Genesis – Chapter 34

Genesis 34 Daily DEVO On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. Genesis 34:25 – First off, what a sad, terrible story we read today in this chapter. It’s discouraging to think that things like rape happened then and are still happening today. Yet, even in this passage, I see a message we need to take hold of. We cannot cover our mistakes ourselves. In verse 25, it says those in the city “felt secure.” They felt secure because of what they did to their bodies; that they we’re good, safe, and made up for their wrong doings by what they did. Often that’s how we are with our mistakes and our standing with God. We try to make up for our mistakes by being good, reading more scripture, going to church, etc. Just know, anything we do can’t cover our mistakes just like what they did couldn’t cover up their mistake. Only through Jesus can we find ourselves in good standing with God. Rather than continuing to try to find yourself secure with God because of your own “good” actions, find your security in your relationship with God because of Jesus’ gracious action. I love you, but Jesus loves you more. – Mac – Daily DEVO 514

Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it. Genesis 34:9-10 – To fully grasp what’s happening, you must understand who here is talking to Jacob. The one talking is a leader of the land that God had given over to Jacob, so everything he is promising Jacob is already Jacob’s to begin with. But even worse, the speaker is the father of the guy who just raped Jacob’s daughter. Now after abusing Jacob’s family this guy comes to try to make a deal with Jacob to give Jacob what is already his to begin with. As crazy as that sounds, that’s our story when it comes to satan. All he has to offer us is lies, trying to say he’ll give us what we need when we already have that in Jesus. And even worse, he is the one who has abused us, our family, and our friends. While reading today’s story we may say what a ridiculous notion it would be to even begin to think to make a deal with that guy…yet how often do we listen and agree to go with the plans our enemy has for us? Remember it is satan who is the one seeking to tear your family apart. He is the one bringing up your past. He is out to kill, steal, and destroy. Don’t agree to his offers and don’t give him a seat at your table. He is the abuser in your story, don’t give him a second chance to cause more pain. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1838

The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. Genesis 34:13 – In our chapter, Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, decides to explore the villages around her during a time and in a pagan culture where unaccompanied women were often captured and harmed like this. As we learn, she is sadly raped, and the abuser now seeks to buy her as a wife for he loves what he can get from her. As we read on, Dinah’s brothers, the sons of Jacob, lie to Shechem (the abuser) and his father by agreeing to trade and marry into each other’s people if only they would circumcise all the males in their land. Why was this a lie? Because two of Jacob’s son came while the men were healing from their surgeries and slaughtered every male in the city, then the sons came and plundered the entire place. We don’t have to look far to where these sons learned the art of deception for Jacob’s own name means “trickster.” While the hurt caused to Dinah was horrible, the hurt that the sons of Jacob brought was just as bad if not worse. While not established for them yet, let us remember the command from the Lord we see in scripture, “Vengeance is mine.” (Deu. 32-35) While it can seem like we are letting evil people off the hook when we don’t take matters into our own hands, sinning to make right another sinful action doesn’t result in holiness. Trust that God also sees the hurt, trust that God see the sinfulness of the situation, and trust that God can make things right in ways that you could never. If He can make right the chaos of the sin within the garden by sacrificing Himself on a cross, trust that our Lord can make right even the worst of wrongs that come into our story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2840