Genesis 34:18-31 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Genesis 34:18-31. Let’s go! 
Genesis 34:18-19 (NIV)
18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.
19 The young man, who was the most honored of all his father’s household, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.
On verses 18-19: Verse 19 describes Shechem as a young man “who was the most honored of all his father’s household” (v19), which suggests that Shechem was a man of reputable status among his people. That Shechem would succumb to the temptation to sexually molest Dinah and rape her is a reminder that no matter how high ranking, powerful or well respected a person may be, no one is immune from temptation and anyone can fall into sin if not careful. But praise God that whenever we are tempted God always provides a way out. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
Genesis 34:20-31 (NIV)
20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to their fellow townsmen.
21 “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.
22 But the men will consent to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are.
23 Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us give our consent to them, and they will settle among us.”
24 All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.
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 a stench 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?”
On verses 20-31: Jacob’s sons execute their deceptive plot. While Shechem, Hamor and all the males in their city are recovering from circumcision, two of Jacob’s sons Simeon and Levi take swords and kill all the males in the city, including Shechem and Hamor. They also plunder the city and kidnap all their women and children (v29). Jacob’s sons did all of this in retaliation for Shechem raping their sister Dinah. Out of rage and revenge, Jacob’s sons end up hurting far more people and committing far more injustices than the hurt and injustice that was originally inflicted upon their sister Dinah and their family.
That what rage and revenge can do. Rage and revenge can give us a skewed sense of justice where now we feel justified to inflict far more pain and cause far more damage than the original pain and damage that was inflicted on us. Think of mass shootings that take place in the United States where the shooter thought he was justified to take out his pain by killing people who had nothing to do with the original hurt they were suffering from.
It’s no wonder Paul says in Ephesians 4:31-32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Is there someone you have rage toward that you need to forgive? Instead of hanging onto rage and plans of retaliation, remember the mercy that God had on you, how He sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins. You will never have to forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you. The distance between you and God was far greater than the distance between you and the person who hurt you. So that you can move on with your life and not be a slave to your past hurts, you need to forgive.
Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me today that rage and retaliation are not the answer when I am hurt, that they only make things worse. Help me God to forgive those who hurt me, knowing that I will never have to forgive anyone more than You have already forgiven me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
