Genesis 34:1-12

Now Dinah (the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob), went out to see the women of the land.

² But when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, a leader of the land, saw her, he seized her and forced himself on her and humiliated her.

³ Then his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke from the heart to her.

⁴ So Shechem appealed to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”

⁵ Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came.

⁶ And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.

⁷ The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done.

⁸ But Hamor appealed to them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife.

⁹ Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

¹⁰ You will live among us, and the land will be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.”

¹¹ Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find grace in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.

¹² Ask me for as great a bride price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.”

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life after a rape

Rape is a horrible thing. It turns the beautiful gift of sexual love into a violent, ugly attack which dominates and humiliates. It defiles both the criminal and the victim. The immature Shechem, probably thinking that since his father was a leader then he could get away with crossing the line, first takes the object of his desire by force. Then, he is struck by what appears to be a sincere love for Dinah. He appeals to his father to make a treaty with Jacob, which would allow him to marry her.

But Shechem does not realize the crime that he has committed has affected more than himself and this innocent girl. Sexual sin is never a merely personal choice. It affects the soul, and it defiles the society around it. Shechem might have become a model husband and companion to Dinah. His indiscretion might have been eventually forgotten, and he might have turned out to be a respectable person. Perhaps he was hoping for that. But a crime like that cannot be swept under the rug. He was not going to get the second chance to do the right thing.

We live in a society which is fostering a preoccupation with violent sexual sin. There are consequences which we will reap. Believers must stand apart from this defiling preoccupation.

LORD, instill in us a deep respect for the humanity of those around us. May our desires not control our actions, but may they be controlled by our relationship with you.