Preaching the Word
It is my passion to be true to God and His Word. To preach in such a way that people can easily see God as our Creator and as our Redeemer. To understand that God is the same yesterday, today and forever even as we live in a world that is continually changing. Salvation is and has always been through faith alone in the Messiah alone. His name is Jesus the Christ; there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The "First Principle" podcasts are a great tool for new believers to learn the basics of the Christian Faith.
The "Mysteries of God's Word" podcasts are an indepth study of Scripture.
The other podcasts are sermons that have been given, some verse by verse and some topical.
Preaching the Word
Genesis 34 - Dinah's Defilement and the Vengeance of Simeon and Levi - The Mysteries of God's Word
Could revenge ever truly balance the scales of justice, or does it only tip them further into chaos? This episode examines the harrowing narritive of Dinah from Genesis 34, where cultural tensions and family loyalty collide with tragic consequences. We unravel the story of Dinah, the young daughter of Leah and Jacob, who becomes entangled in a scandal that threatens her family's honor. Shechem, the prince of the land, commits a grave violation against her, sparking a maelstrom of emotions within Jacob's household. We explore Jacob's calculated patience as he awaits his sons' return to address the situation and discuss the broader implications of intermarriage with the Canaanites.
As the story intensifies, the narrative shifts focus to the fierce retribution enacted by Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers. Their drastic response to avenge their sister's defilement results in a city wide massacre that resonates far beyond the city of Shechem. This episode scrutinizes the moral complexities of their actions, the resulting loss of respect for Jacob's family, and the palpable tension with the surrounding communities. We ponder the long-term repercussions of their unchecked anger and violence, as later recounted in Genesis 49 when Jacob curses their wrath. Join us as we navigate themes of justice, family loyalty, and the profound impacts of vengeance on the Israelite community.
Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com
Thank you for joining me for the Mysteries of God's Word. Today is December 10th of 2024, and, for those of you who follow regularly, I want you to know that I'll be taking a break for about a month for the holidays. We'll pick up again in the middle of January. Today we're in Genesis, chapter 34, and the title of our chapter is the Defiling of Dinah, starting at verse 1. Now Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she'd born 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. We're going to stop there, because there's a lot in those first two verses. Dinah was the daughter of Leah, born to Jacob after she had the six boys, but before Rachel had conceived Joseph, and, based upon what we know of Joseph's age, it's believed that Dinah would be about 14 or 15 at this time. Now Dinah went to the nearby city of Shechem, a city that apparently got named after this young man that lived here, and Dinah went there to socialize with other women. Now, we don't know what prompted Dinah to do this. The historian Josephus believed it may have been one of their festivals. Whatever the case, dinah has no idea that her socializing with the people of this land is going to bring such a terrible ending.
Speaker 1:When Shechem sees Dinah, it says that he seized her and he lay with her and humiliated her. This four-part description is a description of forcible rape. As clear as these four steps that are laid out in this verse make it, the scripture continues throughout this chapter to describe what Shechem did here as an unacceptable crime that defiled Dinah. Regardless of how sincere Shechem's feelings were toward Dinah and wanting to marry her after this, what he does here is nothing short of forcible rape. Picking up in verse 3, 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. In verses 3 and 4, after Shechem defiled Dinah by raping her he wanted to have her all the time and he starts to speak tenderly to her, attempting to comfort her and speak kindly to her after his abusive behavior, telling her of his great affection toward her, that she might be drawn to her abuser. But apparently that wasn't working so well, because Shechem goes and speaks to his father and he tells him go get me this girl for my wife. We really begin to see how spoiled and corrupt this grown man really is. He abuses his status and his power to take whatever he wants. After he defiles Dinah and tries to manipulate her to come back to him, and that doesn't seem to work, he asks his father, the chief of the village go get this girl for my wife.
Speaker 1:Verse 5. Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter, dinah, but his sons were with the 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 laying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing must not be done. In these three verses we see that Jacob had heard about what happened to Dinah. Now we don't know exactly or specifically how Jacob heard about it. Perhaps Dinah told her mother, or perhaps a messenger had come from the city, which seems more likely because of how the narrative continues. But whoever this was that informed Jacob now appears to be going out to the field to inform the sons of Jacob. And it says Jacob held his peace.
Speaker 1:Jacob shows wisdom here and he waits for his sons to get back from the field so that this can be handled as a family affair. Jacob wants the counsel of his entire family and all of the men in his family before he makes a decision. And while Jacob is waiting for his sons to come back from the field, hamor, the father of Shechem, and Shechem come to talk to Jacob. So the father of Shechem responds almost immediately to his selfish son's request and he comes out to the house of Jacob even before the sons of Jacob get in from the field, from this messenger telling them about what had happened. As soon as the sons of Jacob got word that Dinah had been defiled, they came in Again. We don't know for certain who this person was that informed them, but it would be reasonable to assume that the same person that told Jacob was the person that went out and told his sons, which is why Jacob waits for his sons to come in. And it says when they got there they were indignant and very angry. This description of how the brothers feel describes that their heart is filled with pain and hurt and it's bringing forth a burning hot anger.
Speaker 1:And the scripture talks about an outrageous thing that's done in Israel. The Hebrew words for this outrageous thing implies something that would be considered outrageous to everyone. It's outrageous to the corporate conscience, it's something that simply is not ever done by anyone, and we see that they say it should not be done. Picking up in verse 8, shechem also said father Hamor Hamor begins saying Give your daughters to us and take our daughters. This is the first of which will be many temptations for the Israelites as a nation to intermarry with the idolatrous Canaanites. Later, god would command Israel to destroy the Canaanites and not intermarry with them.
Speaker 1:In Deuteronomy 7, 3-6, we read In Deuteronomy 7, 3-6, we read you shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you and he would destroy you quickly. But thus you shall deal with them. You shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Assyrium and burn their carved images with fire. For you are a people holy to the Lord, your God, the Lord, your God, has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Speaker 1:This current offer that's on the table to Jacob and his sons by Hamor, who is the chief of this land, was an abuse of his power to appease the lust of his son. His offer to Jacob and his sons to intermarry with the Canaanites promised a continued freedom to purchase land, to trade and to dwell safely in the land to some degree, which Jacob's family already had been doing At some level. This could have seemed like a subtle threat, threat as much as an offer for greater relationships. As Hamor is finishing his proposal, shechem almost pipes in. It's as if he recognizes these negotiations are not going well and Shechem offers a great bride price. He says he'll give a dowry for the bride, which was normal in the Near East for all marriage arrangements. However, shechem is offering anything they would ask of him for Dinah, which implies he recognizes these negotiations need a boost and it also implies his great desire and selfishness to get what he wants.
Speaker 1:Verse 13,. The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them we cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we agree with you that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you and we will take your daughters to ourselves and we will dwell with you and become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and we will be gone.
Speaker 1:In these five verses we see the sons of Jacob answering Shechem, and his father Jacob appears to be sitting back and allowing his sons to take responsibility for this, which shows Jacob teaching his sons to be leaders. However, his sons are not being honest in their dealings and they answered deceitfully the Hebrew word deceitfully here means treacherous and we begin to see that the nature to deceive runs in the family. Jacob, who was known in the past for his trickery, has now children who are doing trickery. As the sons of Jacob recognize the deep desire and almost desperation of Shechem to have their sister as his wife, they take advantage of it. This deception, however, is very serious as it abuses the sign of circumcision. The sign of circumcision was meant to stand for being blameless before God, and these brothers are about to use it for mass murder.
Speaker 1:Verse 18. Their words pleased Hamor and hamor's son shechem, and the young man did not delay to do the thing because he delighted in jacob's daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father's house. So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of the city and they spoke to the men of the city saying these men are at peace with us. Let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives. Let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to Let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us and become one people. When every male among us is circumcised as they are, will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them and they dwell with us. And all who went out to the gate of the city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem. And every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
Speaker 1:In these seven verses, we see that the words that the sons of Jacob spoke to Hamor and Shechem pleased them. The circumcision of all the men in the city must have seemed like a small price to pay compared to what could have been asked of them. Being completely bound by his lust for Dinah, shechem quickly set out and did it, and then he began to set in motion the plan to have all the men of the city do it as well. We learn that Chechem was the most respected son of Hamor and he was looked up to by all of the men in the city. This notation is important because when the men of the city are asked to participate in such a painful surgery, they'd have to be compelled by both a notable person and personal gain, and Shechem is the man to do it. And we see that Shechem goes to the gate of the city. The gate of the city is the common place where business gatherings took place in the ancient Near East, and Shechem uses the argument that all they have will be ours, telling the men at the gates that after we do this, there will be a great financial reward for everybody in the entire town and we'll have access to Jacob's property and we'll have access to all of his herds of animals. And so Shechem and Hamor, his father, stayed at the city gate until every able-bodied male in the city came out and was circumcised Verse 25.
Speaker 1:Two of the sons of Jacob, simeon and Levi, dinah's brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered city because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys and whatever was in the city and in the field, all their wealth, all their little ones and all their wives, all that was in their houses they captured and they plundered. In these five verses we see a great atrocity Simeon and Levi, on the third day after the circumcision, go out with their swords.
Speaker 1:Now Simeon and Levi are the second and third son of Jacob through Leah. Now Simeon and Levi are the second and third son of Jacob through Leah and, as you remember, dinah is also the daughter of Leah, so they are full brothers and sister. It gave them a strong motive to protect their sister and, without the knowledge of their father, jacob. They planned and left for vengeance upon the city, the entire city of Shechem. And when the men of the city were at their weakest, after having been circumcised and they felt very secure because Shechem said that we are at peace with these men, these two brothers came and killed every male in the city, and this included the leadership of Hamor and Shechem.
Speaker 1:This massacre is way beyond any reasonable punishment or form of justice for the rape of Dinah. In the Law of Moses it describes a just penalty for rape in Deuteronomy 2, 28 through 29,. If you're interested in looking that up, we also see here that Simeon and Levi took Dinah, which shows us that Shechem had already taken Dinah into his home immediately after the agreement for the men to be circumcised. And now the two brothers take her back home to the house of Jacob. And after they take Dinah home, all of the brothers come back and loot the city.
Speaker 1:And as all of these brothers participate in plundering the wealth of this city as well as capturing the women and children of the city, the sons of Jacob are approving and justifying of what their brothers did as acceptable because, as they say, he defiled their sister, verse 30,. Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi. You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of this land, the Canaanites and Perizzites. My numbers are few and if they gather themselves against me and attack me I shall be destroyed, both I and my household. But they said Should he treat our sister like a prostitute? When all of the brothers came home with all of the loot, jacob says to them you have brought trouble on me and you have made me stink to the inhabitants of this land.
Speaker 1:Jacob is greatly troubled by the evil his sons have committed.
Speaker 1:The cruel and overblown vengeance of Simeon and Levi upon the town of Shechem has brought a total loss of respect for the family of Jacob in the land of Canaan. Furthermore, it has placed them closer to imminent danger, as other cities and villages will feel threatened and they may band together to destroy them altogether. But it would appear that the correction of Jacob fell on deaf ears, for the brothers didn't want to listen to their father's correction and they continued to justify their mass murder and looting of the city, using the defiling of their sister as an excuse. While the brothers were right to protect the honor of their sister and culturally this could mean extracting capital punishment upon the perpetrator. They went beyond anything that was just and they used this event to loot everything in the city for personal gain. In Genesis, chapter 49, when Jacob gives his blessings to his sons, simeon and Levi will be cursed for their violence and anger. Thank you for joining me this week for this difficult but yet very important chapter. God bless you this holiday season and we'll see you next month.