Thursday Night Bible Study

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Genesis 34-Genesis 35:15 

"Ouch!" • 6.18.10 • Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro.

- Jacob has traveled back from Padan Aram, near to his home town. In fact, he is just a town or two away from being back with his family.

- He has traveled a long distance, with his 2 wives, their maidservants, their 11 sons and unknown number of daughters, as well as a large caravan of other servants and flocks.

- This journey was shrouded with the uncertainty of survival, as Jacob was about to face Esau. When all the dust settled, Esau and Jacob parted amiably.

- Now, with almost an audible sigh of relief, Jacob settles down with his family, just outside of the city of Shechem, a Canaanite city, with very different values from their own.

Text

• Genesis 34:1-4 : "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.'" : Most commentators agree that this was not a short stay, but one that encompassed several years, perhaps even a decade of time. Dinah would have been a teenager at this time.

- Having settled so close to Shechem, there was now a natural curiosity that would work in the daughter of Leah.

- She went out to see what it was like to live in a city, like one of the young ladies her own age. However this wasn't just any land: This was Shechem.

- She went voluntarily, casually, into this foreign land, and could not have been unaware of the immoral state that this land lived under.

˚ "Unattached young women were considered fair game in cities of the time, in which promiscuity was not only common but, in fact, a part of the very religious system itself." Henry Morris

- She went in and did so at her own discretion, which was obviously flawed.

- And who would not be flattered at the City's namesake beginning to pay attention to you? He saw her and it seems, immediately seized and raped her.

- There is certainly something to be said about not wanting to be in an unsafe place or to put yourself in a position of compromise. That being the case, Dinah did not invite or incite this travesty.

- This was the prince of the country of Shechem, but he was no man!

- After his violent behavior, he expressed a desire to have Dinah as his wife. After he raped her, he realized or made himself believe that he loved her and wanted her in his life.

- This is not love. It's a love for what He felt in his own soul. She pleased him and he enjoyed what he felt like at her expense.

- Women need to understand that physical expression does not lead to the love they desire.

• Genesis 34:5-10 : "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.'" : Jacob heard about Dinah's rape. He did nothing until his sons returned from the field. What happened here?

- Why did Jacob not make a charge or take things up with the law of the land? Because he knew that there was no such law. These Canaanite cultures were debaucherous.

- By failing to defend his daughter, Jacob will leave the door open for a much more nefarious end. God has put Fathers in the place that they are to protect their family.

- Jacob was avoiding conflict and perhaps, passively, aggressively, seeking to come up with a plan of retribution. Before that could happen, his sons found out about what happened.

- They were incensed at what happened. I can only imagine their fury when Hamor comes to visit. Whatever they felt, Hamor was not privy to hearing about it forthrightly.

- Hamor goes immediately into his pitch. No apology, no need for forgiveness. This was just part of their culture.

"Come and be a part of our land. Come and have family with us. It's a land of opportunity."

- If the rape of Dinah had not occurred, this might have been the greatest temptation to ever come upon the people of Israel.

- Make yourselves rich. Stay here and have all that you might want or need! Intermarry with us and be one with us.

- That was not God's plan for them. He wanted them separate from the Canaanites for these very reasons. God is bringing His annointed One into the world through this family.

- Shechem represents an opportunity to settle for less than God's best.

• Genesis 34:11-17 : "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.'" : Hamor has come, now Shechem the rapist comes to visit. Let me find favor in your eyes.

- Here is a man who obviously has a large sense of entitlement. He has raped someone's daughter and now asks for favor from them! He lives according to the rules of his own world.

- He is a man of great wealth, as he promises to give whatever is asked. He is not lacking in any kind of resource and figures that he can buy his way out of this situation.

- Notice that the sons of Jacob answer. Where was Jacob? How is it that he is not answering these men here? Where has he gone?

- The boys use their hurt as the platform to devise a plan to deal with this issue. Their plan is simple: Be circumcised and we can be partners! There was no integrity in their words.

- They spoke with deceit. Where did they get this idea from? They had seen nothing BUT deceit their entire lives! What we portray before our children will play out in their lives!

• Genesis 34:18-24 : "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." : I'm not sure how this could be pleasing to anyone?

- Shechem, it seems, did something horrible and then came to want to do the right thing. He became a person that Moses says was more honorable than all the household of his Father.

- I believe that this is Moses' way of saying, "If this was the most honorable of the children, how much more wicked were these people?"

- The people of Shechem were impressed by the wealth that Jacob possessed and were willing to undergo this very painful procedure.

- All the men of Shechem agreed and were circumcised, in good faith, believing that this was the term of a good treaty.

• Genesis 34:25-29 : "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." : Both of these brothers were especially close to Dinah, as they all had a common mother.

- This act was just as cowardly as the act that brought it about. They came into the city at the time when all the males would have been incapacitated.

- You'll recall from Genesis 17, that circumcision, without the benefits of modern medicine and anasthetic, could lead to a fever and worse for many days after.

- This is why God commanded it at day 8, when the levels of vitamin k are at their highest. For an adult, this would have been incredibly painful.

- Simeon and Levi, acting on their own, came into the city and brutally dispensed their own brand of justice upon the peopel of Shechem.

- The entire city suffered their wrath, even though only one man was responsible for what had happened. This is always the problem with our wrath: It's always disproportionate to the crime!

- Later, when the law was introduced to the people of Israel, they were told that an eye could be given for an eye, limiting wrath in the most exact way.

- Ultimately, this is why we defer our wrath to the Lord, who says that vengeance belongs to Him. He is more than capable of dealing with whatever evil has come our way.

- It was not enough that Simeon and Levi murdered the men of Shechem. They thoroughly plundered the city, taking all that was there to take.

• Genesis 34:30,31 : "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?'" : When Jacob found out what had happened, he naturally feared for his own life, as well as the survival of his tribe.

- Unfortunately, by not acting in defense of Dinah, these boys felt that their actions were justified. Jacob's inaction left a door open and SImeon and Levi gladly walked through it.

• Genesis 35:1-4 : "Then God said to Jacob, 'Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.' And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, 'Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.' So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem." : So, what does one do when their is chaos and fear?

- In the middle of Jacob's distress, the Lord appears to Him and again calls him back to Bethel.

- Even though he has made a mess of himself and his family, God still calls him back to that place where he had communion with Him.

- God keeps calling Jacob back to where Jacob has been with Him. He does that with us over and over again as well. Frank, come back to where you were intimate with me.

- Come back, perhaps not to a physical location, but to a place where I had priority! When you are in distress, if you can remember to go back to that place with the Lord, it's the answer!

- Upon hearing this Jacob outlines the conditions for their return. He speaks to his household and to all that had come with him, an untold number of people.

- They were going to travel back, but not with those foreign gods. It's likely that after the plundering of Shechem, there was quite a large treasury of these foreign gods.

- Perhaps it might have been even more than that. Maybe their presence near the Canaanites had a deeper affect than what is written.

- These were not a welcome part in the life that God was calling Jacob and his family back into. Make no mistake: Idols are not welcome on our journey! Put them away!

- What is an idol in your life? Anything that detracts from the value of God in your life.

- Your idol is what takes up your time, what you sacrifice for, what you wish legitimate claims would not interrupt!

- He tells them to purify themselves. Literally, clean yourselves for ceremonial presentation. Jacob is telling them, you are about to go before the Lord. Ready yourselves to be in His presence.

- He tells them to change their garments. They looked like Shechemites. They had been there long enough to take on the look of the world.

- Notice that Jacob tells them to do this. This was not something that Jacob was participating in. His relationship with God seemed to remain steady, but therein is the warning.

- Jacob might have been doing well personally, but his family was on the edge!

- It's not enough for you as a Dad or as a Parent to be doing well with the Lord when your family is not in the position to follow Him.

- My greatest success in life will not be whether my children are rich or well known. It will be when THEIR children follow the Lord!

- Jacob received their articles and hid them away. Shechem became a burial ground with all it's people and their gods.

• Genesis 35:5-8 : "And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother. Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth." : God has many ways of protecting His people. Here, a terror that came from God was upon the cities.

- God allowed them to be caught up in terror, paralyzed with fear. When Jacob returned safely to Bethel, he built an alter there to the Lord.

- Moses leaves us this note that Deborah died there and was buried under what was called the "Oak of weeping." This woman, up until now has remained anonymous.

- We know nothing of her contribution to this family, but it's obvious that she was loved.

- Many of our journeys, even when we are in the right place, can have sadness and loss included. Living a righteous life does not insulate us from death.

- With every Bethel, there is also an Allon Bachuth.

• Genesis 35:9-15 : "Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.' So He called his name Israel. Also God said to him: 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.' Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel." : God reaffirms to Jacob that this will not be what he is called. Israel, governed by God, would be his name.

- God has to remind Jacob, just like He has to remind us: You aren't that person anymore! You are now something entirely else.

- Christians are not defined by their past! You are not defined by who you once were, but by who Jesus has made you to be!

- To Israel, God repeats the covenant that He had initiated with Abraham and repeated to Isaac. Jacob worshipped there where God spoke with him.

- It's land and descendants. Interesting, the Shechemites offered land and riches as well. The Israelites might have been satisfied with just that little bit.

- Thankfully, they eventually got back on course.

Conclusion

- Obedience to God is more than just a nice idea. It's blessing is for you and your family.

- The beautiful thing about God is when we don't obey, He still calls us to where He called us before! We can always start obeying again!