Weathering the Storms of Life
DBF 2/3/02
Storms in our walk with God
Storms stemming from the desires of others
Boy you sure did have a big storm here in Dillingham while I was gone. Man about 30 inches of snow in 24 hours or so. Anywhere else in our country would have come to an absolute standstill, but in Bristol Bay and Alaska we just pick up and go on.
I remember when we lived in Peter’s Creek, we often had storms that would put our power out for a week at a time. At those times we were quiet comforted by our wood stove and our ability to live the rugged lifestyle of Alaska. I praise God, where we are now in Dillingham the longest power outage has been hours instead of days.
Of course the storms that we will walk with Jacob through today are a storm of a different nature. We by our walk often do bring storms into our own lives then we seem surprised when they hit.
One might drink….and the storm that come be domestic violence, alcoholism, sexual immorality, murder…
One might view pornography…and the storm of separation, divorce, prostitution related charges, lack of interest in your wife of your youth…
One might be prideful…and the storms come to make one low…
The bible even tells us that our Christian walk will be faced with storms in life, but we can weather any storm that comes if we are firmly rooted in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
We see Jacob’s family come into a great storm today, one not of Jacob or his families choosing to go into, but he does weather the storm leaning on the God. We do however see things desires of things done by man that are not the desire of God. Let’s join Jacob
Storms in our walk with God
Genesis 34:1-5
1And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. 3And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. 4And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. 5And 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 and his family have come “in peace” “to peace”. We saw the wise stewardship of Jacob shown in our last study by maintaining a separation of the people of God from the inhabitants of the land.
Dinah, Jacob’s daughter went out to see the daughters of the land. She went and tried to make friends of the Canaanite women, which is probably very common for a teenager.
Does God expect you and I to set ourselves apart from the world?
Le 11:44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Le 11:45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Le 19:2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
Le 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
Le 20:26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
De 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
Do you realize how special you are to God?
De 14:2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
Do you carry yourself as the peculiar people of God—Separated from the world in holiness?
1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
We can easily see that anyone who is called a child of God is called to be set apart from the world.
What are things that cause us to run there?
Friendships…
Relationships…
Courtships…
These are things that we are given good godly advice to remain away from. Have no part of darkness, for how can a creature of the light have anything to do with darkness. We cannot and it would have been good if Dinah had not gone to visit the Canaanite girls.
The marriageable age of a female was twelve or thirteen in this time. Dinah was probably in her thirteenth year when she went out to visit the daughters of the land. This is six or seven years after the family had arrived in the land.
Shekem, the prince of the land of peace, decides he really likes Dinah and disgraces her in laying with her.
Today the media would say “What was the problem, she was of age, were sure that he will give a marriage proposal, what’s the big deal”?
We fortunately are not of the media, and should not listen to the reasoning of the world in anything as far as our walk with Christ.
What he really did when--He had wrought folly in Israel—Is the words literally mean: ìàøùéá beyisrael, against Israel. The angel had said, Thy name
shall be called no more Jacob—not only Jacob, but Israel. It was this that aggravated the offense of Shechem; he wrought folly against Israel, the prince of God, in lying with his daughter.
We see Shechem now “Spake to the heart of the damsel.” After having robbed her of her honor, something that can never be regained, he promises to recognize her as his wife.
This is something we absolutely cannot allow to continue, we must protect the women that God has placed under our hands as fathers, uncles, and as men of God.
This is another time I will mention that we must continually tell our children not to marry someone who is part of the world.
2Co 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
Noting this, I would also note that even being a heathen, it is obvious that Shekem decides to try and do the right thing, “Shekem spake unto his father Hamor.”
Jacob shows us what a true man of God does. “Jacob held his peace.”
So many things we do in haste we wish we could later undo, we simply succumb to the will of the flesh and lash out. When we do this “Satan smiles”. Let us always strive to keep any smirk from his cruel lips.
Lu 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Ro 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Ro 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Ro 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Ro 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
Storms stemming from the desires of others
7-31
6And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. 7And 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. 8And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife. 9And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein. 11And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. 12Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife. 13And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister: 14And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: 15But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; 16Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. 17But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
18And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son. 19And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father. 20And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, 21These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. 23Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. 24And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
25And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. 26And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out. 27The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, 29And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house. 30And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. 31And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?
We see the parties come together to resolve this conflict.
Hamer and Jacob, the parents on both sides, are the principals in the negotiation. The sons of Jacob, being brothers of the injured damsel, are present, according to custom. “Wrought fully in Israel;” a standing phrase from this time forward for any deed that falls contrary to the sanctity which should characterize God’s holy people.
Is there something in your life today that would be—wrought fully in Israel?
If so our Holy God calls you to repentance today.
Hamer makes his proposal. “Shekem, my son.” What he proposes a political alliance or amalgamation of the two tribes, to be sealed and actually effected by intermarriage. He offers to make them joint-possessors of the soil, and of the rights of dwelling, trading, and acquiring property. Shekem now speaks with becoming deference and earnestness.
You must admit that these men were trying as hard as any are able to make whatever amends they could for the grievous offence that had been committed.
The sons of Jacob answer with deceit, because they are burning with resentment of the wrong that “ought not to have been done,” and they cannot get them back yet.
Why shouldn’t we as Christian’s go around telling “white lies”?
The penalty for sin in our lives is death, no exceptions as some would have you believe.
Here Jacob’s sons tell half truths. They cannot intermarry with the uncircumcised—God’s same statement on being not unequally yoked, with an exception held in their hearts.
Only on condition that every male be circumcised will they consent. On these terms they promise to “become one people” with them. Otherwise they take their daughter, and depart. Our daughter. They here speak as a family or race, and therefore, call Dinah their daughter, though her brothers are the speakers.
We see that Hamor and Shekem accept the terms, and immediately proceed to carry them into effect. Shekem, does not delayed in carrying them out, by this he does so honor to the agreement.
As in any surgery the people of Shechem are very sore on the third day after the circumcision and Simon and Levi, at the head no doubt of all their father’s men, now fall upon the Shekemites.
There was no glory in the initial act committed by Shekem, nor is their any in their falling upon them while feverish with the circumcision, and killing them.
Simon and Levi would have been nineteen or twenty and at a time in there lives to be led more by passion than patience. All Jacob’s sons join in the sacking of the city. They seized all the cattle and goods, and made captives of their wives and little ones.
Jacob shows that he was not part of this tragedy. Jacob is greatly distressed by this outrage, which is equally contrary to his policy, humanity, and his growth in God.
Jacob has come to know the words of God. Are you able to follow in his path?
Ro 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Jacob also fears that his sons might cause a catastrophe to the promise of God by bringing other nations against him. Jacob states“I am a few men”—men of number that might easily be counted.
Simon and Levi justify their actions their sins. We often justify our actions or lack of actions before God.
If we are ever held in a place where we are to justify anything—it should be that we have held unwavering to the word of God.
There actions may have justified the executioners taking the law into their own hands, or proceeding by fraud and indiscriminate slaughter, but it cannot be justified in the sight of God.
But to get to a point where you are I are able to be led by the Spirit of Truth in all things, we must first acquire the Spirit of Truth in our lives. To do so requires one to accept and admit that they are a sinner, and that they believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came to earth to die for lost sinners as you and I. Next, we must commit our lives to the Lord and renew our minds daily in study and fellowship to grow in Christ liked-ness. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior we ask you to do so now.
If you have any prayer needs or concerns we would love to pray for you and lift you up. Please let me are anyone else in our fellowship know. Remember, God loves you and so do we.
Closing prayer.
