Genesis 34-35

Notes compiled from my BSF group and Bible study with Pastor Damian Kyle

JACOB SETTLES IN SHECHEM (Genesis 34:1–12)

Jacob was told to return to the land of his fathers, and indeed, he arrived and settled in Shechem, a Canaanite city.

Dinah was raped (Genesis 34:1-7)
Dinah was raped, and it was not her fault. She was an innocent child who curiously explored her surroundings. The culture that Jacob moved his family into, however, was very corrupted. What Shechem did appeared to be customary in that part of the country: You took what you wanted, and then deal with the consequences later (Genesis 34:2).

Jacob, as the head of the family, should have protected his family and chose a better place to settle.

As Pastor Kyle warns, heads of the family should always place the spiritual well-being of the family as the number one priority. Never ever risk it for a promotion or convenience.

"Come out from them and be separate" (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)
As God’s people, we are to be the light of this world. We are supposed to show others how we should live to follow God and separate ourselves from sin and living in sin. We live in this world, but we are taught to never be of this world (John 15:19; 1 John 2:15). That is, we should take active roles in this world as witnesses of Jesus--To bring the message of salvation to everyone around us. However, while we live in this fallen world, we need to be careful that we do not succumb to the temptations of Satan and fall in with the sin of the world.

Jacob, in settling in Shechem, led his family into a dangerous situation. We do not know whether there could have been a better place to settle, since it seems that the world was very corrupt at the time--So, I am not saying Jacob could have chosen better. It is just a fact that by settling in Shechem, he and his family now faced great challenges. The people of Shechem plotted to intermingle with them, to absorb them into their culture (Genesis 32:9)!

In an ideal situation, Jacob should have led the people of Shechem to God. However, instead, Jacob fell into sin and allowed his family to fall under Shechem.

Shechem and Hamor behaved "nobly," as defined by their culture (Genesis 34:8-12)
To Shechem and Hamor, they were doing what they have always thought was right: They first take what they wanted, and then, they dealt with the consequences. And in this case, they dealt with it with their own sense of honor. After all, they came bearing gifts and open arms.

Under God’s love, however, what they had done is sinful and immoral. But because they did not know God and had no sense of true righteousness, they could only rely on themselves to determine what is "right." And thus, in their eyes, what they did was normal. And the fact that Shechem even offered to take Dinah as his wife with gifts and offerings was thought of as a higher level of respect.

One of the BSF questions asked, "In what way did Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob show a higher respect for women?"
I do not think the Bible showed how Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob showed a higher respect for women.

Abraham, because he did not lead well, brought a lot of sorrow for Sarah and Hagar. He gave his "sister" to the Pharaoh all because he feared for his death (while receiving riches by the day). Worse, his lack of leadership led to the birth of Ishmael, a son that would become a nation of enemies for Israel.

Isaac, also did not lead well, and fell into the footsteps of his father. Just as Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife, so did Isaac. And why did they do that? SELFISH THOUGHTS. They were afraid of being killed because of the beauty of their wives, and so they DECEIVED by telling half-truths. They didn’t deceive to protect their wives; they deceived to protect themselves! I just don't see how that is showing a higher respect for women.

Jacob, like his forefathers, also failed to lead his family. Jacob even went as far as showing favoritism for Rachel over Leah. Because Jacob did not lead well, because Jacob did not love Rachel and Leah the same way, he caused great tension and strife between not just the two sisters but within the family as well. Again, this is not showing a higher respect for women. As Jacob continued to not lead his family with God's love, his lack of leadership is partly responsible for the rape of his daughter, Dinah.

When Shechem came with his offer, this could have been Jacob's chance to make things right, BUT HE DID NOT. When Shechem came back and requested that Jacob hand over Dinah to him for marriage, HE DID NOT SAY ANYTHING (Genesis 34:11-12)! He did not defend Dinah; he did not do anything to make things right! And as the theme of the lack of leadership drags on, because Jacob failed to take the lead and remained silent, his sons spoke up for him. It is a noble thing that brothers stand up to defend their sisters, but because the sons were young and exhibited immature anger, that led to extreme sinful murders of innocent people (Genesis 34:25).

Although I do not think Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob showed what "higher level of respect for women" means, I believe the more important lesson here is that the lack of GODLY leadership is detrimental to any family.


PASTOR KYLE: THE WRATH OF ONE MAN DOES NOT PRODUCE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD (Genesis 34:13-29)

When Shechem made his ridiculous offer to take Dinah as his wife, it was so surprising that Jacob didn't jump up and scream no! Jacob was the patriarch of the most important blood line in the world–his blood was to bring forth Jesus Christ, the Messiah! Yet here, we see that Shechem and Hamor offered Jacob peace by proposing an intermarriage and being absorbed by their little Canaanite kingdom, while Jacob stood by and said nothing!

Due to the lack of leadership at this critical moment, Jacob's sons moved for their father and spoke in his place (Genesis 34:13). We need to realize that in the culture of that time, it was not their place to speak up. It was never appropriate for the sons to speak in place of their father. It was Jacob's duty to lead, defend, and protect his family. But because Jacob failed to do so, his sons had to take charge.

Side note: This failed relationship between Jacob and his sons resembles the fallen relationship between Adam and Eve. Adam failed to lead, and so Eve took charge. And that fallen relationship, led to the fall of mankind.

With their young, hot, ungodly anger, Jacob's sons took a stand for Dinah, which led them down a treacherous path. They deceived Shechem and slaughtered innocent lives throughout the city (Genesis 34:13-29).

The wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Only one man was responsible for the injustice done to Dinah, and yet, Jacob's sons went out and slaughtered the city. This is not the heart of God.

The brothers deceived the people of Shechem through the manipulation of a godly sign: circumcision
As Paul stressed "circumcision of the heart" in Romans 2, similar sermon should be preached to Jacob's sons.

As all Jews, Dinah's brothers knew that circumcision of the flesh was a sign of the covenant their people had with God. However, from day one, God has made it plain that what matters most is the circumcision of the heart (Deuteronomy 30:6). Circumcision of the flesh is just an outward sign. It is meaningless if our heart is not of God! (Similarly, water baptism is an outward sign of us receiving Jesus into our lives. However, the true saving grace is baptism of the Holy Spirit. If we do not receive the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, then water baptism doesn't mean much.)

The brothers know of God’s will, but they do not live it. They took something that was supposed to be holy and twisted into something evil. Circumcision was a symbol that marked God’s people. It was meant to preserve the holiness of God's people. However, the brothers used it as a part of their evil plot to murder. They did not take this holy symbol with God's heart. They abused this symbol and used it for their selfish gains.

It may be understandable why the brothers took such measures. Somebody had to stand for Dinah! However, we need to see the bigger picture if we are to learn anything. There is a reason why God placed the father as the head of the household. Parents need to need lead, guide, and teach their children of the Way of the Lord. When this fails, children end up having to lead themselves, and they often lead themselves into danger, because they have never been taught better!

It is also for us to take to heart that one man's wrath does not produce the righteousness of God. We are all sinners, and none are righteous (Romans 3:10). We need to know that we have no righteousness to judge. It is tempting to seek revenge, but where does that lead us? Come judgment day, we will all be judged according to our works--not other people's works or the wrongs other people have done us. We need to be able to see beyond ourselves to truly do the Will of God--and leave the judging in God's hand.

When we are wronged... (Romans 12:17-21)
1. Do not repay evil for evil
2. Do what is right in the eyes of everyone, especially in the eyes of God
3. Live at peace with everyone
4. Do not take revenge. Leave judgment in God’s hand
5. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good


JACOB REBUKES HIS SONS FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS (Genesis 34:30-31)

When Jacob found out what his sons had done, his immediate response was very disappointing: "You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I" (Genesis 34:30).

Throughout this ordeal, Jacob said not one word. When his sons took things into their own hands which led to disastrous results, he finally spoke up. Yet, when he finally chose to say something, it wasn't to rebuke Shechem! It wasn't to stand up for his family or to protect the honor of his daughter!

True, Jacob's sons needed to be rebuked. They also sinned horribly, and that needed to be reconciled. The sons should not have taken things into their own hands--without consulting God. And true, we do see Jacob rebuking his sons here. The problem is, Jacob wasn't even rebuking them for having committed murder. Instead, Jacob rebuked them because his sons had now put his life in danger. That is, Jacob rebuked his sons only because he now feared for his life!

We do see a ray of hope in Jacob though. Nearing the end of his life, Jacob did return to the path of the Lord. Before Jacob passed away, he rightfully rebuked his sons for their actions (Genesis 49:5-7).

"Should he treat our sister like a harlot?" (Genesis 34:31)
When we wrongfully rebuke a person, should we be surprised in the response we receive?

When Jacob rebuked his sons for the wrong reason, they responded, "Should he treat our sister like a harlot?" (Genesis 34:31)

This response, even if Jacob was in the wrong, was extremely disrespectful. This kind of disrespect was simply not seen in the culture back then. It was unheard of to have sons take action without the nod from the patriarch or to do things without at least letting the father know. When Jacob confronted his sons about their actions (though with little authority), they just threw it back in his face: At least we did something about it.

Jacob's family had become extremely dysfunctional--because Jacob was a horrible leader. Jacob had lost control of his family, the most important family alive at the time of their history! This was the family that would bring forth the Messiah! And instead of bringing blessings to the nations around them, his sons had become murderers and thieves, destroying other nations and their good name along with it.

Men are either horrible or great leaders--But they are leaders because God granted them that position
We need to recognize the importance of the head of the house. God place men at the head and appointed them as leaders of the household. When the men refuse to lead, women take over; sons and daughters take over. This is not to say that women or children are horrible leaders. This is to say that they are not placed by God to lead their families. We have seen time and time again, when men fail to lead their families, disasters result: Adam didn't lead, mankind fell. Abraham didn't lead, Ishmael was born enemy of Israel. Isaac didn't lead, Esau became another enemy of Israel. Jacob didn't lead, his two elder sons became cold-blooded murderers, and the rest of his children became common thieves. This is very tragic.


Men of families need to realize they are supposed to be the leaders of their households. Sadly, they really don't have a choice. Women of families need to realize that they are to help their husbands. They are not to lead. They are to help the husbands lead. If the husband is not leading well, then she needs to help--Not by leading for him, but by guiding him back to the way of the Lord. Help him renew his relationship with God, so that he can once again be a godly leader of the family.


BACK TO BETHEL (Genesis 35:1-5)

As God had commanded Abram when he led him and his family into a series of troubles in Egypt (Genesis 12:10-13:4), God also told Jacob to return to Bethel (Genesis 35:1).

Jacob had led his family to the low of low, and the only way out was God. God reminded Jacob the only thing he could do given any dire situation: Pray.

God told Jacob to return to the altar where God had previously appeared to Jacob. Why? This is a call to return to God, to return to the last time that we remember ourselves walking with God. Abram did that. Jacob did that. Whenever people of God ran into trouble, they always go back to the beginning, when things were simple, when things were just between God and them.

When Jacob first met God in Bethel, he was single. He was not married, he didn't have wives, he didn't have children, he didn't have riches. And as we all know, with family and work, things always get complicated. In Jacob's case, that complication had come between his relationship with God. He was no longer able to follow God effectively, and that eventually led to the failure of his family. Things began to unravel, and God reached out to Jacob: Come back to me, and remember my promise to you.

This command is also similar to the command that Jesus told the Church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7). Jesus told Ephesus, Come back to your first love--Just as God is telling Jacob here: Come back to your first love, when things were simple, when things were just you and me.

For you and me, when we reach that point in our lives where we shockingly awake and realize that we have led ourselves into deeper and deeper holes, BACK TO BETHEL we must go.

"Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves" (Genesis 35:2-4)
As the first step to return to God, Jacob immediately told his family to trun away from idolatry and get (spiritually) clean.


2 Corinthians 7:1
Ephesians 4:22-24
1 John 1:7-9; 5:21

Similarly, when we turn to God, we must repent of our sins and further seek purification. Too many of us get stuck on just repenting. That is not the first and only step. Repentance is only the beginning. 

We should admit sin because if we don't admit sin, then we are liars. Worse, we call God a liar. Until we admit sin, we cannot begin to accept that we need the solution. And if we don't realize we need the solution, how could we possibly fix the problem?

Once we admit sin, we can then begin to allow the Holy Spirit to fix us from within. And then, we can repair our relationships with God.

Anything that we place above God are idols
Idols can be money, power, careers--even ourselves. When we are too prideful to rely on God, we basically believe we are our own gods. If we truly desire a relationship with God, we must first put away the tiny gods--but false gods--that we worship.

As Jesus noted, it is not easy following Him. It is not easy being His disciple--We must be disciplined and learn to put God's Will first.

Some references on spiritual cleansing
- Clean away our evil temptations (Psalm 51:7, 10; Isaiah 1:16; Hebrews 9:13-14; 1 John 1:7, 9)
- Produce fruit as children of God by staying close to God (Matthew 3:8; Acts 2:38; James 4:8-10)
- Do not offer ourselves to the devil; when we do not accept God, we are exposing ourselves to Satan (1 Corinthians 10:20; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:9)


GOD BLESSES JACOB ONCE HE REPENTED (Genesis 35:6-15)

Once Jacob led his family back on the path of God, "the terror of God fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them" (Genesis 35:5). God is powerful, and He can absolutely protect us--But only if we have a relationship with Him!

God renames Jacob to Israel (Genesis 35:9-10)
When God changes a person's name, that means something changed within the person, like a born-again Christian. 

For example, Abram and Sarai both had their names changes to Abraham and Sarah, respectively. The "h" sound in Hebrew is often a denotation of the breath of God or the Holy Spirit. By adding an "h" in their names, God shows that Abraham and Sarah now have the breath of God in them.

God further blessed Jacob with the same promise that He gave to Abraham and Isaac: "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land" (Genesis 35:11-12)