Dinah's Disastrous Decision

Genesis 34


“And Dinah…went out to see the daughters of the land.”

Vs.1

Jacob bought ground in the land of Canaan, by the city of Shalem, apparently planning to make it his home. He has just met with Esau again and all is well between them. (Read Gen 28:1 - They were not to take a wife of the Canaan, like Esau did.)

Jacob’s daughter by Leah, Dinah, decides to go out to see the daughters of the land. Some sources state she may have been going to a festival or party-type gathering. It seems many agree with Josephus, a Bible historian, that the gathering was likely an annual festival of nature worship. What we do know is that she went to see the daughters of Canaan, girls Dinah shouldn’t have had any fellowship with. While out, Shechem, the son of Hamor (who Jacob had purchased the land from), saw Dinah, took her and defiled her. The next verse tells us that he loved her, his soul clave unto her and he spoke kindly unto her, so he asked his father to arrange the marriage. He father was told not to marry a daughter of Canaan, thus Dinah shouldn’t have been hanging out with those girls and neither should she get tangled up with a man of Canaan. But both happened to her because she wanted friends.

Meanwhile, Dinah went home and told Daddy what had happened. The Bible says that Jacob, “held his peace until they (Dinah’s brothers) were come.” Her brothers eventually avenged for Dinah, meaning they fought for her cause, resulting in the death of all that cities men.



Important Facts to Consider:

Dinah was the only girls with 12 brothers

She was probably 15 or 16 at the time

Most likely she was spoiled and used to getting what she wanted.

She probably craved female companionship like most women do.



Dinah’s decision to go off “to Town” alone to make friends or maybe hang out with friends she had already made affected the rest of her life. One commentator said that Dinah “went out to see” the world and it’s people instead of being a “keeper at home” like young ladies are supposed to be. She probably was of marrying age, but a husband shouldn’t have been looked for in Canaan. I think it’s safe to say that single women of marrying age and younger should be extra careful in what they do and where they go. The world is alluring but it is oh, so dangerous. The same thing that happened to Dinah, defilement (rape), may not happen to you but other life changing things could.

Be careful who you become friends with and where you spend your time, it will change your life forever, good or bad.



*Note: I know that rape is a serious thing and I can’t excuse the fact that Shechem did what he did, but I think it could have been prevented if Dinah hadn’t gone where she shouldn’t have to make friends with girls she shouldn’t have. I believe Shechem saw her, lusted after her and acted on that lust, but I think that he did love her. The Story seems different in the case of Amnon and Tamar in 2 Sam. 13, he defiled her, but then immediately after the act it says that he hated her more then he had loved her before the act. In any case, God gives healing to those who have gone through these situations, but there are some ways to safe guard against it happening to you.

Serving Your Generation

(From June 11)

“For David, after he had served his own generation
By the will of God, fell on sleep…”
Acts 13:36

    Twice now this past week someone has mentioned this verse to me. And for some reason it never stuck out to me before. My sister and I always say that we wish we lived a long time ago, even though the work was hard, life was simple and people were satisfied. But I was talking to my friend while working one day about my desire to start a website to help teen girls with the issues they face. She was saying how God puts us here, in this time period, to reach our generation. In some ways we must come up/ keep up with ways that our generation lives. A website is a prime way for people to be reached in this generation.
     Apparently God felt it important to mention that David reached his generation. And the Bible is still true for us today. May we reach our generation too.

         But how did David serve and reach them?
              And How can we?
Looking at his life just briefly I found some things that stuck out to me.
1. He was faithful and obedient to His father.
       He tended the family sheep(a girl’s job in Bible times) and carried supplies to his brothers.
2. He had courage to stand up to Goliath without protective armour
        He knew this enemy of God needed to be taken care of and he didn’t need anything but God and a strong dose of faith. He is mentioned in Hebrew’s Hall of Faith because of this.
3. He used his talents for God’s Glory
        He played his harp skillfully, first for his sheep and then as a form of comfort for King Saul’s troubled spirit.
        He also wrote or composed the majority of the Psalms which still give comfort today.
4. He had friends that encouraged his to do right
        Jonathon was like a brother, but he was older than David. He gave us his position with out a fight - so David could do God’s will.
5. He tried not to abuse his position
         He was king and could have let his position pull him away from the Lord. Instead he prepared to build the Temple (furthering the work of God)
6. He knew how to confess and forsake when he sinned
         He did abuse his position but not going to war, seeing Bathsheba bathing, killing Uriah, and marrying Bathsheba, but we was convicted, he confessed,  and he was restored.
7. He Fought and was a man of war
          David had to conquer the land, defeat the worldliness. He knew God didn’t want His children influenced by the pagan customs and lifestyle.
8. He was a man of God with Convictions
       God called him a man after God’s own heart and we know he was chosen, not because of the outward appearance but because of his heart.
9 He did great things for God
       Battles were won, preparations were made for the Temple, songs were written, God was glorified, and he raised Solomon to be the next, and wisest king.

There are more things I know, but the point is: David’s generation could see what he lived for and he served/ reached them. Esther had her generation to serve “For such a time as this.: (Esther 4:14)       

                              How will I serve and reach my generation?
                                       How will you?

No Riding the Fence

Worldliness.
It’s a struggle in our own lives and in our churches. There’s no doubt that we have a fleshly side of us that wars against the spiritual side. Many times we live in the world and sadly, like the world. You can’t look the world, act like the world , sound like the world, and smell like the world and be pleasing to God. It just doesn’t work. And it is so saddening that it’s going on with people who have been raised in strong, Bible preaching churches, who know the Word of God and yet choose to do their own thing. I was again reminded of this when I was reading the end of the book of Joshua in my devotions. Read chapter twenty-three in your Bible.

“Be ye therefore very courageous(strong, steadfast) to keep(guard)

and to do(accomplish) all that is written in the book of the law of Moses,

 that ye turn not aside therefrom 

to the right hand or to the left.

That ye come not among these nations…

But cleave unto the Lord your God, 

As ye have done unto this day.

Take good heed therefore unto yourselves,

That ye love the Lord your God.”

Joshua 23:6-8, 11

Instead of writing the whole chapter here, I just picked out some of the verses that stuck out. This was Joshua’s final message to the people before he died, it was a repeat of what they had been told over and over. Repetition is the key to learning, unless you don’t listen.
Joshua was telling the people that God had delivered them into the Promised Land. He had conquered their enemies, He had provided for them. Chapter 24 verse 13 tells of God’s provision, they moved into ready-made cities. They didn’t have to build the cities or start the vineyards and wait for years of maturity until it produced, it was already there.
 Their main command was to stay separate from the remaining heathen nations, to have nothing to do with them. It wasn’t just a command, it was a command that had an attached promise. If they chose to disobey and associate with the heathen God’s blessings would be removed… until they died.(vs. 13) Instead of all the good things God bestowed on them daily, He would bestow evil things. That’s pretty strong language to me.

 “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him

 in sincerity(without blemish) and in truth(certainty):

 put away the gods which your fathers served…

Joshua 24:14

The next verse is that famously quoted verse, hung on plaques in Christian homes across the world. Joshua says(My paraphrase): “Make up your mind who you’ll obey and follow. You can’t ride the fence and you must make the decision now. I’ve already made my decision to serve the Lord.”

So moving on to the applicable section of my ranting. Like I said at the beginning, worldliness is an issue today. But I believe the lesson from Joshua is still applicable today, because forms of it are mentioned in the New Testament also.

“Love not the world, neither the things 

that are in the world.

If any man love the world, 

The love of the Father is not in him. “

I John 2:15

“…Know ye not that the friendship of the world

Is enmity(hatred, hostility) with God? 

Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world

Is the enemy of God.”

James 4:4

“…keep himself unspotted(not having one spot) from the world”

James 1:27

We are still to be separate from the world, the heathen nations, just like in Joshua’s day. We are to try to reach them with the Gospel, but you can win someone from the world if you are like the world.
This isn’t a dress article. Though I will tell you before we moved down here the Lord pointed out something about my dress. It didn’t have to do with immodesty, it had to do with association. I had to get rid of my Aeropostal clothes, not that I had many, because I found myself wearing them because they are “cool” and that’s the style. I’m not saying burn your Aero clothes, I just had to get rid of them because the Lord spoke to me. I am not called to be “cool” and the Lord doesn’t give me a dress standard in His Word so I can be stylish.
I guess you can say this is an association post. We serve a holy God and worldliness is not pleasing to him, not even one spot of it. We can be like the world and love the things it loves, but it comes with a high price- you will be an enemy of God and not having the love of God in you. It’s more than dress, it’s your whole lifestyle.
If an unsaved person saw you, would they think you are like them because you act like the world, use it’s slang language, dress in it’s stylish clothes?
If they listened to your music would they notice a difference or is it something that they would listen to and like?
You cannot ride the fence, Choose who you will associate with - a Holy God or the Heathen Nations.

Lovely Books

To say I like books would be an understatement.

I’ve always liked them, used to get in trouble for reading to much.

Since moving down south I saw a book at the library about a woman who escaped

From the FDLS - the Mormon radical group.

Since I wrote my comparative Religions class in college about Mormonism

I thought it would be interesting to read.

So I finally got around to checking it out from the library.

I was reading it, and got about half way through but it was too much.

I just wasn’t comfortable reading about all their messed up ways

And the Holy Spirit kept pricking my heart as I read.

I knew I had to quit reading it.

I hate not finishing a book.

But I laid it aside.

While I was in Bible college taking classes on teaching,

I loved the class about teaching reading - one of our assignments was to read children’s books.

And there was a series of books recommended for

Middle School age children that I have collected over the last few years.

I didn’t read them before I started collecting because they were recommended.

My sister knows what they are,

I let her borrow them to read them, but she gave them back,

Let’s just say that they are definitely different.

So I had this series that my sister gave back to me,

I wanted to read them and see what they were all about,

I had read the first book but decided to read it again.

Easy reading- I finished the book in a day.

And I determined it was kinda creepy and sad,

And despite the intriguing mystery I didn’t like it.

I looked up the series and author in Wikipedia.

The series was classified as Gothic type.

I hadn’t known that.

 They were recommended at Bible college.

I decided not to read the other books in the series.

The whole time I was reading these books a song kept coming to my mind.

It’s not just a song,

It’s a Scripture song of Philippians 4:8.

“Finally, brethren,

whatsoever things are true,

Whatsoever things are honest,

Whatsoever things are just,

Whatsoever things are pure,

Whatsoever things are lovely,

Whatsoever things are of good report;

If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,

THINK ON THESE THINGS.”

It’s hard to read when the Lord is sending this song over and over through your mind.

I couldn’t get over three of those traits:

Pure : Innocent, clean, modest

(in the children’s book there was basically reference to possible incest, the relative was going to marry the 14 year old to inherit the fortune)

Lovely: Friendly, acceptable

As a believer, there is a Friend who is always with us. Would I read this outloud to Him?

He knows what you are reading anyway

Good Report: Reputable, well spoken of

Well, the series was well spoken of at college, but I don’t think it would be something

The Lord would recommend. Death, morbid destruction, scary people.

Nope, nothing I want my children to read.

I just thought I would share something the Lord specifically spoke to me about.

I’m so thankful for the prompting and reprimand of the Holy Spirit.

I don’t want to do things that sadden Him.

I need to focus on lovely, pure things.

And just for those who are wondering,

I’m reading A Gown of Spanish Lace

By Janette Oke, I forgot how good,

And pure it is.

A lovely book.

Simplicity in Christ Part 3

The Big Deal

Paul had a passion to see the Corinthians live right and not be led away by false teachers. He wanted so badly for them to remain pure, unspotted and away from the world. Not away from the world in the sense of hiding yourself away from everything and never going into public places, but not having a behavior(lifestyle) that reflects the world but one that professes godliness.

Paul knew if they left the simplicity in Christ and were corrupted by the world they would have scars of sin and their ministry would be less fruitful.

It is important to be free from the bondage

Of that corruption. We can live in freedom,

In the simplicity that is in Christ.

Simplicity in Christ Part 2

II Corinthians 11:3

"...The simplicity that is in Christ..."

Simplicity - singleness, sincerity, generosity, bountifulness

The word Simplicity mentioned here is the same Greek word for the phrase “singleness of heart” used in other parts of Scripture.

Paul wanted these believers to be the real deal- true, sincere believers bestowed by the bountifulness of God. After researching the words of the first two verses you find strong language from Paul.

Vs. 1 “Bear with me a little in my folly”
Paul  is asking for forbearance and endurance(“bear) in his senselessness, recklessness (“folly”)

Vs. 2a “I am jealous over you with godly jealousy”
Despite the word jealousy being used twice in the same verse, they are slightly different meanings. Paul speaks of  the first jealousy, meaning his warmth of feeling for them. The second a godly jealousy, speaks of heat and zeal, venturing to say Paul’s passion.

Vs. 2b “Espoused you…that I may present you…a chaste virgin.”
Paul was the one who introduced them to Christ, and now he is ready to stand by and “give them away” just like a father gives away his daughter at a wedding. But he wants them to be a pure, modest bride, not covered by the fornication of the world.

  What Difference Does is make?

Simplicity In Christ

 I Corinthians 11:3

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve

through his subtilty,

So your minds should be corrupted from

The simplicity that is in Christ."

Paul is writing this letter to the Corinthians out of love for them. He has helped them come to Christ but now false teachers are trying to lead them astray. Paul knows that the world and all it’s holds take away and distract us from the simplicity we find in Christ.

We cannot stay pure and unspotted for Christ if we leave the simplicity of him and live in the world, like the world.

But it’s tricky. Just as Eve was deceived, we can be deceived and beguiled in this world.

This Simplicity,

 What is it?