Review of Genesis 34

— by Victor Fawole

I welcome everyone to the reading and review of Genesis 34, our focus for today’s Bible reading. What a chapter! The deception of violence and its accompanying force were employed by different people in this chapter. However, there are lessons we can pick from this chapter, and we cannot afford to gloss over them. Let us review:

1. DEAR DAUGHTERS…

Gen. 34:1-2 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

Here, we read one of the most shameful events in the history of Israel. Dinah “the daughter of Leah” was sexually assaulted. We may criticize her for her desire to see the daughters of the land, but we have to investigate the parental failure that introduced her to unsupervised civilization. Oh, how many parents there are today, who do not care much about the media contents that their children consume, the friends that their children follow, the sites that their children browse, the thoughts that their children process, and even the words that their children speak!

Shechem “saw” her, “took” her, “laid” with her, and “defiled” her. Majority of the world’s evils and violence starts with a “seeing” and continues with a “taking” (by deception, manipulation, or force). Shechem’s actions speak of physical, emotional and cultural violation. Dinah’s experience speaks of humiliation, oppression, and exploitation.

Dear daughter (son) of Abba, I really don’t know what nature of humiliation, oppression, or exploitation you have experienced in the past, or the ones you are experiencing right now. Is it from a boss, a government, a spouse, a relative, an elder, or even machinations of the devil. I have some good news for you. God cares so much for you, and wants you delivered!

Luke 13:11-12 A woman there had an evil spirit that had made her ill for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, “Woman, you are free from your illness!”

Psa. 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Dinah must have been more disheartened by her father’s reaction (or should I say “inaction” – we’ll get to that soon!). She must have felt forsaken by the biological vehicles that brought her to this world.

Dear daughter (son) of Abba, I really don’t know what your relationship with your father or mother (or both) looks like. Maybe it speaks of parental neglect, or insensitive and cruel disregard, or parental abuse, or any kind of strain in a relationship. I have some more good news for you:

Psa. 27:10 “My father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.”

Isa. 49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.

Hallelujah!

2. DEAR DADDIES…

Gen. 34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

Jacob held his peace… In the NIV, that part reads: “…so he did nothing about it…” Not only were there evidences of lack of parental supervision on the part of Jacob, he also showed apathy to the news of Dinah’s rape. A normal father would be sickened and heartbroken by his daughter’s rape. When we compare how Jacob reacted here to how he reacted on hearing the “concocted” news of Joseph’s fake death, one would be surprised at what kind of a father he was.

The father of the house delegated his responsibilities as a father. He waited for Dinah’s brothers to come and “deal with the matter”. His daughter was at her lowest and must be have looked up to him for emotional support, reassuring love, and probably justice. But he failed her.

As parents, we have the responsibility of building safe spaces for our children, regulating their access and exposure to the civilizations around us, shielding them from abusers, standing up for them against oppressors, providing emotional support and parental care at all times.

May God shield our children from the evils of this world in Jesus name! Amen.

3. DEAR DUDES…

Gen. 34:7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter: which thing ought not to be done.

To the sons of Jacob, their family’s honour had just been violated! They were “grieved” and “very wroth”. To them, Shechem’s action meant that he took the family for fools. Motivated by a desire to avenge their sister’s rape and defend their family’s honour, Simeon and Levi devised a plan that led to a massacre. They employed deception before they unleashed their violence. They even employed God’s covenant of circumcision, using a spiritually significant practice as a leeway for their evil plans.

As believers, we have clear scriptural instructions on how to respond to abusers and oppressors, especially those who have made it abundantly clear that their mission is to destroy us:

• Report them to God

Psa. 140:1-4 Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men Who devise evil things in their hearts; They continually stir up wars. They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah. Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men Who have purposed to trip up my feet.

2Thess. 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;

• Report them to the Government
  For civil or criminal offences that the government has established agencies or authorities to deal with, you can report such cases. Abusers have to be held accountable for their actions.

Prov. 31:8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Isa. 1:17 learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

I agree that there are other useful steps we can take. However, we must not put ourselves in the position of an avenger. We should not give room for bitterness or hatred in our hearts, for they can lead us to seek retaliation at all costs, not minding the depth of damage that would create. Even when we report our “enemies” to God, we are not to dictate to God the particular kind of punishment we want for them. Ours is to pray for God’s speedy intervention and sure protection. Ours is to watch and pray, God’s is to act.

Rom. 12:17-19 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 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.

Prov. 20:22 Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.

Before I round up this review, one might be wondering where God was in this chapter. In fact, there was no mention of God at all. He seemed “silent” while all of the evils flew around. However, when we read with our grace lenses, we can see Christ in this chapter.

Jesus is the One who was defiled by the sons of men, even unto death. However, Jesus did not “do nothing” like Jacob nor avenge himself on men like Jacob’s sons. Jesus was fully active, graciously proactive, and mercifully reactive.

He took the vengeance we deserved. He is both the offended person and the one who bears the penalty of the offence. This is the gospel. Believe in Him, His works, and His word, and be saved!

Amen.

Grace to you, Church!