As we meet Jacob today, we find him in a place called Shechem. Shechem is an interesting place because it is the place where God will meet with Jacob in the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, Jesus meets a certain Samaritan woman there as well.... at a well. Jacob’s well it is called.
After an exchange of words, Jesus offers the woman salvation and a clean slate. He even calls what He offers her by “living water.”
Shechem was a significant place that Jesus said “He must go to.” In John 4 he said: “I must needs go through Samaria.” Yet, while it was the place God wanted Jesus to go, it was not the place God wanted Jacob to go...but he want anyway.
Following God’s direction is imperative for our lives. Yet, there are many people in the Bible who refused to go in the direction God intended for their life.
· Instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah got on a boat headed in the opposite direction to
Joppa.
· Instead of going to Rome, Paul insisted on going to Jerusalem.
· Instead of going to Bethel, Jacob decided to go to Shechem.
One thing is for certain, in each instance and illustration in scripture, going in a different direction than God’s leadership was disastrous.
Today’s story is a series of stories. Stories about mistakes that all started with Jacob going his own way.
In Genesis 28, long before Jacob left the promised land, God met with Jacob in Bethel, and later would call him to return there. Yet, in disobedience, Jacob went to Shechem. He went his own way. He charted his own path. He made his own plans.
I guess we’ve all done that haven’t we? Isaiah 53:6 says: “All we like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to our own way...”
Often we feel we’ve made irreversible mistakes. So what do we do with the mistakes of our past? Let’s let Jacob teach us from his own mistakes.
Transitional Sentence: What do I do with my irreversible mistakes?
I. Don’t Repeat Your Mistakes
vs. 1-6- “Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had born to Jacob...”
Explanation:
One of the things that we learn from Jacob is that he consistently repeated his mistakes instead of repenting and changing; he kept making the same mistakes.
The reason? Jacob had preferences. He did not want to go to Bethel; so he went to Shechem, build an altar there, and basically was saying to God; I don’t want to go back to where your promised to meet me again; I want you to meet me in Shechem.
The Bible does not tell us why Jacob chose Shechem as his new city. It does not give a lot of detail about it but from ancient studies of the city we know that it was a popular place to live. The ancient historian Josephus even tells us that the city had “festivals” and “entertainment”.
As a matter of fact, Josephus adds to the Genesis 34 story declaring that Jacob’s daughter Dinah was on meeting the girls to attend a festival in Shechem when the events of Genesis 34 transpired.
Jacob had preferences.
Yet, he didn’t just have preferences when it came to his “hometown” he had preferences when it came to his home.
One of Jacob’s primary mistakes was the mistake of favoritism.
James 2:1 says: “My brothers, show no partiality (favoritism) as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory...”
Yet, Jacob was consumed with favoritism in his family life and the ugliness of his favoritism was replicated and ravished his family continually.
In Jacob’s family there were VIP’s---namely Rachel and Joseph. We saw this in the previous chapter as Jacob expected Esau to attack his family, and Rachel and Joseph were aligned in an order that provided them the most security.
At the bottom of the pecking order of Jacob was Dinah. After all, Jacob had preferences. He preferred “the boys” and specifically Rachel’s boy Joseph.
Dinah is the only daughter of Jacob and Leah. Honestly, this chapter sadly gives testimony of Jacobs lack of concern for her. For one, she’s a girl; and he preferred boys. Second, she’s not the daughter of Jacob’s favorite wife. She is the daughter of Leah.
Interesting enough, in this chapter, the word “daughter” is used 14 times which seems to emphasize the value of her being his daughter, yet Jacob seems to ignore the value of his daughter, and be more consumed with the value of his reputation. (But we will get to that)
As the story unfolds we read verse one that reads: “Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she borne to Jacob went out to visit the daughters of the land.” Vs. 1
Notice, she goes alone. This would have been a terrible idea in that day. Women rarely traveled anywhere alone. They at least traveled in groups; even across town. Not to mention, Shechem was a terribly wicked and sinful city.
The verse continues to tell us that she went out to visit with the “daughters of the land” (vs. 1) yet, when she arrived, she got involved with the “prince of the land.” This town carried his name. He was “Shechem from Shechem.”
In verse 2 we read what transpired: “When Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.”
Many versions read: “He violated her. Some even say, He raped her.”
At this point, Dinah is around 14-15 years old. She’s just a little girl. She’s a child. Yet, in that culture, she was of marrying age yet, something devastating happens to her. The prince took her, raped her, and kept her.
Shechem was an evil city. Henry Morris explains: “Unattached women were considered fair game in cities (like this) of the time, in which promiscuity was not only common but, in fact, a part of the very religious system itself. It seems likely that Dinah may have been warned about such dangers by her parents, but perhaps she felt she could look out for herself and resented their overprotective attitude.”
Who knows what the situation was with Dinah, but sadly, she had 11 brothers and a Dad to protect and direct her, and obviously somewhere this fell short and the worst happened. She was taken advantage of. She was raped.
Let me ask you: How do you think a father would normally respond in a situation like this. I don’t know about you but it just might buy me a jail ministry. (You know what I mean)
Yet, what is most disturbing about this chapter is the response of her father Jacob. Verse 5 says: “Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with the livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came in.” vs. 5
Are you kidding? He kept silent? He waited till the boys came home? His reaction was silence and sitting? Where’s the outrage? Jacob’s preferences infected his good sense. Do you suppose if this happened to Rachel he would have had the same response? This is all kinds of messed up. His response is crazy.
Illustration: The world is crazy
How many of you know that the world and worldliness is crazy? Yet, the most frightening fact is that many think just the opposite; they think Jesus is crazy.
I was reading about a women who heard on the news that a car was driving the wrong way on the interstate, so she called her husband on the cell phone to see if he was ok.
She said: “Claude you need to be extra careful I heard there was a crazy man driving the wrong way on the interstate.” He responded, “There’s not just one, everybody out here is driving the wrong way on the interstate.”
Application:
One of the most dangerous places to be in life is to be going the wrong way and not recognize it.
I want to tell you today the right way. God’s way is the right way. Yet, Jacob and many others had fallen prey to what I call “the delusion.”
He thought his way was the best. He thought favoritism made sense. He thought that Shechem made sense; yet in reality, his way was senseless, harmful, and downright painful to watch as his daughter suffered from Jacob’s sin that began with selfishness and favoritism that he repeated over and over again.
If you will notice, not once is God’s name even mentioned in Genesis 34. Do you know why? Jacob was doing things his own way, he had pushed God out of his life and was repeating his same mistakes. I encourage you to not repeat Jacob’s sins—I encourage you to do the most sane thing you’ll ever do; abandon your own way and go God’s way/
Transitional Sentence: What do I do with my irreversible mistakes?
II. Don’t Let Your Mistakes Define Who You Are
vs. 6-7- Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak to him. Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it, and the men grieved and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel....”
Explanation:
After Shechem violated Dinah, his character continues to surface. In verse 4 we see him as the abusing punk kid that he is. He was accustomed to getting what he wanted; whether from the girls or his own father.
Prince Shechem in verses 4-5 begins barking orders out to his Dad as we read: “So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Get me this young girl of a wife.” In turn, Hamor, the boy’s father goes down and makes this even worse. He makes a business proposition to Jacob and his sons.
In verse 8-10 we read: “But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter, please give her to him in marriage. Intermarry with us, give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves. Thus you shall live with us, and the land shall be open before you; live and trade in it, and acquire property in it.
Do you see what is happening here? Hamor, Jacob, and the boys are having an family and community pow-wow and Hamor wants to make a business deal to unite their families “as one.”
In that day, arranged marriages were “normal protocol.” Also, it was normal for entire families to have a voice in the decision. In a practical sense, that family voices aren’t a complete bad idea by the way. I don’t know how many young ladies have told me that their Parent’s warned them about a guy they wanted to marry and they didn’t listen and it the Parents ended up being right.
Nonetheless, while Hamor and Shechem were at least honorable in asking; Jacob was out of line in even considering it!
There’s a major problem with this proposition. You see, who married who was a big deal when it came to God’s plan for Jacob’s family.
You see, it would be through his family that the Messiah would come and from the beginning Satan knew lineage mattered and was always trying to disrupt the lineage line that would ultimately bring Jesus.
Yet, Jacob seems quite passive about that as well. Jacob is passive.
Obviously, word is getting around about what happened because verse 7 tells us: “Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard of it...”
Then we read that they were anything but passive as we read:
“...and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel.... (vs. 7)
What is interesting is that this is the first time in the Bible that the nation of Israel is mentioned.
In verse 7 as the sons and “literally” the children of Israel are being formed. There is not nation of Israel as of yet. There is no “land”, “place”, or “possession” called Israel, but suddenly God makes sure the word, the title, the place is mentioned.
Why? Why is the nation of Israel mentioned for the first time.
The reason why is because God is reminding us that despite the depth of weakness and his passive attitude toward his family and God Himself; God is not finished with this man.
He is Israel--- which means “prince” and through this sinful, sickening...messed up... and sin-sick man, by God’s grace a great nation would be formed, God’s people would be established, and a redeemer would come.
I don’t know how you feel when you see this man; but I am appalled and angered by him. Yet, God pushes the pause button and reminds us of the depth of His grace.
Jacob is an example of how low a person can go; and God still bring him back up again.
Illustration: The preacher and the hammer
I heard about a boy who was watching the Pastor next door hammering building a fence in his backyard. As the Pastor was hammering away, he noticed the boy standing and staring.
Smiling the Pastor asked: “Are you watching trying to see how to build a fence?” The boy replied: “No actually, I am watching to see what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer.”
Application:
What Jacob was even considering angers us. This was not about saying a curse word; this was about something that we would consider to be in the “sin stratosphere”—even listening to Hamor makes us feel dirty.
It honestly causes us to ask God, “How could you show grace to a jerk like this?” Well, I hope it causes you to say to yourself, “If God could forgive and use a man like this; certainly he could forgive and use someone like me.”
That’s just the point.
You had no idea God’s grace is that deep did you? It’s so deep its almost offensive until we consider ourselves and understand His grace is also sufficient for you and me.
Henry Ironside defined “grace” well when he said: “Grace is the very opposite of merit... Grace is not only undeserved favor, but it is favor, shown to the one who has deserved the very opposite.”
Jacob—who was renamed “Israel” by God’s grace, will not only be the name of the land where Jesus would come to live, die, and rise up again; but believe it or not; Jesus would be born of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and (guess who else?) Jacob.
Folks—that’s how much grace God has. It was not just enough for Jacob; it’s also enough for you and me.
Transitional Sentence: What do I do with my irreversible mistakes?
III. Learn From Our Mistakes
vs. 14-31- “They said to them. We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, the that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this consider will we consent to you; if you will become like us, in that every male of you will be circumcised.”
Explanation:
The story starts with a rape, but concludes with retaliation.
Verse 12-13 tells us that the sons of Jacob took over the negotiations. Shechem is wanting to pay out a dowry for him to marry Dinah and offers to “do anything or pay anything” to get her name with his on a marriage license. ?
It was then that we discover that Jacob’s sons respond with “deceit” vs. 13 I wonder who they learned that from?
In verses 14-15 they come up with “a condition” for which they say that they will enter into the marriage agreement with the men of Shechem. The condition? All the men have to be circumcised. Not just Hamor and Shechem; but every dude in town.
Can you imagine having a townhall meeting at the city gates and saying: “Listen guys, we’ve got a great deal going with Jacob and the boys. Jacob is one rich guy and has agreed to let us marry into the loot on one condition.”
The men get all excited and say: “Yes, let’s do it, what’s the condition?” “Hmm... well guys, this is going to take you by surprise because it’s going to hit you a little below the belt. But please, think about your back pocket not your front pocket for a minute.”
Moving on......
The men agreed, they were all circumcised and the Bible tells us that on the third day after all these “bris” ceremonies (brit milah) when the men were sore, in pain, and flat on their back, Jacobs sons came in and killed the men, took their women and children as slaves, and looted the city.
The reason for this action is recorded in verse 27 saying: “Jacobs sons came upon the slain and looted the city, because they had defiled their sister.”
They? Do you see what has happened here? The punishment did not fit the crime. They made everyone suffer for one man’s sin. This was not “justice” it was “unbridled retaliation. They rescued their sister, but enslaved all the women in town, the kids, and killed the men.
The Bible tells us that there is no wrong in seeking justice but vengeance belongs to the Lord. (Romans 12: 19-21)
There’s are many lessons to learn from this chapter but all of them can be boiled down to one thing: When God is absent from even one chapter of your life; the result is not life and abundant living; instead, it brings death and division.
Conclusion:
Yet, let me end with one more note about God’s grace.
The two ring leaders of this slaughter was Levi and Simeon; two of the son’s of Leah. They were both men who were known for vengeance and anger.
For example Simeon would be one of the brothers that would sell Joseph into slavery and lie to Jacob saying that he was killed; God was not finished with Simeon’s family.
Simeon’s tribe would dwindle and absorbed into a larger tribe called Judah. Yet, interesting enough, Jesus would come as the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”
Likewise, from Levi God would ultimately God would bring priests from them.
This reminds me a lot of us: Isn’t that what God has done in us? We have been grafted into the family of God and according to the Bible, we are priests unto God?
In Revelation 1: 6-8 we read: “ l will glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. 6 He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
That’s what grace is all about. Washing away our sins and mistakes, and making us something new; Kings and priests to God.
Invitation:
How about it today, will you exchange your mistakes for Jesus the Messiah?
We’ve all got a decision to make today. What’s yours?
a) Perhaps you’ve made mistakes that you are allowing to define you- will you let Jesus
define you?
b) Perhaps you are passively handling God’s desire for involvement in your life. Isn’t it
time to allow Him to renew your passion and purpose?
c) Perhaps you simply need to invite God into your life. Maybe its time for Jesus. You’ve
had enough of your own way and are ready for His.
