Nov 19
24
Old Testament Reading: Genesis 34
“Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, ‘Get me this girl for my wife.’ Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done. But Hamor spoke with them, saying, ‘The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.’ Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, ‘Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me for as great a bride-price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.’ The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, ‘We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.’ Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house. So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, ‘These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.’ And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city. On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.’ But they said, ‘Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?’” (Genesis 34, ESV)
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[Please excuse any and all typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.]
Introduction
By now you are familiar with this pattern, for it has been repeated many times in the history of the patriarchs of Israel. As Genesis presents us with the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we will in one moment be greatly encouraged by some positive thing — an act of courage and faith, or the promises of God reiterated to the patriarch once again. But in the next moment we will find ourselves greatly discouraged by some detestable thing — a lack of faith, the patriarchs being driven by fear leading to things like deception and to polygamous marriages in an attempt to bring about the plans and purposes of God through human effort, etc.
It is clear that Moses, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was very concerned to say to physical and spiritual Israel, don’t get the wrong idea about your election. The Lord has set you apart to bless you, not because of your inherent goodness, not because of your superior faithfulness, but by his grace alone and for his glory.
Notice that the same pattern is present here in the story of Jacob and his sons. We were greatly encouraged by the previous passage. Jacob was faithful to flee Laban and to return to the land of Canaan in obedience to the command of God. He was filled with faith and he was responsible. He prayed. He even wrestled with the Lord, and prevailed. The Lord blessed Jacob, giving him the name Israel. The promises of God were reiterated to him. And finally, he was reconciled to his brother Esau. At the end of that story we were greatly encourage to learn that Jacob purchased land in Canaan and there “he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel” (Genesis 33:20, ESV), meaning, “God, the (true) God of Israel.” So the story concluded with Jacob worshipping God in Canaan. But now we come to a very disturbing scene — the defiling a Dinah by Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, and the unjust slaughter of the Hivites by Simeon and Levi, the sons of Jacob.
I have decided to organize this sermon by considering each of the main characters — Dinah, Shechem, Hamor, Jacob and Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi. We will consider the role each of these played in this narrative and make some application.
But before we begin I must say, as we take this approach we must be careful to not loose sight of the main point of this text. Yet again, Genesis is concerned to magnify the grace of God shown to Abraham, Isaac and Israel. God’s grace and God’s faithfulness is the central theme. He was faithful to preserve his people and to keep his promises to them, despise their weakness, failures, and sins.
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I. Dinah
Let us begin by considering this young lady, Dinah, who was the daughter of Jacob, born to Leah.
In verse 1 we read, “Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her” (Genesis 34:1–2, ESV). No clarification is needed here concerning what happened to this young lady. Those who are mature enough to process this subject matter understand the terrible thing that was done to Dinah.
Remember that we were first introduced to Dinah back in Genesis 30:21, where we learned that Leah, after bearing Jacob six sons, also “bore a daughter and called her name Dinah” (Genesis 30:21, ESV). Up to this point in the narrative, Jacob had eleven sons, and one daughter. We will hear the story of the birth of Jacob’s twelfth son, Benjamin, in 35:16 and following.
The fact that Dinah was born to Leah is probably significant. This will become clear later on, but it seems that Jacob had a bad habit of showing favoritism to the children who were born to Rebekah — he loved Joseph and Benjamine more than the rest. The children born to Leah and the two servants may have been neglected a bit.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, parents should be careful to not show favoritism to their children. Each child is a unique gift from the Lord. Each one will have strengths and weakness. Each one is to be loved, instructed and disciplined consistently, equally, and in a way appropriate to their temperament. It may be that Jacob fell short in this regard.]
Dinah was probably 14 or 15 years old when this terrible thing was done to her. We are told that she “went out to see the women of the land…” That is a rather obscure statement. It is hard to know what exactly it entailed. It probably only means that she went out to socialize. If Moses meant to communicate that Dinah was up to no good, that she was a rowdy and rebellious girl, he could have said so. Instead we are given the impression that her actions were innocent.
[APPLICATION: With that said, I think it is also appropriate to make this application for our young people, and especially the young women in our congregation. It is important for you to be aware of your surroundings. It is important for you to be alert and aware of the dangers that exist within the world. Do not be naive. You know what it means to be naive, don’t you? It means to have a lack of experience, wisdom and judgement. A person who is naive puts themselves in dangerous situations and doesn’t know it. A person who is naive trusts those who should not be trusted. Young men and women must develop wisdom and discernment. And how does a person gain wisdom? By fearing God, by knowing his word, and by learning from others who have proven themselves to be wise.
You have heard me make this application many times in this study. I have often said that the Christian should not live on fear. We are to live courageously in the world as we trust in the Lord. But let me clarify something. By that I most certainly do not mean, that we are live foolishly or recklessly in the world. Live courageously! Do not be hindered by fear. But be wise. Be alert to the evil threats that are around you.
“Dinah… went out to see the women of the land.” Somehow she ended up in this very dangerous situation. Was she at all to blame? Was she careless or naive? The text does not say. I think we should judge her to be innocent, therefore. But the story does provide us with an opportunity to say to our young people, and particularly to our young women, be wise. Be careful. Be alert. Do not put yourselves in situations that can spiral out of control.]
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II. Shechem
Secondly, let us now consider this character Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite. This young man was a scoundrel. He was a selfish man, driven by his passions, and lacking in self control.
In verse 2 we read, “And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, ‘Get me this girl for my wife’” (Genesis 34:2–4, ESV).
Whatever we might say about the wisdom or lack thereof in Dinah, the text is clear that Shechem took her by force to lay with her. Nothing can possibly excuse his behavior. It is sin for a man to lay with a women who is not his wife. It is especially sinful for a man to lay with a women without her consent. To lay with someone who is not your spouce is fornication. To lay with someone without their consent — that is, to force yourself upon them — is rape. The scriptures condemn both things, but rape is an especially heinous sin, for it involves a victim.
The law of Moses says, “But if in the open country a man meets a young woman who is betrothed, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. But you shall do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no offense punishable by death. For this case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor, because he met her in the open country, and though the betrothed young woman cried for help there was no one to rescue her” (Deuteronomy 22:25–29, ESV).
Shechem was clearly driven by his passions. By that I mean that he was controlled by his desires. Instead of controlling his desires, he allowed his desires to control him. He was attracted to Dinah. He wanted to have her as wife. And there is nothing wrong with that! But he allowed the natural attraction that he felt for her to burn out of control. He lusted after her. He obsessed over her. He allowed his cravings for her to run about unchecked and unchallenged within his heart until he did the unthinkable thing of taking her by force.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, how important it is for us to develop self control. To develop self control is to develop the ability to rule over our thoughts, appetites, and actions. I’m afraid that when many think of self control they think only of learning to control actions, that is, the things that we say or do. Of course the person who has self control does have control over their words and deeds, but it is important that we also learn to control our inner life — our thoughts and passions. The things that go on inside of us are not beyond our control. When I say that we must learn to control our thoughts and passions, I mean that we must bring them into conformity to God’s law to make them subject to Christ.
Christian are to think pure thoughts. They are to dwell upon what is pure and true. They must, by the power of the Holy Spirit, “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV). Paul exhorts the Christian concerning their thought life with these words: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8, ESV). I wonder, have you learned to control your thoughts?Have you learned to test them with scripture to see if they are true? Have you learned to put away that which is false and filthy from your thoughts, and to think about things that are pleasing to the Lord?
Christians are also to rule over their passions. To have passion is to be drawn to something, or repulsed by it. All humans have passions. We look at the world around us, we consider things to be either good or evil, lovely or repulsive, and then our passions either draw us to that thing, or drive us from it. The trouble is that our passions have also been distorted by sin. Instead of being drawn to that which is truly good, lovely and pleasing to God, sometimes we are drawn to that which is evil. Conversely, instead of being repulsed by that which is evil, we are sometimes drawn to it. This is why Paul says, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5, ESV). Notice that he commands us to put to death, not only evil behavior, but evil passions and desires along with the sin of covetousness, which is a sin of the heart.]
This man Shechem was driven (controlled) by his passions, which were inclined to evil. May it not be said of us. Instead, we are to be self controlled, for “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22–23, ESV).
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III. Hamor
Thirdly, what shall we say of Shechem’s father, Hamor?
Well, I get the impression that Hamor spoiled his son by failing to discipline him. His son is portrayed as self absorbed, self serving and reckless. Perhaps Hamor had something to do with this.
Notice that Hamor did not condemn the actions of his son. Quite the opposite, he advocated for his son. Verse 8: “But Hamor spoke with [Jacob and his sons], saying, ‘The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it” (Genesis 34:8–10, ESV). In verse 19 we learn that Shechem’s was “the most honored of all his father’s house” (Genesis 34:19, ESV).
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, we must take care to discipline our children in love and teach them to keep the commandments of the Lord. Proverbs 13:24 famously says, “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Proverbs 13:24, ESV). Disciplining you children is hard work. It requires “diligence”, as the proverb says. The lazy parent fails to discipline in one of two ways. They are either neglagent — refusing to address the sins and shortcomings of their children all together. Or they are harsh — confronting the sins and shortcomings of their children, but carelessly, in anger, and not in love.
Ephesians 6:4 speaks to fathers, saying, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, ESV). Parents, and especially fathers, have this responsibility to discipline their children, to bring them up in the instruction of the Lord. And this they are to do in such a way that their children are not provoked to anger. Hypocrisy in the parent will provoke the child to anger. Harshness in the parent will provoke the child to anger. Unreasonable expectations will provoke the child to anger. Parents, and especially fathers, are called to discipline and instruct their children, as they themselves pursue obedience to Christ, as they model repentance. When the discipline and instruct they are to do so graciously, lovingly, and with great care. One thing they must not do is ignore the sins of their children, allowing them to go unchecked.]
This seems to have been the case with Hamor. His son was self centered and reckless. His father failed to confront his sin, because he was “the most honored of all his father’s house”. If this was the case when Shechem was a young man, I think it is safe to assume that it was also the case when Shechem was a child. “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Proverbs 13:24, ESV).
Not only do we damage our children by failing to discipline and instruct them, we also damage society. Look at the damage and destruction that came upon others as the result of self centered Shechem! Oh, that we would be faithful to discipline and instruct our children for the glory of God, for their good, and for the good of our neighbors.
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IV. Jacob
Fourthly, let us consider Jacob’s role in all of this. The narrative of Genesis gives the impression that Jacob was negligent concerning his daughter and the terrible thing that was done to her.
Remember that Dinah was the daughter of Leah. As I have said before, this theme will develop as the narrative of Genesis progresses — Jacob is characterized as showing favoritism to the children of Rebekah over the children of his other wives — Leah and the two servants.
Did Jacob fail to look after Dinah? Was Jacob negligent by allowing her to go out to visit with the women of the land unattended? Did he fail to protect her from harm by giving her proper guidelines and restrictions? It is hard to know for sure, but all things considered it seems that Jacob is portrayed as one who was cared too little about the well-being of his daughter. Perhaps he was negligent.
When Hamor came to speak with Jacob about the incident, “Jacob held his peace”. This lack of outrage concerning what was done to Dinah seemed to further infuriate his sons, who then took matters into their own hands. After they did what they did, what did Jacob say to them? “Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.’ But they said, ‘Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?’” (Genesis 34:30–31, ESV). Judging by this exchange it seems that Jacob was more interested in preserving his place in the land than standing up against the awful thing that was done to his daughter. This frustrated Simeon and Levi.
I wonder if this episode in Jacob’s life corresponds to the episodes in Abraham and Isaac’s lives wherein they lied about their wives, saying that they were their sisters, in order to preserve their own lives. As you know, their wives — Sarah and Rachael were taken into king’s harrems. Here it seems that Jacob was negligent concerning his daughter, and that being confronted with the wrong that was done to here, he shrunk back out of fear of the people of the land, his numbers being few, and theirs very great.
[APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, let us not be found negligent in any of our duties. Instead, let us be found faithful. It is easy to get distracted in this life and to loose sight of what matters most and of our basic and fundamental responsibilities. Sometimes the things that distract us are good things in and of themselves — work, education, friendship, ministry — but if those good things keep us from fulfilling our basic responsibilities, then they have become a distraction to us. Husbands are responsible to lead and to love their wives. Parents are responsible to raise their children in the Lord, etc. The one who is mature in Christ will learn to juggle life’s many demands without loosing sight of that which is most important, and without neglecting the essential work that the Lord has called them too.
Husbands and wives, make it your aim to be good and godly husbands and wives. This is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t allow other less important pursuits to distract you from fulfilling that calling. Parents, make it your aim to be good and godly parents. This is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t allow other less important pursuits to distract you from fulfilling that calling.
Concerning parenting, it is possible to smother your children. It is possible to be so driven by fear of the unknown that you unreasonably restrain your children and rob them of life experiences that might be useful to their growth in godliness. But it is also possible to be nieve and negligent — to let your children run completely free without warning or restraint. Neither is helpful. Both approaches can be harmful.
Brothers and sisters, let us raise our children and teach them to live in the world but be not of it. Let us teach them wisdom and discernment. Let us provide them with boundaries and restrictions appropriate to their age. But let us also remember that our objective is raise them us so that they might leave the nest and fly on their own.]
Jacob may have been negligent. It is possible that he failed to guide and direct his daughter so that harm befell her. But is also possible that he did all that he could and should as a father. Sometimes bad things happen even when we do everything in our power.
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V. Simeon and Levi
Fifthly and lastly, let us consider the actions of Simeon and Levi, the sons of Jacob. They, like Shechem, showed themselves to be reckless men, driven by their passions, and lacking in self control.
It was right for them to be angry about what was done to their sister Dinah. In fact, it would have been wrong for them to not be angry. The problem is that their anger burned out of control. Their anger, instead of leading them to do right, drove them to do wrong.
[APPLICATION: it is very importiant for us to understand that anger is not necessarily sinful, brothers and sisters. It is right to be angry if we are angry about the right things. Often we are angry about the wrong things, though. And even if we are angry about the right things, we must be careful to not allow our anger to burn out of control.
Consider that God is angry concerning the wickedness in the world, but he does not sin. He perfectly hates that which is evil, and perfectly loves that which is good. Never does his anger burn out of control, but it leads him to act with perfect justice.
Listen also to Ephesians 4:26 which says, “Be angry and do not sin…” Paul here commands the Christian to be angry, but never in a sinful way.
Our anger — even if it is righteous anger towards that which is evil — can burn out of control in one of two ways.
Sometimes our anger is explosive. It may be right for you to be angry at your child for their disrespectful behavior, but never should that anger cause you to explode — that is, to loose control.
Sometimes our anger burns out of control slowly. Here I am referring to anger that turns into bitterness, resentment, or unforgiveness. Again, it may be that your are angry about some evil thing, but your are wrong to allow that anger to fester in such a way that it leads you to sin.
“Be angry and do not sin…”, brothers and sisters. Be self controlled. Do not allow your passions to drive you. Bring them into submission to the will of God.]
Simeon and Levi were right to be angry about the wicked thing that was done to their sister. In fact, I have said that perhaps Jacob was not angry enough! And Simeon and Levi would have been right to seek justice. But instead they allowed their anger boil within them until it boiled over to this horrible act of injustice. Shechem deserved to be punished for his sin. Instead, Simeon and Levi poured out their wrath indiscriminately upon the whole multitude of that people.
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Conclusion
As we move to a conclusion I cannot help but look ahead in the narrative a bit and draw your attention to the grace of God shown to Israel.
Genesis 35:5: “And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob” (Genesis 35:5, ESV). Verse 9: “God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.’ So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, ‘I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you” (Genesis 35:9–13, ESV).
God was truly merciful, gracious and kind to Jacob and his sons, despite their sin. He would preserve them and bless them so that through them the Christ would come into the world, in whom we have the forgiveness of all our sins.
