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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Genesis Chapter 34

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Moses
Date Penned: (1450-1410 BC)
Overview: The Record of God's Chosen People (c 23-50)
Theme: The Story of Jacob (c 29-36)
Message: Jacob's Sons take Revenge (v 1-31)

Genesis 34 Commentary

(34:1-4) Shechem takes Dinah - Shechem may have been a victim of "Love at first sight." but his actions were impulsive and evil. Not only did he sin against Dinah, he sinned against the entire family (34:6, 7). The consequences of his deed were severe both for his family and for
Jacob's (34:25-31). Even Shechem's declared love for Dinah could not excuse the evil he did by raping her. Don't allow sexual passion to boil over into evil actions. Passion must be controlled.

(34:27-29) Shechem's Consequesces -  When Shechem raped Dinah, the consequences were far greater than he could have imagined. Dinah's brothers were outraged and took revenge. Pain, deceit, and murder followed. Sexual sin is no more sinful than any other sin, but its consequences may be especially devastating.

(34:30, 31) Simeon and Levi's Cosequences - in seeking revenge against Shechem, Simeon and Levi lied, stole, and murdered. Their desire for justice was right, but their ways of achieving it were wrong. Because of their sin, their father cursed them with his dying breath (49:5-7), Generations later, their descendants lost the part of the Promised Land allotted to them. When tempted to return evil for evil, leave revenge to God and spare yourself the dreadful consequences of sin. 


Dave Burnette's Life Application

Sin's Victim


Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. There are many applications we can make from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of Genesis with Chapter 34, and in today's text, we see our focus moves to Jacob's daughter Dinah and how Shechem took her against her will. This wicked event of Shechem put a set of circumstances in motion that caused the wrath of Dinah's Brothers to attack and kill the Shechemites. In making an application, we see how our sin affects others. God hates sin as much as He does because others suffer the consequences of our sins. A drunk driver hits an innocent victim. A teenager has a baby out of wedlock. An addict's family goes hungry. The list goes on and on. All of these stories have innocent victims paying the price of collateral damage. The bottom line is that sin is a selfish act that hurts others. How about you? Do you see the reality of your sin hurting others? Learn from today's text, and the next time you face the temptation to sin, think about the victim of your action.  

 

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Genesis 34


Genesis 34

 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.

 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 their's be our's? 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?