Crisis Arising From Not Obeying God Fully

<Genesis 34>

1 Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”

5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.

6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.

8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it.”

11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”

13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.

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 obnoxious 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?”

Be wary of having Faith but living by Flesh.

• Obey but not fully.
• Newly named as “Israel” but still living like “Jacob”.

Greatest threat: Assimilation with the world.

• Deadliest danger: Hidden, subtle one.
• Satan’s tool in modern times: Media and Internet.
  • Humanistic ideologies.
  • <Col 2:8> See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
• Assimilation with the world brings discipline.
  • “friendship with the worldmeans enmity against God” <Jas 4:4>
• Protect ourselves with God’s word and purpose.

Must not over-react even when angry.

• Jacob’s sons committed worse sins than Shechem.
• Possible to have right anger yet unrighteous actions.
• “Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” <Jas 1:20>
• Should have been blessing to all nations, but did the opposite.
• When God’s people sin greater than non-believers, they will dismiss the gospel.
• Do not take revenge,my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. <Ro 12:19>
• “In your anger do not sin” <Ep 4:26>.

Guard against the abuse of religion.

• People of Shechem agreed to circumcise for personal gains.
• Jacob’s sons abused the sacred circumcision and used it for revenge.

Yet, this crisis sets Jacob and family back on right track

• Jacob 
• Us: God will also bring us back from detours.
• Discipline 
• Man’s problem: Not the crisis itself but the refusal to repent and submit.