Passage
Genesis 34:1-31 (ESV)
The Church in Antioch
Acts 11:19-30
Key Verse: 11:26
Dinah and Shechem
Date: May. 9, 2015
Daily Bread
Key Verse: 34:30a
First, Dinah and Shechem (1-12). Jacob had only wanted peace and quiet in Sukkoth, but trouble starts immediately. His daughter Dinah went to make friends with the women of the land, and is raped by Prince Shechem, who falls in love with her. Jacob chooses to keep the matter quiet, but Dinah's brothers are enraged. Meanwhile, Shechem's father Hamor tries to arrange a marriage between the two. Shechem makes his own passionate plea for Dinah to be his wife. They promise that the two peoples can be one, prosper together, and live peaceably.
Second, Simeon and Levi's revenge (13-31). Jacob's sons agreed to the marriage if the men of Shechem were circumcised. Then, while the men were still in pain, Simeon and Levi attacked the unsuspecting city, killed the men, including Shechem, and reclaimed Dinah from his house. Jacob realized that there was no security in Sukkoth, nor in the future in Canaan, because of his sons' violent retaliation. God used this event to guide Jacob not to settle down in Sukkoth and to follow God freely.
Prayer: Lord, help me not to settle down. Please help me to keep my faith and follow you.
One Word: God wants us to be free to follow him
