Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Genesis chapter 34 as we continue our study through the Word of God. As we have seen in our studies through Genesis, God called Jacob back to the Promise Land, the land of Canaan. Thus, he leaves his uncle Laban’s house with his family, his servants, his livestock but he comes up short to where God wanted him to be.
First of all he stops in Succoth, which is outside the Promise Land and built a house, made booths or shelters for his livestock, and that tells me he was there for a while. Then, it could be after a few years, he went to Shechem. Yes, Shechem was in the land of Canaan, but it was not where God called him to go. In Genesis 31:13 we are told, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.” And yes, Shechem was only 20 or 30 miles from Bethel, it was close but no cigar!
Now what is the big deal, he is in the land? Yes, he is in the land but he is not where God wanted him to be and thus, there will be consequences to his disobedience. Folks, if you doubt that, then listen carefully to the events that take place in this chapter for they are a good example of what can happen to you and your family when you are living outside the will of God! Yes, it may be close, but it is not where God wants you. With that said, let’s begin reading in Genesis chapter 34, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us as we study His Word.
VERSES 1-4
Dinah, the daughter of Jacob was bored with her eleven brothers and she wanted to see the world you might say. She wanted to see what the other girls were doing and Josephus tells us that she went out during a pagan festival. First of all Jacob should have been watching over her, she really had no business going out into the world for what the world would do to her was not going to be good! That is a good warning to parents, to watch over your children because the world is trying to pull them way from God and if you are not where God wants you to be, it will affect your children!
Now when we read what Shechem did to Dinah, we are outraged and rightly so. Some say she was not raped but I believe that is what the text is saying here, for he “violated” her! Please understand that in that pagan society, what he did was not wrong, if you can believe that.
Morris tells us, “Unattached young women were considered fair game in cities of the time, in which promiscuity was not only common but, in fact, a part of the very religious system itself” And Leupold said, “This occurrence serves to illustrate the low standard of morals prevalent among the Canaanites. Any unattended female could be raped, and in the transactions that ensue neither father nor son feel the need of apologizing for or excusing what had been committed.”
That is why Jacob, or at least one of the reasons he should have stopped Dinah from going into this city in the first place. And folks, the world is no different today. If you think it is, then listen to this:
Consider the results of a survey conducted in 1988 by the Rhode Island Rape Crisis Center. Some 1,700 students between the sixth and ninth grade attended adolescent assault awareness classes conducted in schools across the state. Each boy and girl was asked if a man should have a right to force a woman to have sexual intercourse if he had spent money on her.
The results were shocking. Nearly 25 percent of the boys and 16 percent of the girls said “yes”! Then 65 percent of the boys and 47 percent of the girls in the seventh through ninth grades said it is okay for a man to force a woman to have sex with him if they have dated for six months or longer. And 51 percent of the boys and 41 percent of the girls said a man has a right to force a woman to kiss him if he spent “a lot of money on her” which was defined by 12-year-olds as $10 to $15.
I must admit to being shocked by these findings, and yet, not really. These young students merely learned the lessons they were taught by the value-free educational system. Their teachers taught them in sex education classes that there is nothing right or wrong, no standard for moral judgment. “It all depends on how you see the matter, Johnny.” It turns out Johnny sees it rather brutally.
Johnny's older brothers learned their lessons well, too. In a classic study at UCLA, Malamuth and Feshback found that 51 percent of male sophomores said they would rape a woman if they knew they would never get caught. This is the legacy of moral relativism, just one generation removed.
- J. Dobson & Gary Bauer, Children at Risk, pp. 258-259
Now, as some read this they say that Shechem fell in love with Dinah, even though he raped her, and he wanted to make it right and thus, he wanted to marry her! I don’t think so. He didn’t love her. He lusted after her. He was not interested in caring for her, what he could do for her, but what he could get from her. In fact, if you are still unsure, listen to how he asks his dad to get Dinah for him, “Get me this young woman as a wife.” The Living Bible puts this verse like this, “‘Get this girl for me,’ he demanded. ‘I want to marry her.’” Genesis 34:4. It sounds a lot like Samson and what he told his parents about getting a woman for him, a pagan woman! In Judges 14:1-3 we are told of this incident, “Now Samson went down to Timnah, and saw a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines. So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, ‘I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.’ Then his father and mother said to him, ‘Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?’ And Samson said to his father, ‘Get her for me, for she pleases me well.’” At least his parents tried to persuade him, but he refused to listen and they did as Samson told them, instead of doing what was right!
Now for this man Shechem, this was not a godly love for Dinah. How do I know that? Simply, Paul tells us in I Corinthians 13:4-8a, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” You see, love waits while lust takes! Love is others-centered. Lust is self-centered! Where are you at in your relationship?
VERSES 5-7
So when Jacob finds out that “Someone’s been in the kitchen with Dinah” so to speak, he does nothing! I have two daughter-in-laws and if anyone did anything to them, even their husbands, my sons, I would be outraged and I would do something. Here Jacob’s daughter is raped and he does absolutely nothing. Now, as her brothers hear what happened, they are outraged, they are angry and they will take things into their own hands since their dad won’t. This is not going to be a good thing folks, letting the flesh control their actions.
VERSES 8-12
God told Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to separate from the world and along comes Hamor, the father of Shechem and offers Jacob all that the world has to offer and the key here is the offer to intermarry with the Canaanites. Satan’s attempt to pollute, corrupt the Messianic linage and prevent the Messiah from coming from the seed of the woman!
As you read this it does seem that Hamor and Shechem are very generous as they say, “ . . . ‘Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.’” Genesis 34:11-12. In other words, “Name your price and we will pay it!” Please don’t miss the point, he raped Dinah and now he wants to pay off her father to make this go away! But again, Jacob is not where he should be in his walk with the Lord and it is not only affecting him, it is also affecting his children, his family!
VERSES 13-17
Where did the sons of Jacob learn this deceitfulness? Yes, the heart of man is wicked, but they also had a good teacher, their father Jacob! And they learned the lesson well. And isn’t it interesting how they use spiritual things to cover up their deceitful plan! This covenant of circumcision, which was practiced by some pagan cultures at that time, was given to Abraham by God as a covenant with God’s people and it was not something that they could just give away! Yes, Shechem violated their sister Dinah, but that did not justify their actions.
Now it is up to Hamor and Shechem, will they agree to this plan and have all the males of their city circumcised or will they reject it? Please keep in mind that circumcision back then was not done with anesthesia and a scalpel or knife, but with a STONE! I feel sick just thinking about it so let’s move on!
VERSES 18-24
Hamor and Shechem agree to this deal and now they have to sell it to the men of the city. I kind of picture it like this. “Men, we have a proposition for you. The family of Judah is wealthy and they live in our land, have many possessions. They have many women that can be ours. You have to be circumcised. And we can gain their possessions and did I tell you about the women!” I don’t think they dwelt long on that circumcision part, would you? What I do find amazing is the men agreed to this, but why? It is amazing what men will do for women and wealth, isn’t it! That truly was the motivating force behind them being circumcised!
VERSES 25-29
They were in pain on the third day – hey, if I saw someone picking up a stone to do that to me, I would be in pain before it even began! In fact, I’m hurting already just thinking about this. But at this point, on the third day, they were in bad shape, they couldn’t fight, I bet they had a hard time walking! It was at this point that Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, came into the city and killed Hamor, Shechem and the men of the city, plundering the city. And in their hearts they felt they did what was right but the punishment did not fit the crime. Just because they were successful does not mean that God blessed them and honored what they did. Not at all!
VERSES 30-31
Who is Jacob concerned with here? He is concerned about himself and what these other nations, the inhabitants of the land will think about what his sons have done and they may come after him. There is no concern for Dinah, or the death of the people of Shechem. Thus, notice that God calls him Jacob here, schemer, heel-catcher instead of Israel, governed by God! He should have dealt with the sin of his sons, and the sin of Shechem and comforted Dinah, but he didn’t, at least not at this point. And the reality is, he could have prevented this by stopping Dinah from going in the first place!
At the end of Jacob’s life, when he is about to die, he prophesied over his 12 sons, and this is what he had to say about Simeon and Levi for what they did here in Genesis chapter 34, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel.” Genesis 49:5-7. Yes, he did Rebuke them but a little too late!
As bad as this was, God is not done with Jacob, He is not finished with him as we will see as we move into chapter 35 this evening.
VERSE 1
Here in Genesis chapter 35 God is mentioned more than 10 times and Bethel and Israel, which contain the name of God, is mentioned another 11 times. But, when you go back to Genesis chapter 34 the name of God is not mentioned once! The point is simple. When you are not in the place God wants you to be, you will not mention God; you will not seek after God, just as we see here. And look at the mess Jacob brought upon himself and his family because he did not obey God!
So what does God do here? “That is it! I have had it up to here with you Jacob, you are done!” No, that is not what God does. He tells Jacob, “ . . . ‘Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.’” Jacob does not get benched by God but God tells him to separate from the world and go to the house of God, go to Bethel, which is the place he was suppose to go when he left Padan Aram! I am so thankful that our God is gracious and merciful. Yes, God does not condone our sin, our rebellion, but He does call us out of it, to return to our first love, to Jesus! You see, it is as Barnhouse wrote, “The only cure for worldliness is to separate from it.” Jacob had to leave Shechem and go to Bethel. Is God calling you to leave those worldly things and get back to the house of God, back to Bethel as He did with Jacob? Do as Jacob did and listen to Him!
VERSES 2-4
Jacob was the spiritual leader of the family and as his walk with God was distant, it affected his family – they gathered idols! But now Jacob gets right with God and it also affects his family in a positive way, they got rid of their idols, their gods. Men, be a godly example to your family because it will affect your wife, your children, even other family members!
Jacob tells his family that they need to change their garments, why? Barnhouse put it like this, “Throughout the Bible, garments symbolized character. The inward life of the unregenerate is compared to a polluted garment.” You see, when God touches your life inwardly, it will overflow in your outward actions. Every aspect of your life will be affected, even your dress. Now clothes, behavior, the things we do don’t save us, Jesus does. But they do show where a person is at with the Lord! Paul put it like this in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Also, in Ephesians 4:17-24 Paul tells us, “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Thus, examine your life and get rid of, bury those things that are ungodly! We call this the sanctification process as God is molding and shaping our life down here to fit in up there!
Where do they bury these idols? Under the terebinth tree! Where are we to bury our idols? At the foot of the cross, giving them to Him. Now here’s the thing, once you bury them, don’t go back to dig them up!
VERSES 5-7
Simeon and Levi had caused problems by killing Hamor and Shechem, besides the rest of the males of that city. But God’s grace covered them as they journeyed. You see, as they walked with the Lord, no one could touch them. In fact, as dangerous as this journey was to Bethel, it was far safer than being anywhere else because Jacob was in the center of God’s will and that is the safest place to be!
God still does that today; He protects us, watches over us. Remember in Acts chapter 4, Peter and John are arrested by the Jewish religious leaders for preaching about Jesus and the resurrection from the dead, and healing a man who was lame from his mothers womb. But since they had no real charges against these men, they let them go and told them not to speak of Jesus any longer, like that was going to stop them. And in Acts 4:23-31 we are told, “And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: “Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.” For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. . . .
. . . Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Thus, no matter what comes upon you, walk by faith and God will give you the grace you need to see you through every situation!
VERSE 8
Remember Rebekah, Jacob’s mother died while Jacob was gone those 20 years, he never saw her again on this side of eternity because he tried to help God out and get the blessing from his father Isaac, he deceived his father into thinking he was Esau and thus, got the blessing. But God told his mother Rebekah that Jacob would be the one blessed when he was still in the womb, but not trusting God caused this mess and like I said, his mother died and he never saw her again. Now her beloved nurse, Deborah, the one who cared for Jacob has died. We truly don’t know anything more about this woman but God chose to mention her name and her death here in Genesis. Which is interesting to me because we do not see the mention of Rebekah’s death until years later, at the end of Jacob’s life in Genesis 49:31!
VERSES 9-15
When did God appear to Jacob? After he separated himself from the world, after he returned to his first love and that relationship with God was then restored. Now please understand this. God is not calling for Christians to isolate themselves on some island away from the worldly people. What He is saying is that we are to be in the world shinning the light of Christ to the lost but don’t be of the world. In other words, a boat is of no real value out of the water, but place it in water and it works beautifully, that is what it was created to do. The problem comes not when the boat is in the water but when the water gets into the boat and then it is sunk!
The same is true for us Christians. We are to function in the world by bringing people to Jesus but as soon as we let the world get in us, our witness is gone, our light begins to dim, we are sunk! The solution is like that for Jacob; REMEMBER your walk with God when you first got saved. REPENT of your sin before the Lord. And REPEAT the things you did when you first were saved, when you walked with God! Return to your first love!
Why did God have to remind Jacob of his name, that it was changed to Israel? Because he was acting more like Jacob than Israel and thus, God is reminding him who he really is, not what he was! Folks, don’t we struggle with that issue? Of course we do! You see, we are a new creation in Christ, those old things have passed away, God has given to us a new heart and yet, we act like Jacob from time-to-time instead of Israel. We are schemers instead of governed by God! And God, through His Word reminds us of who we are in Christ so that we may walk accordingly!
We also see God re-affirm the covenant He made with Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham and his father Isaac and now with him. This was not something new; he just needed to be reminded of these promises. Folks, how often do we need to be reminded of God’s promises to us? We tend to base our salvation on our good works and when we fail, we get discouraged. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and what God is doing on the inside of us will overflow in our actions, the things that we do. Our actions don’t save us, but they can show if we are saved or not. Thus, hold onto the promises of God, they are precious.
As God finishes speaking with Jacob, Jacob sets up a pillar and worships the Lord, calling the place the house of God – Bethel! Now this drink offering is interesting to me because Paul picks up on it in the New Testament. In Philippians 2:17-18 Paul wrote, “Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me.”
During Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome he wrote this to the Philippians, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.” Philippians 1:21-26.
And Paul was released from prison for a period of time but now he has been re-arrested and he knows his time is short, he knows he is going to be put to death for his faith in Christ this time! That is what he is talking about in II Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Paul saw his life ending like a drink offering to the Lord, (Numbers 15:1-10). You see, first there was the burnt offering to the Lord, then the grain offering and the last offering was the drink offering. It is as Hiebert said, “His whole life has been presented to God as a living sacrifice; now his death, comparable to the pouring out of the wine as the last act of the sacrificial ceremony, will complete the sacrifice.”
The word “departure,” ANALUSIS (an-al’-oo-sis) in the Greek, carries with it a few different ideas. It speaks of the unloosing of a ship from its moors, as Paul is ready to set sail home to heaven. It speaks of the unyoking of a weary team of animals after a hard days work, and Paul has finished the work that God has called him to do, he is going to enter that rest. It is the striking of a tent, taking it down so you can move on and Paul was going to leave this earthly tent for a mansion! Paul knew he was going to die and he is passing the mantle of ministry to Timothy, his son in the faith.
Paul uses his life as an example to Timothy. He fought the good fight, he finished the race, he kept the faith and he is waiting to receive his rewards for faithful service when the Lord returns, which tells me he expected the Lord to come soon. Are you fighting the good fight, finishing the race, keeping the faith, awaiting the Lord’s return? Paul is encouraging you to do so and receive the rewards that you will one day present at the feet of Jesus for He is the one who has enabled all of us to do these things!
Here is the picture that I believe is being painted for us. Yes, Jacob or Israel was to pour out his life to God, symbolized by the drink offering, the wine. But I also see it apply to the blood of Christ that was shed for our sins on the cross of Calvary by Jesus. His blood was poured out for us! The oil speaks of the Holy Spirit. You see, His blood cleanses us and His Spirit empowers us to serve Him as we lay our lives on the altar of sacrifice for His use! “ . . . ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the Lord of hosts.’” Zechariah 4:6.
VERSES 16-18
Remember back in Genesis 30:1 as Rachel said, “ . . . ‘Give me children, or else I die!’” And in Genesis 30:22-24 we are told, “Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son, and said, ‘God has taken away my reproach.’ So she called his name Joseph, and said, ‘The Lord shall add to me another son.’” God did give her another son but in the process of giving birth she died! And this time of joy became a time of sorrow and before she dies she calls this child Ben-Oni or “son of my sorrow.”
All those years of competition with her sister Leah were now meaningless and how true that is for us today. The arguments, the struggles we have with the brethren, in the end will be meaningless. I will guarantee you this, in heaven you will not be asking the Lord who was right and who was wrong in the battles you fought on this earth, it won’t matter! So if it doesn’t matter in heaven, let it go now! And please understand I am not talking about doctrinal issues or matters of sin, but as we do deal with those, we need to do so in love!
Jacob, being wise, changed the name to Benjamin or “son of my right hand.” He loved Benjamin and Joseph because Rachel bore them and he loved Rachel more than he loved Leah!
VERSES 19-20
Why did this happen to Jacob when he got right with God? Because walking with God doesn’t mean there will be an absence of problems, an absence of tribulation. Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
The Amplified Bible puts it like this, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” May we not forget that because, if we do we will end up taking our eyes off the Lord and be overwhelmed with the situation!
VERSES 21-22a
Notice in verse 20 Jacob buried Rachel – the pain, the sorrow, but Israel now journeyed on. It is a life that has set backs, pain, sorrow, but a life that is governed by God and that will enable us to soar like eagles bringing glory to God!
Reuben, Jacob’s first born had sexual relations with his father’s concubine, in a sense, his stepmother! What was he thinking? Maybe he thought, since he was the oldest son, dad was getting old; he would now take over the leadership in the family. But how foolish if that was the case. Or it may have just been lust, we don’t know for sure. But we do know that Rueben, Simeon and Levi sinned and lost out on some of the blessings God had for them. In Genesis 49:3-4, as Jacob is giving the blessings to his sons, he says to Reuben, “Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father's bed; Then you defiled it — He went up to my couch.” Jacob didn’t deal with this issue until he was about to die!
VERSES 22b-26
Here are the 12 sons of Jacob, that will become the 12 tribes of Israel, not exactly a stellar group of men and yet God will use them mightily. How can that be? Because God is gracious and merciful and He uses imperfect people to do His work because the reality is, there are no perfect people, none are good, no not one! It is as II Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. . . .”
VERSE 27
Remember in Genesis chapter 27 when Isaac thought he was going to die and he was giving the blessing to Esau, at least he thought it was Esau. It was really Jacob. Well, it has been maybe 50 years since then and he is still alive. Yes, his eyesight was poor, he was not healthy, but he reminds me of Fred Sanford from Sanford and Son who every week would cry out, “I’m coming home Elizabeth!” as he clutched his chest! The only reason he said that was because he was in trouble. Here’s the point. God numbers our days and thus, may we be wise in how we use them. Our lives are in His hand and thus, we need to work until He calls us home!
VERSES 28-29
I wonder how that encounter with Esau went since years earlier Jacob said he would meet up with Esau in Seir, but Jacob lied and went the other way. It seems like Esau let it go, he knew his brother and here they are gathered together to bury their father Isaac.
Let me close on this. In Matthew 6:19-21 we are told, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where is your treasure? Are you Jacob the schemer or Israel, governed by God? Do you need to lay your idols at the foot of the cross, bury them and walk with the Lord? You see, wherever your treasure is, that is where your heart will be! Bring those idols and bury them and walk in faith as you follow Jesus!