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1 At this time Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of the land, saw her, he took her and forced her to have sexual relations with him. ~ Genesis 34:1-2
Today, we transition into Genesis 34 where we see that Jacob and his family have arrived in Shechem where they will remain for 10 years. Just as Lot pitched his tent near Sodom, we will see that in like manner by building his house in Shechem, Jacob will invite the wrong kind of attention to his daughter. Throughout this entire chapter, until the end, Jacob was never quoted as saying anything, in any way. He is mentioned 12 times as Jacob and once as Israel, but it’s always speaking about him, not quoting him until the end. Jacob remains to be a picture of the Lord and the Lord is not once mentioned in this passage, nor is he prayed to for guidance. This is a chapter devoid of God in many ways.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "1 At this time Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land."
Dinah is the only recorded daughter of Jacob, but she wasn't his only daughter. Elsewhere, the Bible mentions his daughters in the plural and so it’s likely that he had more. Dinah alone is recorded, certainly because the events of this chapter and what they ultimately picture. Dinah was the daughter of Leah. Leah, as we have seen since her introduction, pictures the Old Testament law. Dinah, was probably about 13 years of age right at this point in her life. She was born right around the same time as Joseph. Joseph will be 17 when he is sold by his brothers, which is seen in Genesis 37:2. So that means that Jacob has been living in this area and the place he came from, Sukkoth, for about six or seven years.
We are informed that "Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land." It was the time of festival, and so, the ladies would have been wearing their best outfits. Being a curious young lady, as most young ladies are, Dinah took the opportunity to see the newest fashions. With too much liberty given raises the chances of bad things happening especially to a pretty young girl. When we aren't careful to be defined by God, we discover danger lurking around the corner. In fact, when Jacob decided to settle down in Shechem, he placed his family in greater danger because Shechem was not known for its love for God and His ways.
Previously, the place where God had made Himself known to Jacob was Bethel which means "the house of God." Bethel was the place where God had previously spoken to Jacob. As a result, it was in Bethel that Jacob built an altar. For Jacob, Bethel represented the place of intimacy and fellowship with God. Jacob should've gone to Bethel to meet intimately with God once again and to influence his family. But, Jacob didn't go to Bethel, he went to Shechem.
In God-like fashion, there is an incredible message in a study of the names in this chapter. I find it most amazing that Leah's final three children all picture for us the final workings of Christ as He fulfilled the law for us. Issachar means "He is wages." Zebulun means "Glorious dwelling place." And Dinah, means "Vindicated." It was the Lord Jesus Christ who fulfilled the law and substantiated the truth. He is our wages unto eternal life. He entered "the glorious dwelling place" with His own blood, and He was vindicated by the Spirit through His resurrection. The law was fulfilled and New Testament grace, pictured by Rachel is now bestowed upon all of the people of the world who place their faith in the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of the land, saw her, he took her and forced her to have sexual relations with him."
As mentioned before, Shechem comes from a verb which means to "rise early" and a noun which means "shoulder." The two words indicate the wisdom and diligence of a person. Shechem’s father, Hamor, means "a male donkey" which is an unclean animal, just as Gentiles are considered unclean to the Jews. The term Hivite means "villager," and it is related to the noun meaning "village" and the verb which means "to worship." These three names are given to connect us to Dinah and what happen in this chapter further.
Shechem was the son of Hamor, the ruler of the surrounding area. When Shechem saw Dinah, he wanted her. Shechem lusted after Dinah. Lust has as its focus pleasing oneself, and it often leads to unwholesome actions to fulfill one’s desires with no regard to the consequences. Lust is about possession and greed. This is what happens to someone who is not being defined by the Lord. Shechem was a place known for its ungodly people. In fact, the name of God does not appear even once in this chapter.
Hamor, the father of Shechem was a Hivite. In Genesis 10, we learned that the Hivite was a son of Canaan, who was the son of Ham. Canaan was the one cursed by Noah when Ham did something perverse to his father Noah. These people were Gentile people as opposed to the Jews in Jacob’s clan. They were Gentile because they were not defined by God. Sadly, after spending quite a bit of time around them, Jacob's family found themselves more defined by them than they were by the Lord.
Jacob and all other Jews were defined as such by God. The word Jew comes from the name Judah which means in its essence "Thank you!" Gratitude is a weapon against sin because the very attitude of gratitude keeps us close to the cross. Gratitude keeps our memory close to the powerful love of God that overcame sin and death once and for all humble enough to believe in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. Thankfulness keeps us near to the Lord Jesus because it keeps us moving forward with the perspective He intended for our lives.
