Genesis 34
This chapter is a bit confusing, Jacob his family and all his other servants and animals have settled and built a home. Dinah one of Jacob's daughters ... well lemme just start with the verse.
1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; and he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her. 3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. 4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. 5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they came. 6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came in from 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.
So Jacob and his sons are mad because Dinah has been defiled by this man. So the father of the man visits Jacob and his sons and begins to ask for Dinah's hand, for his son, in marriage. He is not received well at all by Jacob and his sons but on in this chapter we'll see something that we never really thought about as being a bad thing...
8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you, give her unto him to wife. 9 And make ye marriages with us; give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
He goes on to offer, favors and gifts, anything that Jacob would ask for. Trading and such for the ability to wed with his daughters and also their own ability to wed with Hamor's daughters.
13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, and spake, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, 14 and said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us. 15 Only on this condition will we consent unto you: if ye will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised; 16 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.
So they strike a deal with Hamor and son Shechem that if they and all their men will be circumcised that they will agree to give up their daughters and basically settle this issue. So Hamor goes back to his men and communes with them and explains this deal.
21 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to become one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
Okay so the deal has been struck and Hamor's men agree to have this done so that Jacob and his people can basically coexist with these people.
24 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. 25 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 unawares, and slew all the males. 26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went forth. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
So as soon as these men get circumcised, something that has been commanded by God, and offered to these men by Jacob his two sons come in and kill all the men! After that all the other brothers come in and plunder the city (looters). As the verses go on they take all their herds; sheeps, asses, etc. They also take all their money and their children and their wives. So basically they steal everything and take even their women and children captive [29 and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives, took they captive and made a prey, even all that was in the house.] Now that's terrible.
Next Jacob does scold Simeon and Levi for doing this, but he's more worried about the Canaanites and the Perizzites than anything else (go figure). Then they tell him...
31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?
This chapter could be a good discussion, but I think it's a lesson in what NOT to do. Even with the sister being with Shechem I don't think God wants us to kill all the males, steal all their stuff and take captive their women and children. Especially I don't think God wants us only to worry about our own hides just because we are like Jacob... a COWARD.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Genesis 33
Genesis 33
This chapter deals with Jacob and Esau finally meeting. It's amazing with all of Jacob's cowering around he truly has no faith, he villainizes Esau but this is farther from the truth.
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Wow! What a coward Jacob is and all his brother wanted was to hug his neck. Notice how Jacob is always positioning his people in front and in back of himself, he is always hiding himself in the middle of them.
Then Esau lifts up and sees all these women and children and asks Jacob who these people are and he explains to his brother that these are his wives, handmaids and children. Esau asks about why Jacob had all this company meet him.
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, to find favor in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let that which thou hast be thine.
It's funny here, Jacob speaking about favor in his lord's sight, he's actually talking about Esau. Think about it. He goes on...
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
Jacob says "thou wast pleased with me", he's talking again about Esau, he does give God praise about dealing with him graciously. But I think he's probably talking about Esau dealing with him graciously more than anything.
They move on with this large caravan, Jacob goes on to Succoth, builds a house and builds a stable for his animals. Then Jacob goes to Shechem and builds an altar, now what he builds this altar for I don't know. He bought a parcel of land and builds this altar, and he calls it El-Elohe-Israel.
This chapter deals with Jacob and Esau finally meeting. It's amazing with all of Jacob's cowering around he truly has no faith, he villainizes Esau but this is farther from the truth.
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau was coming, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
Wow! What a coward Jacob is and all his brother wanted was to hug his neck. Notice how Jacob is always positioning his people in front and in back of himself, he is always hiding himself in the middle of them.
Then Esau lifts up and sees all these women and children and asks Jacob who these people are and he explains to his brother that these are his wives, handmaids and children. Esau asks about why Jacob had all this company meet him.
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this company which I met? And he said, to find favor in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; let that which thou hast be thine.
It's funny here, Jacob speaking about favor in his lord's sight, he's actually talking about Esau. Think about it. He goes on...
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
Jacob says "thou wast pleased with me", he's talking again about Esau, he does give God praise about dealing with him graciously. But I think he's probably talking about Esau dealing with him graciously more than anything.
They move on with this large caravan, Jacob goes on to Succoth, builds a house and builds a stable for his animals. Then Jacob goes to Shechem and builds an altar, now what he builds this altar for I don't know. He bought a parcel of land and builds this altar, and he calls it El-Elohe-Israel.
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