Genesis 34:1-4
1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”
Genesis 34:30-31
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink 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.” 31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
The rape of Dinah is an example of what happens when we remove the restraints of law and morality. Verse 2 says that he saw her, he wanted her, so he seized her and lay with her. Afterwards there was no remorse, but rather an attempt to make it right by marrying her (verse 4). The offer to marry her was good, but without repentance for the rape it would be hard to trust his care for Dinah. We likewise sometimes gloss over our sin and just try to make things look good, ignoring the pain that our sin caused. The actions of Dinah's brothers were overly zealous (I am not condoning revenge killing), but their root desire to protect their sister was appropriate. Jacob unfortunately seems more concerned with what others think than with protecting his daughter (verse 30). Yet Jacob's fears of revenge were unfounded, as God protected Jacob's family (35:5). We need more brothers and fathers to be protective of their sisters and daughters.
God, as a man you have called me to protect women. Yet I confess to often viewing women as objects to be used rather than children of God to protect. Help me to view all women as my sisters and daughters, and to protect and preserve their purity.
1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. 3 And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”
Genesis 34:30-31
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink 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.” 31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
The rape of Dinah is an example of what happens when we remove the restraints of law and morality. Verse 2 says that he saw her, he wanted her, so he seized her and lay with her. Afterwards there was no remorse, but rather an attempt to make it right by marrying her (verse 4). The offer to marry her was good, but without repentance for the rape it would be hard to trust his care for Dinah. We likewise sometimes gloss over our sin and just try to make things look good, ignoring the pain that our sin caused. The actions of Dinah's brothers were overly zealous (I am not condoning revenge killing), but their root desire to protect their sister was appropriate. Jacob unfortunately seems more concerned with what others think than with protecting his daughter (verse 30). Yet Jacob's fears of revenge were unfounded, as God protected Jacob's family (35:5). We need more brothers and fathers to be protective of their sisters and daughters.
God, as a man you have called me to protect women. Yet I confess to often viewing women as objects to be used rather than children of God to protect. Help me to view all women as my sisters and daughters, and to protect and preserve their purity.