RACAD Genesis 34 Highlights
“Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city. And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel. Gen 33: 18-20”
The unfortunate incident with Dinah scores another low for Jacob her father as far as the choices he made are concerned. Yes, it’s easier to fault Dinah for going to see the daughters of the land in chapter 34 but it had everything to do with her father Jacob’s choice of settling in a city with a strong, ungodly influence in the first place.
This in itself should have raised a red flag for a parent who truly cares for the well-being of his only daughter to keep an eye on her and protect her from the corruption in the city. Jacob and Leah failed here.
Jacob on his part was more occupied with making himself very comfortable. So much so that, while scriptures revealed that his grandfather and father (Abraham and Isaac respectively) lived in tents, Jacob built himself a house and made booths for his livestock (probably like the other men of the city).
This is a form of compromise.
Dinah’s incident was a shameful, sad but avoidable addition to the unpleasant Chronicles of Jacob’s life. Even after he got to know what happened, Jacob kept quiet.
His failure to take any action raises question as to if this was a matter of not wanting to jeopardize his stay by antagonizing his new neighbours.
God had directed Jacob to return to Bethel (Genesis 31:13) but he wanted to be close to the city so he chose Shechem (Gen 33:18).
Though Jacob erected an altar there, it didnt suffice, for God wants *obedience before sacrifice* The allure of the city life beckoned Dinah and she couldn’t resist.
This is the first among other unpleasant things Jacob and his family will suffer in this wasted, disobedient period of time.
We can draw an important lesson here on what could result when we choose *partial obedience over total obedience* to God’s instructions for our lives.
