Friday, May 23, 2008

Dinah - Genesis 34

Dinah
 
Gen 34:1  And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
Gen 34:2  And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
 
Defile: He had sexual relations with her. Dinah wanted girl friends from the world, that's what the verse says. It doesn't say that she was looking for a boyfriend. Jacob had settled at Schechem instead of with his Father's people, now trouble has come. We are to seek God's will about places we move to. Jacob had settled in a place not of God's choosing. Dinah was out in the city alone and was molested.

Gen 34:3  And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
 
Rape is a violent act, not followed by commitment. When David's son Amnon forced his half sister Tamar, there was no love or comitment following.
 
2 Sam 13:14  Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.
2 Sam 13:15  Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.

Gen 34:4  And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
 
He wanted to marry Dinah. It was a soulish love Shechem had for Dinah, not a spiritual or godly love. He loved her for what she could be and give to him, not for what he could be and give to her. His heart is shown in the words get me this young woman as a wife. It was a soulish "get me" kind of love. This is the kind of love that many have in the world. God's love is sacrificial, caring more about the other. Lust love, seeks personal pleasure.
 
Gen 34:5  And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
Gen 34:6  And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
Gen 34:7  And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
 
There is no outrage or action taken by Jacob, he is passive about this incident. The sons are grieved and angry. Perhaps they were feeling the rejection of Dinah and their own rejection, because Jacob only seemed to care about Rachel and her offspring. Anger seeks an outlet and two of the sons of Leah would seek to avenge their sister.

Gen 34:8  And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
Gen 34:9  And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
Gen 34:10  And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
Gen 34:11  And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.
Gen 34:12  Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.
 
Jacob and Hamor seem to come to an agreement, marriage a dowrey and gift, as well as intermixing the tribes. This would destroy the separated lineage of the Messiah to come. The promise through Abrahan, Isaac and Israel, was to a chosen and separated people. A people that would receive and share the will of God. When God's people mix with the world, the message of God and the witness of God is compromised. As bad as the defiling of Dinah was, it would be even more defiling of the uniqueness of God's covenant people. God would call this spiritual adultery.
 
Jer 3:6  The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
Jer 3:7  And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
Jer 3:8  And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Jer 3:9  And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
 
(Stones, like crystals and stocks, worship of trees.)

Jer 3:10  And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Jer 3:11  And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Jer 3:12  Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
 
We are God's people and are not to compromise with the world. We are not to tolerate and be in agreement with those who practice spiritual adultery.


Gen 34:13  And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
Gen 34:14  And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
Gen 34:15  But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
Gen 34:16  Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
 
They were indeed sons of the old Jacob, the deceiver, for they had another sinister plan.

Gen 34:17  But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
 
It was the sons of Jacob who took leadership, not Jacob. They should have left the land at this time. Circumcision was a sign between God and Israel of the covenant. It was also a sign of a clean heart.
 
1 Cor 7:19  Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
Phil 3:3  For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.
 
They were defiling God's covenant sign, by having the gentiles who they despised to be circumcised, not for righteousness, but for lust, anger, vengence and murder.

 
Gen 34:18  And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.
Gen 34:19  And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
Gen 34:20  And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
Gen 34:21  These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
Gen 34:22  Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
Gen 34:23  Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
Gen 34:24  And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
 
All the men agreed, so they could takle their wives and their cattle, substance and every beast, for their own. The agreed for promises of wealth and gain. What does the devil tempt us with? Probably similar things, wealth is power.

Gen 34:25  And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
 
Simeon and Levi, showed that they were wicked and heart hearted. Using the holy sign of the covenant to weaken a people and then to destroy them.This was not God's plan, yet neither was it's God's will to intermarry with this heathen nation. It seems evil now, but later God ordered nations to be slain because of their evil and commanded Israel to not marry the pagan women.
 
 
Exo 23:27  I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.

Gen 34:26  And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.
Gen 34:27  The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
Gen 34:28  They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,
Gen 34:29  And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
 
The son's of Jacob rescued Dinah, killed all of the men and took the wealth of the city, including the women and children.

Gen 34:30  And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
 
Me, me, me, I,I, Jacob was onlyconcerned with himself it would seem. His reputation was destroyed and he feared the surrounding nations.

Gen 34:31  And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
 
They responded, that Dinah was not to be sold, as a harlot. They would look out for their own, because they saw no leadership or love from their father. Jacob would prophesy of these two sons when he was about to die.
 
Gen 49:5  Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Gen 49:6  O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
Gen 49:7  Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
The tribe of Simeon because of unfaithfulness would be scattered and joined with Judah. The tribe of Simeon would not own land, but be scattered as servants of the priests and a blessing to the people of Jacob.
 
 
The break down of the family started long ago. Malachi propesied about this:
 
Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
 
In Messiah Jesus, there is restoration of families and relationships.


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