It’s not often we hear of a rapist falling in love and wanting to marry his victim. One thing is for sure, Dinah’s brothers were very protective of her and her reputation. I was a little surprised though in their deceitful behavior.
There is not a lot of positive to be learned from this passage. It started with the disgraceful behavior of Shechem and ended with the deceitful actions of the brothers, death and plundering the town. Jacob’s clan didn’t need wealth and riches, yet they took more anyway. Jacob was not happy with his sons.
Revenge is never a good thing. I read a quote, and I’m not sure of the source. “Weak people revenge, strong people forgive, intelligent people, ignore.” It does take a strong person to forgive. In this case, it would be Dinah who had to forgive first. She was the one defiled. Yet the action blemished the whole family.
Interesting that there isn’t much mention of Dinah’s feelings. She was the one raped. Could she have started to have feelings for the prince, too? Or was she repulsed and mortified at what had happened. Jacob wanted his family to be set apart from the pagan neighbors. That didn’t necessarily mean they were “better.” The brothers should never have returned evil for evil.
Have you been wronged by someone before? You know how it feels to be defiled, defamed or deserted. It can be our natural reaction to lash out. When we lash out in anger with the intent for revenge, that is not what God intends. We need to sit back, rest in God’s loving arms, and let him fight our battles for us. That may be one of the hardest things you ever do, but leave the revenge to God and spare yourself the consequences of sinning.
Let’s pray. Father God, thank you for the reminder today that revenge is not an action you would have for us. Having a deceitful heart is also against your will. Cleanse me of any animosity I may feel against another who has wronged me. I need to be the stronger one and forgive. You have called us to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Thank you that you have washed me clean from all of my sinfulness once again. I will need a new cleansing tomorrow. Thank you for loving me despite my flaws and imperfections. Help me be the best me I can be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
