Genesis 34:18-23

2009.Jun.05 09:30

Speaking Power to Fools

Read Genesis 34:18-23 | Full Chapter

Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house.
(Genesis 34:18-19, ESV)

In last week’s episode, Dinah’s brother had just pulled off a bit of deception, convincing Hamor and Shechem to make not just themselves but their whole city vulnerable, having all the males trained in fighting being down and out recovering from circumcision. Hamor falls for it hook, line and sinker, even to the point that he’s feeling his people are getting the best deal. At the cost of short-term pain, he reasons (as seen in verse 23, below), Jacob’s family will be assimilitated into the group Hamor rules. His power will increase.

Shechem’s reasons seem to have little to do with political or economic power, but power none the less. His gain for circumcision will be over Dinah. He has already raped her, but his lustful appetite has only grown with that act. Now he wants her to be his wife, and I don’t think in the way, say, that I am delighted that my wife is married to me. I can’t say for sure, but I don’t believe Shechem is seeking a relationship, a partnership, a family. Rather, he is seeking the sort of power and fame that high school boys think they are to gain by having sex with the hot virgin. Shechem–I am inclined to assume–wants to possess Dinah and thereby to proclaim himself as her master and a man of power. Even though he already is the most honored in the household of a local ruler.

So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, "These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people–when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us."
(Genesis 34:20-23, ESV)

We now watch their plea to the people, and the reasoning is much the same: more for us (Note they fail to mention the reason why this has all come up). We will suffer a little to gain. Actually, that’s not an inherently bad thing if you leave it general like that. After all, we followers of Jesus are called to accept suffering for his sake, knowing that our reward is beyond anything this world can offer. It’s the details that are the problem. The gain here is \ just worldly power, and that hope blinds the people to wisdom.

In their rush to gain, the men of this town make themselves vulnerable, and die for their foolishness. The sons of Jacob acted deceptively, but the men (and perhaps women) of Succoth are really deceived by the promise of wealth and power. Again, these things are not inherently evil. But the love of them, the lust for them and pursuit of them at the expense of greater things–love, faith, obedience, wisdom–is truly destructive.