Good morning, everyone!
Today I'm reading Genesis chapters 32-34.
Chapter 34 starts with Jacob heading back to his homeland. He sends word to his brother that he is coming, and Esau starts out toward him with 400 men. Now, Jacob is afraid, and pleads with God to spare him, and then sends presents of some of his flock ahead of him, hoping to appease his brother.
Then, something really interesting happens. Jacob wrestles with God. And I don't mean mentally like we sometimes do.
Jacob meets a man on the road and wrestles with him until dawn. All night long. And the man tells Jacob to let him go, but Jacob refuses, saying "I will not let you go unless you bless me." (Genesis 32:26)
And thus, God changes Jacob's name to Israel, which means 'one who strives with God,' and blesses Jacob. But when Jacob asks the man's name, He says "Why is it that you ask my name?" and leaves. And so Jacob names the place Peniel, which means 'the face of God,' because he had seen God's face and lived to tell about it.
I find this really interesting for many reasons, but the one that really stands out today is what Jacob said to Him.
"I will not let you go unless you bless me."
I won't let go until you bless me. I won't stop asking until you bless me.
We can do that too.
Now, I firmly believe that not everything we ask for is to our benefit, and that we have to be willing to accept when God's answer is "no," or "not yet." However, sometimes what God wants from us is persistence.
"God, I won't let go of You, I won't stop asking You, until you bless me."
Don't stop asking. Don't stop seeking. If it's still in your heart, it's there for a reason. Keep trusting and believing God. And don't let go of Him. Ever.
So, moving on in the reading today, we find Jacob meeting Esau.
And Jacob, still afraid, bows low, as though a servant, hoping to find favor in Esau's sight.
But time has healed old wounds, and Esau has prospered in Jacob's absence. Esau embraces his brother, and refuses the presents, for he has plenty, and entreats Jacob to come to his home.
So, the sons of Isaac are reunited, and all is well.
For a while.
And then something awful happens.
A young prince, Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, takes a liking to Dinah, Jacob and Leah's daughter. And he likes her so much that he "lay with her by force (Genesis 34:2).
Now, every version I've read of this verse says "lay with by force," or even "raped," if the version isn't censored.
I watched a mini-series recently, called The Red Tent in which Dinah and Shechem fall in love and the big crime is that he is a foreigner, or not one of God's people.
But nowhere, in any version of the Bible, have I found that to be the case.
The show was well done, and I don't think there would be a problem if you wanted to watch it. Just keep in mind that it's not the truth.
Moving on, we find Shechem and his father talking with Jacob, who already knows what Shechem has done. They want Shechem to marry Dinah, and for Jacob to agree that his family would intermarry with them.
Now Jacob's sons do a bad thing.
When they heard about Dinah, naturally, they were upset. But what they did was wrong too.
They lied, and told Shechem that he and his people would have to be circumcised in order to intermarry with them. It isn't an unreasonable request to Shechem, so he orders it.
Well, circumcision at an older age is pretty debilitating. So, on the third day, when everyone is incapacitated, Jacob's sons go and kill everyone, loot their houses, and take Dinah back from Shechem's household.
Jacob is very angry, and this is the first time that the sons are named. I don't know if these two just got singled out or if they were the only culprits, but Jacob gives Levi and Simeon quite the tongue-lashing. To which they reply that they did it on behalf of their sister.
Now, what actually makes me think about this passage, and it could just be that I watched The Red Tent, is that Dinah was still living in Shechem's household.
He took her by force. Did he kidnap her? Why did Jacob let her stay? Did he agree to give her over for the bridal payment, as a way to save her honor? Did she fall in love with Shechem? Was Jacob just waiting to get her back?
I don't think we will ever know.
In some ways, I can understand the actions of Jacob's sons. To them, it must have looked like Jacob had no intention of avenging their sister's honor, or of getting her back from the man who had taken her by force. They must have felt like they had no choice. But they did, as we all do, have a choice. And they chose wrong. I know that the Old Testament is full of fighting and vengeance, but that doesn't make it right.
Romans 12:20 - Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
Amid so many questions, one thing I can say is that this is not the last time we will find sons making poor decisions because of a lack of action from their fathers.
So, that's all today. I hope you're enjoying my musings on these Bible verses. If you ever have anything to add, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or if you just want to say hello, please leave a comment below.
I hope you will join me tomorrow as I read Genesis chapters 35-37.
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