Today we are reading Genesis 34. In this chapter we are reading about the defiling of Dinah daughter of Jacob/Israel. “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.”
Genesis 34:1-7 ESV The story of Dinah is a story of tragedy. Dinah, with all her brothers, wanted to meet the women who lived in the area. The favorite son of the wealthiest and most powerful man in the area thought he could do whatever he wanted. He raped Dinah and told his father to make it legal. The result was violent revenge by Dinah’s brothers. Now Jacob is afraid that the other Canaanites will attack him. What would you do? When we take matters into our own hands we often make them worse. Repentance, Godly sorrow, leads us in the right direction. May God give you a broken and contrite heart in the midst of your sin. Pastor Tim
