Following Their Father’s Example

Though he believed in God and had been changed in many w3ays, Jacob was still depending on his own abilities to protect him rather than trusting God.  Instead of going on to Edom as he had promised Esau, he turned west, eventually arriving in the Hivite city of Shalem, in an area known as Shechem, according to Genesis 33:18-20.  “And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.  And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for an hundred pieces of money.  And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe-Israel.” 

Jacob had every intention of making that area his home, even buying a piece of property for a home, and built an altar there.  Dinah, his only daughter wanted to meet some girls her age, as Genesis 34:1-4 tells us.  “And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.  And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.  And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.  And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.”  While visiting other girls, Dinah met Shechem, the son of the headman of the region.   They ended up getting sexually involved, and Shechem wanted to marry her.  He asked his dad to make the arrangements. 

God intended the sex act as the ultimate expression of love between a husband and wife, not as just an enjoyable activity between a boy and girl.  Jacob and his sons were upset when they heard what had happened, blaming it all on Shechem, as we see in Genesis 34:5-7.  “And 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.  And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.  And 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.”

Hamor and Shechem realized they had every right to be upset, and did their best to straighten out the problems in Genesis 34:8-12.  “And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.  And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.  And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

And 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.  Ask 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.” 

Shechem agreed to pay any amount of dowry they might demand if they would just let him marry Dinah.   Hamor promised they would be given all the rights and privileges of citizens of the area.  For years, Jacob’s sons had watched their dad and their uncles take advantage of each other.  They had learned how to take advantage of others quite thoroughly,   The Hivites took them at their word, agreeing to do what they demanded as Genesis 34:13-24 tells us.  “And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister: And 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: But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; Then 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.  But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.  And 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.  And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,  These 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.

Only 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.  Shall 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.  And 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.”

Jacob’s sons had no intention of keeping their agreement.  They intended to take advantage of the fact that the circumcision would leave the men incapacitated for a few days to get even with the Hivites, as described in Genesis 34:25-29.  “And 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.  And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.  The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.  They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,  And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.” 

While the men were incapacitated, Simeon and Levi went into their homes and murdered them. The other brothers then stole their belongings and took their families as slaves.  Jacob was upset about the murders, according to Genesis 34:30, because it might turn all the neighboring tribes against them.   “And 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.”  He was not worried about the fact they had committed murder or stole from thyem, but only about what others would think. 

Simeon and Levi excused their actions by saying they just got what they deserved, in Genesis 34:31.  “And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?”  They completely ignored the facts.  Only Shechem had had sex with their sister, and the others did not deserve to die,   Shechem had not treated her like a prostitute, but had wanted to marry her, actually doing what the Old Testament Law commanded in Exodus 22:16-17.  “And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife.  If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.”    Their actions were inexcusable, and Jacob’s failure to treat it properly will come back to haunt him later.  In effect, he has taught them that even murder is no big deal.