These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us."
And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city. Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I." But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?""
Genesis 34:1-31 NKJV
Culturally, Dinah's brothers had a strong sense of responsibility to protect and defend their sister. Unfortunately their righteous anger eventually goes too far! It is always important to keep our anger in check:
""Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil."
Ephesians 4:26-27 NKJV
When approached by Hamor and Shechem with a proposal of marriage after Dinah was violated, alarm bells should have been ringing for Jacob. Irresponsible intermarriage with these Canaanite people was not part of God's plan for His special covenant family.
Hamor and Shechem were prepared to pay any price and ended up agreeing to have all the males of their city circumcised. This was a potentially dangerous and very painful procedure but in order to secure the deal to receive the daughters from Jacob's family in marriage, they were willing to pay the price! What they didn't know, was that Simeon and Levi were about to take advantage of their 'post surgery' weakness, taking their swords and killing every man then plundering the city, taking the women and children as slaves!
This response went far beyond what could have been termed as defending their sister's honour! Their actions were violent and deceptive, evil and excessive with every intention! Sadly, Jacob's response to his son's actions was only based on his concern for his own welfare as he feared retribution against his family. This crime had left Jacob's family in quite a mess as one sin led to another and spread like flames gathering to become a devastating fire!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
It was hard to read the beginning of this story without feeling that justice must be done but help me to always remember how one sin can easily lead to another and I should not take matters into my own hands. May I remember Your Word:
"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord."
Romans 12:19 NKJV
Thank You for teaching me through these recorded events in the history of Your people. I imagine this particular event would have grieved You greatly as do all of the ways that people fall into temptation and cause harm to each other.
Thank You that Jesus died and took all of my sins, taking my punishment on the Cross. I am so blessed to know that by Your grace, You have forgiven my sins and have cleansed me from all unrighteousness! Lead me by Your Holy Spirit today, that my thoughts, words and actions would bring glory to Your Name.
Amen.
"For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see."
Psalms 36:9 NLT
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Light and Life for Today
SpiritualA daily devotional for your time alone with God. In an increasingly dark world, more than ever, we need to look beyond what we can see, past our present circumstances. In order to see the light and experience life as our Heavenly Father intended, I...
