Genesis 34
Genesis 34:1-31 (NLT)
1 One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area.
2 But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her.
3 But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words.
4 He said to his father, Hamor, “Get me this young girl. I want to marry her.”
5 Soon Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter, Dinah. But since his sons were out in the fields herding his livestock, he said nothing until they returned.
6 Hamor, Shechem’s father, came to discuss the matter with Jacob.
7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the field as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob’s family, something that should never be done.
8 Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons. “My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter,” he said. “Please let him marry her.
9 In fact, let’s arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons.
10 And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area.”
11 Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. “Please be kind to me, and let me marry her,” he begged. “I will give you whatever you ask.
12 No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will gladly pay it—just give me the girl as my wife.”
13 But since Shechem had defiled their sister, Dinah, Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully to Shechem and his father, Hamor.
14 They said to them, “We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you’re not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you!
15 But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are,
16 then we will give you our daughters, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people.
17 But if you don’t agree to be circumcised, we will take her and be on our way.”
18 Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal.
19 Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family,
20 and he went with his father, Hamor, to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate.
21 “These men are our friends,” they said. “Let’s invite them to live here among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours.
22 But they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are.
23 But if we do this, all their livestock and possessions will eventually be ours. Come, let’s agree to their terms and let them settle here among us.”
24 So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised.
25 But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition. Then they slaughtered every male there,
26 including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and returned to their camp.
27 Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob’s sons arrived. Finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there.
28 They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys—everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields.
29 They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives.
30 Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land—among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out!”
31 “But why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily.
This story of Dinah and Shechem, made me wonder if Shechem would have done things appropriately and asked for Dinah’s hand, would he have gotten it? If he wouldn’t have followed the desires of his flesh, would it have gotten him a wife, instead of bringing death and destruction to his people?
There is a way of the spirit and a way of the flesh. The way of the flesh will always bring destruction, but the way of the spirit will always bring life. I can’t help but think things could have been different if Shechem would have not followed his flesh on the path to destruction.
There is a conflict between sensual cravings and the love they’re intended to express that has the potential for extreme tragedy and regret. While this young man initially responded in lust to Dinah’s beauty, gratifying his flesh in a manner that may have been accepted to some degree in his culture, he found his heart falling for her person and not just the use of her body. There might have even been some reciprocation from her for this potential relationship. The power of love to cover the error of his first response was apparently garnering the agreement and favor of his whole community and even the acceptance of Jacob to an agreement of extreme action on all their part. As wonderfully as this love story was progressing, however, it was overcome by the inability of the brothers to embrace this covering of love, choosing to respond instead to the simmering of their own flesh that would not settle for love’s mending. Though love had conquered the hearts of a whole community, its failure in the two who mattered resulted in irreversible tragedy for these potential neighbors and the reputation of Jacob’s growing family. Though the initial mistreatment was unacceptable, the inability to embrace love in mercy and favor resulted in a much greater fallacy.
With every offense, there is the rise of this love vs flesh rivalry. Will wrong be touched with the power of forgiveness and mercy, or will the drive for justice obscure any hope of reconciliation? While unacceptable actions cannot continue and righteousness must be established, the nature of response has potential for much greater transgression if harbored in a loveless heart. The damage may go way beyond the transgressor to devastate many more while destroying the possibility for any future needed relationships. As we have found undeserved love and mercy in the grace of God towards us, there is an opportunity for love’s movements to triumph over the greatest transgressions and bring transformation rather than just condemnation to even those who have offended the most.