GENESIS
CHAPTER
34
1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob,
went out to visit the women of the region.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 1)
Dinah daughter of Leah and Jacob
being new to the place, went to outside to see the place and explore it.
Just as Dinah wanted to explore
we all should also explore God and try to know Him, better and achieve in a spirit of prayer a better understanding of Him and His will for us and the world at large. The more we explore about God the better we come to know Him and the more intimate our relationship becomes with bot God and mankind.
However in the case of Dinah, she went into forbidden territory in the sense that she was putting herself at risk. All along God had warn Abraham, Isaac and even Jacob not to become familiar with the locals of Canaan because they were pagan non believers. However Dinah wondered away from the security of her family and put herself in instant danger or risk. When we wonder away from God and do what we wish instead of what God wants us to do, we are also putting our selves at risk, on a spiritual and even physical level which at times could result in very negative consequences that can even lead to our death. On the other hand when we place our security in our family we have its full support. The same holds for people in the Church of God. While we are in the Church we have its full support, however when we wander away and integrate with people of other religions who have different values, customs and traditions that in their ways differ from those of Christianity or even go against them, we are placing our spiritual, social and psychological selves in danger or at risk.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 2)
Shechem son of hamor was the
prince of the region. When he looked and saw Dinah he found her to be beautiful and attractive. Shechem abused his power and authority and seized Dinah and imposed himself on her sexually meaning rape against her own will.
In life when people start to gain unlimited power, this leads to the abuse of that same power or authority. According to Mr. Devain Ajit Pawar the author of this chapter in India he has witnessed cases of abuse of power. According to Mr. Devain Ajit Pewar rich and powerful people who have money and important and powerful contacts people act as rulers over those who are very poor or are not as rich as themselves, to the extent that they are even ready to inflict harm on them in order to get what they want from them.
Such thing also happens on a personal level. When we start to taking control of our lives we start acting according to our decisions and not according to the will of God as found in His Word or in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church which He left us as practical reference on which to base our behaviour. When disobeying His will we may end up hurting each other and gradually start to neglect God who plays an important role in our life. As sons and daughters of God by means of our disobedience as in the case of our earthly fathers and mothers we worry our parents and even God who cares for us and loves us even more than our own parents.
3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the girl, and spoke tenderly to her.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 3)
After forcefully sleeping with Dinah Shechem son of Hamor who was the prince of the region, grew fond of Dinah and became attracted to her. In order to convince her to be totally his Shechem spoke kindly to Dinah and tried to be polite with her in order to persuade her that he was attracted to her and that he was a good person.
The devil also works in a similar way. His one and only aim in life is to destroy our bond with God. The devil portrays himself as being a kind, generous and loving person who is always there in our lives as a caring and supportive presence who is always ready to offer us his help. However what we do not perceive in our situations is that what we may consider as help or deceptive ideas that may help us handle the situation to our sinful advantage and 'solving our problems' is actually the devil's plans and techniques of messing up our lives by making us commit one sin after another. This is the devil's way of destroying our spiritual relationship with God and in the process destroying our happiness that only God can give
4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this girl to be my wife."
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 4)
Shechem was still not satisfied with raping and sleeping with Dinah. He wanted more than a one night stand. He wanted to completely possess her as his own as in the case of his servants and flocks in order to increase his power. In order to reach his goal he made use of his father and his unlimited power in order to make the necessary arrangements.
As humans we are all ambitious in our own ways. We have a strong craving or desire to have more and more and are never satisfied with what God have given to us. In this behavioural trait we resemble the devil who is always ambitious and is never satisfied with the degree of harm he inflicts on humans. His only aim is to destroy as many lives as possible and drag as many souls into hell as he possibly can.
5 Now Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah; but his sons were with his cattle in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 5)
Although Jacob had heard about, what Shechem had done to his daughter, he held his temper and controlled himself instead of raising the alarm and declaring war on Shechem. Jacob waited for his sons to come back from the fields with their cattle to discuss this matter. It was a family issue and therefore it needed to be treated as such in the spirit of a family. It is very important to discuss issues as a family instead of acting personally in the spurt of the moment and making decisions that would cause more harm than good. Moreover it is more important for the family to pray for the guidance of God in order to illuminate our ways, so that we could make the right decisions
6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 6)
Hamor who was shechem's father went to Jacob to speak with him regarding what had happened between his son and Jacob's daughter. Like Shechem and Jacob,God always acts as a negotiator no matter how much we sin. God is aware of our human weakness and the evil of the devil who is always ready to tempt us to act against the will of God. Moreover when we come back to our senses in repentance, on having cooperated with the grace of God, He will be ready to negotiate a new action plan in order to keep us on track and not fall into the same temptation.
7 just as the sons of Jacob came in from the field. When they heard of it, the men were indignant and very angry, because he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 7)
Jacob's sons came back from the field. On becoming aware of what had happened they were very angry. Once we are in a negative spirit of anger, the devil prompts us to commit even more negative and sinful acts, by stimulating our feelings and as in this case seek revenge for the injustice that had been committed against their sister. On comparing Jacob and Shechem with Jacob's sons we can conclude that Jacob and Shechem who were older in age than the sons of Jacob aimed at dialogue, which is a more peaceful and rational way to reach a healthy solution. On the other hand, Jacob's sons, who were still young and irrational were instantly stimulated on avenging the sin committed against their sister, without stopping to consider the consequences of their actions on both the long and short term. When God is alive in our hearts and minds as in the case of Jacob, our attitude to life changes. Our aims and reactions, will not be so carnal and emotional as much as when we were away from God.
Whenever things do not go our way, our first reaction may be that of becoming angry and start thinking ill of the opposing party whom we may perceive as being our enemy or opponent. During such situations we may only focus on the negative consequences of the situation and put aside, the positive consequences. During such moments we are to keep in mind that God always has an emergency backup plan for every situation, therefore in every situation we are to seek God's will in a spirit of prayer and lay our problem or challenge in the hands of Jesus who is sure to show us the positive solutions or coping skills in order to solve or cope with the consequences of the given situation.
A typical example is that of a a person is facing a terminal disease. The doctor informs the person that he has only a short time to live. Instead of reflecting on the good times that they had in their life they spend the remaining time of their life, feeling sad. They may start thinking that even God is against the person so much that He has decided to shorten his life span.
8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The heart of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in marriage.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 8)
Instead of punishing his son Shechem his father tried to find what he perceived as to be a reasonable solution in the given situation and arrange for his son and Dinah to be married. Like Hamor Shechem's father God always attempts to negotiate with us through our conscience or significant others or even by means of his Holy Word that we are reflecting on, in order to help us reach the best solution to our problems. However, the devil is always present and ready to mess up the situation and destroy any possible alternatives to reach a peaceful conclusion.
As in the given situation, Hamor's decision was not one coming from God. Since His first encounter with Abraham God strictly told him that neither he or his offspring were to join in marriage with the people of Canaan, who were totally pagan in their ways and a risk for the spiritual welfare of the sons and daughters of God. Therefore the marriage proposal was totally against God's will. On the other hand marrying a lady because one has abused her in order to patch up the situation is not a good option, especially if one considers that the injured party has been robbed of her innocence and chastity that is a very precious thing. Moreover it is also good to keep in mind that Dinah who represents all raped women was emotionally hurt and would have perceived her abuser with hatred and not with love for ever. Therefore in such a situation the outcome of the marriage would surely not have been a positive one.
9 Make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You shall live with us; and the land shall be open to you; live and trade in it, and get property in it."11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, "Let me find favor with you, and whatever you say to me I will give. 12 Put the marriage present and gift as high as you like, and I will give whatever you ask me; only give me the girl to be my wife."
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 9 to 12)
Hamor in name of his son Shechem offers Jacob and his sons the opportunity of marrying his daughters amongst other privileges if the marriage between Dinah and his son was to take place. Hamor guaranteed their security in the land of Canaan and even a prosperous future.
The devil works in the same way. He promises us a life that is free of pain, poverty and hardships, however this comes at a price, that is not mentioned by the devil at the time of the arrangement. This is the damnation of our soul in eternal fire in hell. In contrast to the messages of the devil we are to place our trust in God and refer to him when in the process of making important decisions. We are to always pray to God to deliver us from the devil's games and traps so that we may not fall into temptation.
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 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.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 13 to 14)
Jacob's sons wisely answered that even if they wanted to they could never accept Hamor's proposal because of the fact that they had been circumcised to God in their flesh. On reflecting the sons of Jacob considered their promise to God as something that they they could not violate. Satan also offers us many beautiful things or opportunities that in themselves appear to be promising, however somehow there is always a catch in such promises.
However on going back to verses thirteen and fourteen, it seems that this was only part of a deceitful plan and not an issue of honest concern that had any consideration for their commitment to God. This is proved by the fact that in Genesis chapter 34, we find written that the sons of Jacob answered Shechem 'deceitfully'. This means that they had a plan in their mind that they were either implementing or had the intention of executing.
15 Only on this condition will we consent to you: that you will become as we are and every male among you be circumcised. 16 Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 15 to 16)
After discussing as a family the sons of Jacob as part of their deceitful plan agree with Shechem's proposal to take his daughters in marriage and permit their sister to marry Hamor only on one condition. This was that all of their mail members will be circumcised in their flesh, as an act of faith to God. On reflecting in truth it was not a bad idea even in the Christian life. The condition that the foreign member becomes a Christian is very positive, however this condition can be easily abused in order to full fill personal agendas, such as that of achieving the status of a citizen in that particular land. This is the case of Malta. Cases of foreigners and or immigrants are persuading Maltese ladies to marry in order to claim citizenship, however after they marry, they impose foreign values of spiritual beliefs that are not in favour of Christianity. Moreover some such women end up denied of their liberty and dignity and spiritual values and beliefs. Moreover they end up treated as property of their husbands who act according to their religions, traditions and customs.
17 But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone."
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 17)
The sons of Jacob make their own criteria in order to settle the issue that suited the plan that they had in mind. Shechem was left with not other option but to obey if he wanted the marriage to take place. Our human nature dictates to us, that if we want something we want it today. This is called instant gratification. We have been wired like that since we were children and it has remained built into our system. Its only with alot of work and prayer that we are free from such mental programming. There are some of us who are ready even to give up their faith in order to get what they want even if this means the abuse and impoverishment of others. As in the case of the sons of Jacob who knew how badly Shechem, wanted Dinah and his son to be married, they manipulated the situation in order to avenge the abuse of their sister Dinah.
18 Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor's son Shechem.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 18)
Shechem perceived that the conditions proposed by the sons of Jacob could easily be met, therefore he accepted the quick and easy solution. Shechem was ready to give up his own customs and beliefs in order to fulfil his sons wish. On the one hand we can admire him for sacrificing himself and his will in order to settle the issue, on the other hand we can conclude, that in order to obtain a carnal aim, he sacrificed the spiritual for the material, and this is something that we are to be aware of not doing throughout our daily lives.
19 And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his family.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 19)
The son of Shechem was happy to meet the conditions in order to settle his carnal wishes. It is written that he loved Dinah, however I find it hard to believe that from a one night stand love could spring so easily. Shechem felt that he was the most honoured person in all his family, however as the saying says all that glitters is not gold, and that appearances are deceptive. When we are offered an opportunity such as a job career or a happy marriage that is forever after as in fairy tales, or a purchase that seems to be too good to be true, we are to consider the related consequences and be to hasty to accept the offer.
20 So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21 "These people are friendly with us; let them live in the land and trade in it, for the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters in marriage, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will they agree to live among us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 20 to 22)
Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of the city, the place where important meetings were held. Hamor and Shechem spoke to all the male member of the city and told them about the offer that Jacob and his family had made with him. However nothing is mentioned about Shechem's marriage to Dinah. This means that Shechem is explaining the details of the contract, without referring to the small print. Shechem referred to the fact that if they became circumcised the people could be one and that they could live together in unity as one people
Influence is something that has a strong effect on a person or group of people in his or her company. Such a powerful force as in the case of Hamor and Shechem can lead to the change of their own character and even that of their subjects. When entering into a new relationship with others we are to be aware of the degree of influence that person may have us. This works both ways. We are both influenced by the person or group and we also leave our own influence on that person or group. Therefore we are to be very careful when choosing our friends. God is the only friend who will never cheat on us, and who is always trustworthy. As Christians we are also to be a positive influence on others especially non believers in order to set a good example and help them in the formation of their faith.
23 Will not their livestock, their property, and all their animals be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will live among us." 24 And all who went out of the city gate heeded Hamor and his son Shechem; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 23 to 24)
Hamor and Shechem continue to try to influence the people, by playing on their greed. They told the people, that if they become one people, their riches would increase because both peoples could have access to each others sources. All they had to do was agree to be circumcised. The devil works in the same way. He says, 'I will make you happy, but you will have to give me your soul and your chances of one day being with God in heaven.
25 On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and came against the city unawares, and killed all the males. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went away. 27. And the other sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. 29 All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and made their prey.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 25 to 29)
On third day then all the people were in pain after being circumcised the sons of Jacob took this opportunity and killed all the males in the city including and Hamor and his son Shechem for having had abused their sister Dinah. The sons of Jacob and took her out of Shechem's house and went away. The other sons of Jacob came and plundered the city stealing all they had including all their flocks and herds. Their anger and thirst for revenge was so strong that nobody was spared not even the women and children, who when considering the circumstances were totally innocent. In order to spare the life of their sister Dinah the sons of Jacob had committed a great sin. This is the slaughtering of innocent people and the stealing of their goods.
As I said earlier in our lives sometimes we don’t place our faith in God. When doing so we try to take control of our lives and become gods ourselves. Instead of being patient and waiting on God, we take the laws into our own hands and permit ourselves to be driven and controlled by our emotions at the detriment of both ourselves and that of others. The sons of Jacob violated the will of God who was against the slaughtering of humans since the very beginning of creation. Moreover the innocent ended up sharing from the same fate of the guilty party meaning Hamor and Shechem. The latter especially Hamor admitted his sons guilt and did his best to try and compensate for the written injustice in the best way he thought he could, thus showing good will and a strong motivation to seek peace amongst the injured party. On reflecting there was no need for the sons of Jacob to kill all the people of the land and steal their goods. When doing so, it is like deciding to sit on the Judgement throne of God (that is His alone) and pass judgement on others and condition their lives, as if someone had given us the right to exercise control over the life of others.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household."
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 30)
Jacob faced his sons and made them aware of the consequences of their sinful actions. He made his sons aware of the fact, that by killing the people of the land, they did not solve the problem but created a bigger one, especially when considering that when comparing their numbers, with that of all the inhabitants of Canaan their numbers, Jacob's family was a minority.
When we may take a rash decision it is later we realise what harm we have done we are then worried that what will be the consequences next that will happen ,as I said rash decision may suit u for time being but it bring more problem to us than good as it happen in case of Jacob family as his son took the matter in their hands and took a rash decision their family now faced a threat of destruction.
31 But they said, "Should our sister be treated like a whore?"
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 31)
Jacob's sons try to justify the act of murder, by implying that if they had not committed the negative act of killing Shechem and his relatives they would have accepted and justified the fact that their sister was abused by Shechem. Therefore according to the sons of Jacob their means (murder) justified the ends (the confirmation that their sister was not a whore and neither was she to be treated as one) We never need to justify ourselves before God because He know us inside out, in the sense of what we have done, what we wished to do, what we had planned to do and even what could have happened had it not been for circumstances beyond our control. When considering that God is totally just and reasonable, God would have done justice with the sons of Jacob, without permitting the shedding of blood and loss of life.
In life when people start to gain unlimited power, this leads to the abuse of that same power or authority. According to Mr. Devain Ajit Pawar the author of this chapter in India he has witnessed cases of abuse of power. According to Mr. Devain Ajit Pewar rich and powerful people who have money and important and powerful contacts people act as rulers over those who are very poor or are not as rich as themselves, to the extent that they are even ready to inflict harm on them in order to get what they want from them.
Such thing also happens on a personal level. When we start to taking control of our lives we start acting according to our decisions and not according to the will of God as found in His Word or in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church which He left us as practical reference on which to base our behaviour. When disobeying His will we may end up hurting each other and gradually start to neglect God who plays an important role in our life. As sons and daughters of God by means of our disobedience as in the case of our earthly fathers and mothers we worry our parents and even God who cares for us and loves us even more than our own parents.
3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the girl, and spoke tenderly to her.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 3)
After forcefully sleeping with Dinah Shechem son of Hamor who was the prince of the region, grew fond of Dinah and became attracted to her. In order to convince her to be totally his Shechem spoke kindly to Dinah and tried to be polite with her in order to persuade her that he was attracted to her and that he was a good person.
The devil also works in a similar way. His one and only aim in life is to destroy our bond with God. The devil portrays himself as being a kind, generous and loving person who is always there in our lives as a caring and supportive presence who is always ready to offer us his help. However what we do not perceive in our situations is that what we may consider as help or deceptive ideas that may help us handle the situation to our sinful advantage and 'solving our problems' is actually the devil's plans and techniques of messing up our lives by making us commit one sin after another. This is the devil's way of destroying our spiritual relationship with God and in the process destroying our happiness that only God can give
4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, "Get me this girl to be my wife."
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 4)
Shechem was still not satisfied with raping and sleeping with Dinah. He wanted more than a one night stand. He wanted to completely possess her as his own as in the case of his servants and flocks in order to increase his power. In order to reach his goal he made use of his father and his unlimited power in order to make the necessary arrangements.
As humans we are all ambitious in our own ways. We have a strong craving or desire to have more and more and are never satisfied with what God have given to us. In this behavioural trait we resemble the devil who is always ambitious and is never satisfied with the degree of harm he inflicts on humans. His only aim is to destroy as many lives as possible and drag as many souls into hell as he possibly can.
5 Now Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah; but his sons were with his cattle in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 5)
Although Jacob had heard about, what Shechem had done to his daughter, he held his temper and controlled himself instead of raising the alarm and declaring war on Shechem. Jacob waited for his sons to come back from the fields with their cattle to discuss this matter. It was a family issue and therefore it needed to be treated as such in the spirit of a family. It is very important to discuss issues as a family instead of acting personally in the spurt of the moment and making decisions that would cause more harm than good. Moreover it is more important for the family to pray for the guidance of God in order to illuminate our ways, so that we could make the right decisions
6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 6)
Hamor who was shechem's father went to Jacob to speak with him regarding what had happened between his son and Jacob's daughter. Like Shechem and Jacob,God always acts as a negotiator no matter how much we sin. God is aware of our human weakness and the evil of the devil who is always ready to tempt us to act against the will of God. Moreover when we come back to our senses in repentance, on having cooperated with the grace of God, He will be ready to negotiate a new action plan in order to keep us on track and not fall into the same temptation.
7 just as the sons of Jacob came in from the field. When they heard of it, the men were indignant and very angry, because he had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 7)
Jacob's sons came back from the field. On becoming aware of what had happened they were very angry. Once we are in a negative spirit of anger, the devil prompts us to commit even more negative and sinful acts, by stimulating our feelings and as in this case seek revenge for the injustice that had been committed against their sister. On comparing Jacob and Shechem with Jacob's sons we can conclude that Jacob and Shechem who were older in age than the sons of Jacob aimed at dialogue, which is a more peaceful and rational way to reach a healthy solution. On the other hand, Jacob's sons, who were still young and irrational were instantly stimulated on avenging the sin committed against their sister, without stopping to consider the consequences of their actions on both the long and short term. When God is alive in our hearts and minds as in the case of Jacob, our attitude to life changes. Our aims and reactions, will not be so carnal and emotional as much as when we were away from God.
Whenever things do not go our way, our first reaction may be that of becoming angry and start thinking ill of the opposing party whom we may perceive as being our enemy or opponent. During such situations we may only focus on the negative consequences of the situation and put aside, the positive consequences. During such moments we are to keep in mind that God always has an emergency backup plan for every situation, therefore in every situation we are to seek God's will in a spirit of prayer and lay our problem or challenge in the hands of Jesus who is sure to show us the positive solutions or coping skills in order to solve or cope with the consequences of the given situation.
A typical example is that of a a person is facing a terminal disease. The doctor informs the person that he has only a short time to live. Instead of reflecting on the good times that they had in their life they spend the remaining time of their life, feeling sad. They may start thinking that even God is against the person so much that He has decided to shorten his life span.
8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The heart of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in marriage.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 8)
Instead of punishing his son Shechem his father tried to find what he perceived as to be a reasonable solution in the given situation and arrange for his son and Dinah to be married. Like Hamor Shechem's father God always attempts to negotiate with us through our conscience or significant others or even by means of his Holy Word that we are reflecting on, in order to help us reach the best solution to our problems. However, the devil is always present and ready to mess up the situation and destroy any possible alternatives to reach a peaceful conclusion.
As in the given situation, Hamor's decision was not one coming from God. Since His first encounter with Abraham God strictly told him that neither he or his offspring were to join in marriage with the people of Canaan, who were totally pagan in their ways and a risk for the spiritual welfare of the sons and daughters of God. Therefore the marriage proposal was totally against God's will. On the other hand marrying a lady because one has abused her in order to patch up the situation is not a good option, especially if one considers that the injured party has been robbed of her innocence and chastity that is a very precious thing. Moreover it is also good to keep in mind that Dinah who represents all raped women was emotionally hurt and would have perceived her abuser with hatred and not with love for ever. Therefore in such a situation the outcome of the marriage would surely not have been a positive one.
9 Make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You shall live with us; and the land shall be open to you; live and trade in it, and get property in it."11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, "Let me find favor with you, and whatever you say to me I will give. 12 Put the marriage present and gift as high as you like, and I will give whatever you ask me; only give me the girl to be my wife."
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 9 to 12)
Hamor in name of his son Shechem offers Jacob and his sons the opportunity of marrying his daughters amongst other privileges if the marriage between Dinah and his son was to take place. Hamor guaranteed their security in the land of Canaan and even a prosperous future.
The devil works in the same way. He promises us a life that is free of pain, poverty and hardships, however this comes at a price, that is not mentioned by the devil at the time of the arrangement. This is the damnation of our soul in eternal fire in hell. In contrast to the messages of the devil we are to place our trust in God and refer to him when in the process of making important decisions. We are to always pray to God to deliver us from the devil's games and traps so that we may not fall into temptation.
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 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.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 13 to 14)
Jacob's sons wisely answered that even if they wanted to they could never accept Hamor's proposal because of the fact that they had been circumcised to God in their flesh. On reflecting the sons of Jacob considered their promise to God as something that they they could not violate. Satan also offers us many beautiful things or opportunities that in themselves appear to be promising, however somehow there is always a catch in such promises.
However on going back to verses thirteen and fourteen, it seems that this was only part of a deceitful plan and not an issue of honest concern that had any consideration for their commitment to God. This is proved by the fact that in Genesis chapter 34, we find written that the sons of Jacob answered Shechem 'deceitfully'. This means that they had a plan in their mind that they were either implementing or had the intention of executing.
15 Only on this condition will we consent to you: that you will become as we are and every male among you be circumcised. 16 Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 15 to 16)
After discussing as a family the sons of Jacob as part of their deceitful plan agree with Shechem's proposal to take his daughters in marriage and permit their sister to marry Hamor only on one condition. This was that all of their mail members will be circumcised in their flesh, as an act of faith to God. On reflecting in truth it was not a bad idea even in the Christian life. The condition that the foreign member becomes a Christian is very positive, however this condition can be easily abused in order to full fill personal agendas, such as that of achieving the status of a citizen in that particular land. This is the case of Malta. Cases of foreigners and or immigrants are persuading Maltese ladies to marry in order to claim citizenship, however after they marry, they impose foreign values of spiritual beliefs that are not in favour of Christianity. Moreover some such women end up denied of their liberty and dignity and spiritual values and beliefs. Moreover they end up treated as property of their husbands who act according to their religions, traditions and customs.
17 But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone."
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 17)
The sons of Jacob make their own criteria in order to settle the issue that suited the plan that they had in mind. Shechem was left with not other option but to obey if he wanted the marriage to take place. Our human nature dictates to us, that if we want something we want it today. This is called instant gratification. We have been wired like that since we were children and it has remained built into our system. Its only with alot of work and prayer that we are free from such mental programming. There are some of us who are ready even to give up their faith in order to get what they want even if this means the abuse and impoverishment of others. As in the case of the sons of Jacob who knew how badly Shechem, wanted Dinah and his son to be married, they manipulated the situation in order to avenge the abuse of their sister Dinah.
18 Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor's son Shechem.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 18)
Shechem perceived that the conditions proposed by the sons of Jacob could easily be met, therefore he accepted the quick and easy solution. Shechem was ready to give up his own customs and beliefs in order to fulfil his sons wish. On the one hand we can admire him for sacrificing himself and his will in order to settle the issue, on the other hand we can conclude, that in order to obtain a carnal aim, he sacrificed the spiritual for the material, and this is something that we are to be aware of not doing throughout our daily lives.
19 And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his family.
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 19)
The son of Shechem was happy to meet the conditions in order to settle his carnal wishes. It is written that he loved Dinah, however I find it hard to believe that from a one night stand love could spring so easily. Shechem felt that he was the most honoured person in all his family, however as the saying says all that glitters is not gold, and that appearances are deceptive. When we are offered an opportunity such as a job career or a happy marriage that is forever after as in fairy tales, or a purchase that seems to be too good to be true, we are to consider the related consequences and be to hasty to accept the offer.
20 So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21 "These people are friendly with us; let them live in the land and trade in it, for the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters in marriage, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will they agree to live among us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 20 to 22)
Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of the city, the place where important meetings were held. Hamor and Shechem spoke to all the male member of the city and told them about the offer that Jacob and his family had made with him. However nothing is mentioned about Shechem's marriage to Dinah. This means that Shechem is explaining the details of the contract, without referring to the small print. Shechem referred to the fact that if they became circumcised the people could be one and that they could live together in unity as one people
Influence is something that has a strong effect on a person or group of people in his or her company. Such a powerful force as in the case of Hamor and Shechem can lead to the change of their own character and even that of their subjects. When entering into a new relationship with others we are to be aware of the degree of influence that person may have us. This works both ways. We are both influenced by the person or group and we also leave our own influence on that person or group. Therefore we are to be very careful when choosing our friends. God is the only friend who will never cheat on us, and who is always trustworthy. As Christians we are also to be a positive influence on others especially non believers in order to set a good example and help them in the formation of their faith.
23 Will not their livestock, their property, and all their animals be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will live among us." 24 And all who went out of the city gate heeded Hamor and his son Shechem; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 23 to 24)
Hamor and Shechem continue to try to influence the people, by playing on their greed. They told the people, that if they become one people, their riches would increase because both peoples could have access to each others sources. All they had to do was agree to be circumcised. The devil works in the same way. He says, 'I will make you happy, but you will have to give me your soul and your chances of one day being with God in heaven.
25 On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and came against the city unawares, and killed all the males. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went away. 27. And the other sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. 29 All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and made their prey.
(Genesis chapter 34 verses 25 to 29)
On third day then all the people were in pain after being circumcised the sons of Jacob took this opportunity and killed all the males in the city including and Hamor and his son Shechem for having had abused their sister Dinah. The sons of Jacob and took her out of Shechem's house and went away. The other sons of Jacob came and plundered the city stealing all they had including all their flocks and herds. Their anger and thirst for revenge was so strong that nobody was spared not even the women and children, who when considering the circumstances were totally innocent. In order to spare the life of their sister Dinah the sons of Jacob had committed a great sin. This is the slaughtering of innocent people and the stealing of their goods.
As I said earlier in our lives sometimes we don’t place our faith in God. When doing so we try to take control of our lives and become gods ourselves. Instead of being patient and waiting on God, we take the laws into our own hands and permit ourselves to be driven and controlled by our emotions at the detriment of both ourselves and that of others. The sons of Jacob violated the will of God who was against the slaughtering of humans since the very beginning of creation. Moreover the innocent ended up sharing from the same fate of the guilty party meaning Hamor and Shechem. The latter especially Hamor admitted his sons guilt and did his best to try and compensate for the written injustice in the best way he thought he could, thus showing good will and a strong motivation to seek peace amongst the injured party. On reflecting there was no need for the sons of Jacob to kill all the people of the land and steal their goods. When doing so, it is like deciding to sit on the Judgement throne of God (that is His alone) and pass judgement on others and condition their lives, as if someone had given us the right to exercise control over the life of others.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household."
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 30)
Jacob faced his sons and made them aware of the consequences of their sinful actions. He made his sons aware of the fact, that by killing the people of the land, they did not solve the problem but created a bigger one, especially when considering that when comparing their numbers, with that of all the inhabitants of Canaan their numbers, Jacob's family was a minority.
When we may take a rash decision it is later we realise what harm we have done we are then worried that what will be the consequences next that will happen ,as I said rash decision may suit u for time being but it bring more problem to us than good as it happen in case of Jacob family as his son took the matter in their hands and took a rash decision their family now faced a threat of destruction.
31 But they said, "Should our sister be treated like a whore?"
(Genesis chapter 34 verse 31)
Jacob's sons try to justify the act of murder, by implying that if they had not committed the negative act of killing Shechem and his relatives they would have accepted and justified the fact that their sister was abused by Shechem. Therefore according to the sons of Jacob their means (murder) justified the ends (the confirmation that their sister was not a whore and neither was she to be treated as one) We never need to justify ourselves before God because He know us inside out, in the sense of what we have done, what we wished to do, what we had planned to do and even what could have happened had it not been for circumstances beyond our control. When considering that God is totally just and reasonable, God would have done justice with the sons of Jacob, without permitting the shedding of blood and loss of life.
On reflecting we find ourselves doing the same thing in a polite way. Instead of killing each other with a knife or a shot gun, we kill each other with our words or other behaviour. The most effective game is that of being silent and completely ignoring the other person. This is more valid in the case of husband and wives, who might try to hit back at each other by pretending that each other was invisible and avoid communicating with each other on purpose.
I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
God
thank you for helping and making me realise my mistakes. Thank you for being with me and
for making me patient. Sorry if I may have acted rash and even took matters into my hands and did not wait for your answer. Moreover, thank you for being
with me every time. I pray that you keep on blessing me and my dear friends Vince and Shirley Micallef and their family. I pray to you oh God that you will help them through their moments of problems and difficulties, as you have helped me. I would also want to thank you for always being a positive
influence on me and bringing out the positive in me.
Thank You God
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