Spiraling Out of Control: Genesis 34:13-31
If we get the small decisions correct, it is much easier to avoid larger sin when it comes along. Children learn this lesson at a young age. One little lie needs covering, so we tell another lie. Soon the lies are too big to manage, the lies become unbelievable, and we get caught. Small sin always gives ground for larger sin to take root.
Dinah’s brothers answer Hamor deceitfully. Deceitfully is not a strong enough word. The brothers lie to Hamor by couching it in truth. God made the covenant of circumcision with Abraham as a sign. The brothers use the God given covenant of circumcision for nefarious purposes. They use God to cover their intent to sin. The slaughter of the people of Shechem is attack on God as much as it is an attack on the people.
The people of Shechem buy into the plan. They see the herds, the large family, and the servants of Jacob’s wealth. They see an opportunity to marry Jacob’s family and make their town larger. They see the opportunity to include new breeding stock into their herds to make the herds stronger. They are willing to endure a couple days of temporary pain to increase their economic potential for life. It feels like a very good decision.
Circumcision is an outward sign of an inward change. God’s people are supposed to be following His ways, living life differently, and seeking relationship with their creator. The sons of Jacob make none of this clear to the people of Shechem. The sons of Jacob use the rite of circumcision to get what they want, having no care at all about the spiritual wellbeing of the Canaanites.
From this perspective, the slaughter of the people of Shechem is reprehensible. The people of Shechem do not deserve to die for the sins of Hamor’s son. There is no excusing the behavior of the sons of Jacob.
In the end, the aftereffects of the slaughter of Shechem show Jacob’s family’s mindset. When Jacob chastises his sons, he doesn’t question them about the morality of their actions; his only concern is how their actions affect his ability to dwell in the land. The sons of Jacob take the women and children of the town as plunder, treating them the same way they object to how Dinah was treated. This is the opposite of a spiritual story. This is the story of people manipulating spiritual truths to do what is right in their own eyes.
What a horrible story of how several questionable decisions spiral out of control. Sin begets sin, which begets more sin. If Jacob and his family had only managed to do the small things right – such as following God to Bethel and not allowing Dinah to go around unchaperoned – the people of Shechem would have lived another day. If we get the small decisions correct, it is much easier to avoid larger sin when it comes along.
