Proper or Improper

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

PROPER OR IMPROPER

Gen 34:25-31

25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses. 30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." 31 But they replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"

NIV

We are not in agreement with what Simeon and Levi did regarding being deceptive for the express reason of rendering all the men of that town completely helpless because of the pain of circumcisions so they could attack and kill them all. Jacob was not in agreement with what they did as well because now the other Canaanites and Perizzites would find out what happened in that town and Jacob was afraid he could not overpower them if they decided to respond or enact vengeance. We do not see Jacob angry because of the unrighteous or deceptive actions of his sons, but just because he feels he has become a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites. In defense of Simeon and Levi, they were defending, in sorts, the honor of their sister, or enacting revenge for what Shechem did to their sister. We also notice that Hamor did not disagree with what his son did but accepted it as normal. What do we learn here? As believers we should always be thinking in honorable ways, as well as what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and if anything is excellent or praiseworthy. That is not what happened in the minds of Simeon and Levi. We also think that because we should be thinking about those we listed, that would include always being in a forgiving frame of mind. It would mean we are always looking for the best in others, loving each other as Jesus loves us. We would always be kind, gentle, and patient with each other and we would never be envious, boastful, rude, self-seeking, or prideful. In addition, we would never keep a record of anyone’s wrongs and we would always protect, hope, and persevere, never giving up on anyone. We would think that is how we treat our own body, so we would then treat the body of Christ in the same manner. So we learn not to be like Simeon or Levi, but to be like Jesus. We cannot mimic improper thinking but only mimic Jesus. So it comes down to proper or improper.