Genesis 34:1-31

December 11, 2016

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

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The sermon starts at 17:19 in the audio file.

Or, The High Cost of Dishonorable Conduct

We’ve been told that crime doesn’t pay. And actually, because we live in this world, the one created by the eternal, sovereign, holy Lord, no sin is worth it in the long run. We don’t always see justice, poetic or punitive, but divine math always trumps the rebel’s formula that two wrongs make a right. We do not have a right to do wrong, even in response to a wrong. We’re supposed to do what is right before God.

When Jacob left the land of Canaan some twenty man-years before the events in Genesis 34, he had not done right. He deceived his father to steal his brother’s blessing, and his sin kept him from absolute blessing. But the LORD was gracious to him and met Jacob in Bethel. The LORD personally affirmed that He would give covenant offspring and land to Jacob and promised to be with him and bring him back.

In the meantime, Jacob got married (four times) and had kids (11 sons and at least one daughter). While the circumstances weren’t great with the Laban, it worked in one way to keep Leah or Rachel from being tied to their father or their home when the LORD told Jacob to return. Even in the last chapter, Genesis 33, Jacob’s humility (and God’s common grace) enabled Jacob and Esau to reunite and then walk away again in peace. All is set for Jacob’s return to Bethel to fulfill his vow (see Genesis 28:20-22).

However, Jacob only fulfilled part of the vow. He has recognized the LORD as His God; “he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel,” meaning, “God, the God of Israel,” his new name (Genesis 33:20). But he doesn’t erect that altar in Bethel or pay his vow of a full tenth. Instead, he went to Succoth and built a house and sheds on the outside of Canaan, then went to the city of Shechem inside Canaan where he bought property and settled.

Chapter 34 is a lengthy chapter listing some of the price that Jacob paid for not going to back to Bethel. At the beginning of chapter 35 God directly commands him to return there. If he had gone there, none of this would have happened in the first place.

The “safely” into Canaan and altar building in Genesis 33:18-20 is good. Even camping before the city of Shechem is okay, or it would have been if they had kept going. But he liked something about the city. Jacob even bought some real estate from the sons of Hamor. He didn’t know at the time how much it would cost he and his family.

Problems (verses 1-7)

Jacob had eleven sons and at least one daughter named back in chapter 30. The daughter was identified then because of what happens to her now.

There are two problems that open the chapter, one that leads to the other.

Passionate Dishonor (verses 1-4)

Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. Moses doesn’t tell us why. John Calvin faulted her and Jacob since girls were to stay home under the eye of their father. Dinah was the daughter of Leah, significant because of her full-brothers Levi and Simeon who play a major part in a few paragraphs, and she was probably around 14-15 years old. Was she going out to serve the less fortunate ladies? Was she going out to look for a babysitting job? Was she going out to see her friends at the mall? It’s even possible to translate the infinitive as a passive: “went out to be seen by the women of the land” (see Hamilton).

She was seen, but by Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land. Dinah attracted the attention of the regional royalty, which is impressive. It was also dangerous. He saw her and lay with her and humiliated her. This was sexual assault against an unwilling woman. Where were they? What time of day was it? How did Shechem get her into a private place? Or did he not need to? Shechem forced himself upon Dinah and showed no moral, traditional, [...]