MURDER
(GEN. 34)
A
major news story recently came from
The IRS was garnishing the wages of a 42-year-old software engineer.
The withholding upset this man and in his anger he shot 7 co-workers.
Stories like this show that the Bible is still relevant.
A story remarkably similar to this shooting is found in Gen. 34.
This chapter contains material that might be labeled as sensitive.
Some think that passages like this should not be taught.
God says that all scripture is somehow useful and this chapter has some application.
Tonight we want to see how Gen. 34 is helpful to us.
THE
STORY STARTS IN GEN. 34:1.
1) Jacob had children by four women: Leah, Rachel, and two “handmaids.”
2) One of his children was a daughter named Dinah.
3) Jacob, Dinah, and the rest of the family were in Shechem (33:18-19).
4) If
you know where
5) The people of this area and time period had a crude attitude towards women.
6) Keeping your finger in Gen. 34 you might skip back to Gen. 12:15.
7) A similar reference is found in Gen. 20:2.
8) If men saw an attractive woman who was by herself they didn’t hesitate to act.
9) If women wandered around by themselves in this culture men picked them up.
10) Women were seen as an object to be taken.
11) This is what happened to Dinah.
12) She was spending some time with the young ladies in this area (34:1) & she was taken.
13) Some believe that Dinah was an unwilling participant in what happened (34:2).
14) Though this is certainly a possibility that cannot be said with 100% certainty.
15) The fact that Dinah, in this culture, went out by herself raises a lot of questions.
16) Whatever her intentions were, the young man she was with wanted to marry her (verse 3).
17) Consistent with this culture, the young man’s father came to see Jacob, Dinah’s father.
18) He proposed that his son and Jacob’s daughter get married.
19) This man did not apologize for what his son had done.
20) What had taken place between his son and Dinah was apparently not mentioned.
21) Jacob and his family were from a different type of background.
22) They had a different set of moral values.
23) They did not believe in snatching a woman off the street because she was attractive.
24) The incident with Dinah caused Jacob and his sons to be upset.
25) At least some of Dinah’s brothers were so angry that they devised a plan.
26) The boys were so angry that they wanted revenge.
27) This plan is first made known in verse 13.
28) The man who wanted to marry Dinah and his father were going to be punished.
29) The “sons of Jacob” decided to set a trap.
30) This key to this trap was circumcision (verse 14).
31) The Hebrews had received circumcision as a sign of their covenant with God.
32) The sons used their sign from God to commit murder.
33) The sons said that their sister could not be married to a man who was uncircumcised.
34) This wasn’t allowed. However, the boys’ had a solution.
35) Dinah’s future husband could be circumcised.
36) The son’s father would also need to be circumcised.
37) In fact, all of the men in this town would need to be circumcised.
38) Once this was done the wedding could take place. Dinah could be married.
39) The sons of Jacob could have been good salesmen.
40) Notice how they finished off their sales pitch, verse 17.
41) The terms of marriage had been given and it was a take it or leave it deal.
42) According to verse 18 the young man and his father were happy with the terms.
43) However, the proposal needed to be accepted by the other men in the city.
44) Someone needed to convince the men of the city to be circumcised.
a) Circumcision may be classified as surgery. Surgery means pain.
b) Most do not want to have surgery done unless there will be some type of advantage.
c) Someone had to convince the men of Shechem that circumcision would benefit them.
d) At the end of verse 19 the young man who had been with Dinah is described.
e) This fellow was “more honorable” than everyone else in his father’s house.
f) In other words, this man was highly respected. The people of the community liked him.
g) Thus he and his father went to the leaders of the city (verse 20).
h) In verses 21-23 the men of the city were told that having this surgery would benefit them.
i) The main thought in these verses is money.
ii)The men were promised wealth and prosperity if they agreed.
iii) If we want an example of a “get rich quick scheme”, here it is.
45) The men of the city lived up to their part of the bargain. Every man was circumcised, verse 24.
46) If you have ever had surgery you can appreciate verse 25.
47) “On the third day when they were sore.”
48) Sometimes the worst pain from a surgery comes a few days after the procedure.
49) Such would have been especially true in this case because instruments were crude.
50) There were no stainless steel scalpels to make fast and clean work of surgery.
51) It is also said that the worst pain from circumcision is on the third day.
52) The men of the city were in a lot of pain and they couldn’t do much.
53) These men certainly did not have the ability to fight.
54) With these men essentially crippled Simeon and Levi (Dinah’s bro) took swords (verse 25).
55) They went into the city and slaughtered every man.
56) While the men of the city were defenseless two sons killed every townsman.
57) Then the rest of the sons joined in to take the women, children, & possessions (vss 27-29).
58) This story was so significant that Jacob brought it up when he was close to death.
59) This information is found in Gen. 49.
60) Gen. 49:1 says that Jacob called his sons together.
61) He wanted to tell his children what they and their descendents would experience (1b).
62) The sons who committed the murders in Gen. 34 were Simeon and Levi.
63) Jacob described these two boys and their futures in Gen. 49:5-7.
64) While the word “man” is in the text of the ASV & KJV, the footnote has “men.”
65) Jacob referred to the killing of the Schemites in Gen. 34.
66) The anger displayed by these boys was “cursed” because it was “fierce.”
67) The “wrath” in the boy’s hearts was “cruel.”
68) Jacob spoke the truth.
69) COMBINING GEN. 49 AND GEN. 34 PRESENTS SOME CLEAR POINTS OF APPLICATION FOR OUR DAY AND TIME.
70) We hear of a 42 year old man who got angry and shot seven people.
71) In the Old Testament we read about 2 angry boys who killed all the men in a town.
a) Both of these incidents show us some things about anger.
i) In 1993 I took a college class on counseling.
ii)One of the sources used in this class was a book written by members of the church.
iii) This volume (which is filled with information from counselors) deals with anger.
b) A professional counselor observed that at some point all become angry.
c) He also showed that the emotion of anger is not necessarily evil.
d) The Lord was angry (Mk. 3:5) but He didn't sin.
e) There are times in the OT where it is said that God is angry.
72) Anger is a force that takes many forms.
73) It can appear as depression, manipulation suicide, mental illness, or even kindness.
74) There is also the form of anger which appears as violence.
75) The anger in Gen. 34 appears in more than one form.
76) There was manipulation.
77) The sons of Jacob, because of anger, manipulated the townsmen into a defenseless state.
78) The boy’s anger also appeared as kindness.
79) The man who wanted to marry Dinah was told that this would be allowed.
80) It was said that everything could be arranged.
81) The anger in this chapter also appears as violence.
82) The next time some suggests that the Bible is old and out of date, study some of the OT stories.
83) Man hasn’t changed. It’s true that the killing was done with swords instead of guns.
84) The deaths probably didn’t occur in the workplace.
85) However, Gen. 34 shows the truth of Heb. 4:12 – scripture is a living (ASV) book.
86) It is relevant for all times and all cultures.
87) If we want information on subjects like anger, this volume is a good source to use.
88) Anyone an use Gen. 34 to study the subject anger.
89) We can use this passage to determine the motivations for anger.
90) Some of the consequences of anger are found in Gen. 34.
91) The link between anger and impulsiveness is found in this chapter.
92) Anger and how it affects innocent people is clearly seen in this text.
93) A little time and study will make the Bible come alive with points of application.
94) Is this point one that we make to our children?
95) Do we show them that incidents like a recent shooting may be paralleled to scripture?
96) If we don’t we may leave the impression that the Bible is a dead and irrelevant book.
97) The stories in the Bible (including the one in Gen. 34) have many modern comparisons.
98) Let’s look at some of the other similarities.
99) People with different moral values got together.
100) Each group had a different set of values on the treatment of women.
101) What was the result? Hurt, anger, murder, and eventually fear (verse 30).
102) Isn’t this information relevant to life in 2001?
103) Isn’t there a lesson about revenge in Gen. 34?
104) Revenge lead to loss of life, broken families, and the fear described in verse 30.
105) Genesis 34 says something about parental responsibility.
106) Who was the father in this story? Jacob.
107) This man should have taken control of the situation. He didn’t.
a) It appears that his lack of action caused his sons to take things into their own hands.
108) When parents let their children run the household there will be problems.
109) We live in a time when some adults let their children run the show.
110) The OT shows us the result of failing to shoulder parental responsibilities.
111) Speaking of parents and children, something may be said about Dinah.
112) The people of this culture were familiar with everyday life in their society just as we are.
113) We know that a dark alley in Chicago at 2 a.m. in the morning is not a good place.
114) Young women such as Dinah knew about similar dangers in their culture.
115) The fact that young ladies we warned and protected is reflected in the Song of Solomon.
116) The Hebrews were living in a culture that was known for taking unprotected women.
117) Jacob must have warned his daughter about being unescorted among these heathen people.
118) Apparently this young woman (who most agree was a teenager) didn’t listen.
119) She didn’t heed the warnings given to her parents and a lot of trouble followed.
120) Can we relate this to our current time?
121) Do we have teenagers who fail to listen to their parents and problems follow?
122) We find this same problem in God’s word.
123) In light of Gen. 34 we cannot treat the Bible as just another book.
124) This volume from God is living and active.
125) It is a guide which will help us through life.
126) If you are discouraged and depressed, there is help in these pages.
127) Those who are cheerful and optimistic find added strength in both testaments.
128) The people who are suffering and oppressed find relief in the pages of God’s word.
129) Today is the first Sunday of a new year.
130) If you have not determined in the past to make the Bible a living & active book in your life,
131) This is the year to change.
132) Now is the time to take a brand new look at and approach to the Bible.