Disgraced

DEVOTION

GENESIS

DISGRACED

Gen 34:1-12

34:1 Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her. 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my wife." 5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it until they came home. 6 Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7 Now Jacob's sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter — a thing that should not be done. 8 But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it." 11 Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I'll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife."

NIV

The advantage of having read this many times is we know how this story is going to end and it is not well for Shechem, son of Hamar the Hivite, nor his father and all the men of that land. But we need to break this narrative up so to deal with some truths as the whole unfolds. What right did Shechem think he had in taking her by force? Did he take her by force? We are told that he loved her and spoke tenderly to her. How long of a time did they spend together for him to love her? The Hebrew word gives us a clue here. This love implies an affection sexually or otherwise. Perhaps the translators should have inserted the word lust instead of love. Yet he did speak tenderly to her, he seduced her. She was an innocent young lady, a virgin, and this man took advantage of her and violated her virginity. There are cultures today this type of behavior toward women is totally permissible. Perhaps this type of behavior was also permissible among the Hivites, but it was certainly not within the clan of Israel. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing. We remember how Jacob worked seven years before he ever had this type of physical relationship with Leah and a week later with Rachel, although he promised to work another seven years for her. This man just took Dinah, then he decided he wanted to marry her. It certainly seems our society is moving more toward this behavior as well, although not so much the man simply taking a woman, but it is more of a mutual uniting of bodies without the bonds of marriage. From the response of Jacob’s sons and what they demand we know it is due to the haness action of Shechem against Dinah, yet there is something else here as well. The command not to intermarry has yet to been given. God instructed the Israelites on different occasions regarding different foreign clans not to take their daughters or give their daughters in marriage. Although this was not the motivation behind what the sons of Jacob demanded, it still complies with the design God had for them. Under the new covenant we, who are now the true Israel have been commanded not to be unequally yoked, not to marry an unbeliever, not to become romantically involved with an unbeliever. We also not only have social laws, but God’s command not to take any woman without her consent. But the truth here is about this marriage outside the clan, outside the right bloodline, not to be unequally yoked. Although Laban was a polytheist he was still within the family clan and his daughters were appropriate for Jacob. We will see others, such as Moses who marries outside the clan which seems to be allowed. But not here. What is the difference, why does God allow it sometimes and not others? We have to believe it always comes down to God accomplishing his plan for each of us. Yet we have very specific rules for living as believers concerning our relationships with unbelievers. We need to be on good terms with them in order to plant the seed of faith in their hearts and minds. But this intimate type of behavior is strictly off limits. Jacob’s sons act deceitfully for a purpose we are going to see. But they demand the Shechem and all the men of that land become like them. That is in order for them to intermarry with the people of this land, they must be the same as the people of Israel. Again it appears, no believer should be with an unbeliever. First the unbeliever must become a believer, then marriage can happen. Does this always happen, absolutely not. How do we reconcile that? We do not have to, it is up to God. Yet this rape, this violation of Dinah, God will not tolerate and he uses the sons of Jacob as his tool to act against it. God will not be disgraced.