Lovers of Violence

Genesis 34-36: Dinah, Leah and Jacob’s daughter, left home to go visit some other women. In ancient days, women had little legal protection, and it was fine and normal for a woman to be raped if she was unattended. Leah and Jacob shouldn’t have let her walk around alone, especially since she had so many brothers. What happens is kind of their fault. Shechem, the area’s prince, saw Dinah, took her, and raped her. Then the Bible says his heart was drawn to Dinah and he loved her and spoke tenderly to her.

It’s funny that the Bible calls it love. Shechem said to his father, Hamor, the ruler of the area, “Get me this girl as my wife.” When Jacob heard that his daughter had been “defiled,” the Bible’s word, not mine, his sons were in the fields. Hamor went to talk with Jacob just as Jacob’s sons had come back. They were shocked and furious, because “Shechem had done an outrageous thing in Israel…a thing that should not be done.” Hamor said, “Look, my son has his heart set on Dinah. Let’s intermarry with each other. You can live in our land, trade in it, and own property there. Charge me a high bride price. I’ll give you whatever you want, just give me the woman.”

When Jacob hears the news, he doesn’t react in a way that condemns Shechem’s actions. He doesn’t get angry, and he doesn’t ask for justice. This is what happens when you sweep things like this under the rug. Someone is going to get mad and possibly go overboard. They will think, “Someone needs to do something, and I guess it’s me.” As the father and the leader, Jacob should have made the confrontations. Jacob’s sons decided to make something up to get revenge. They said, “You have to circumcise all your men first, and then we’ll do it. That’s what our people do for our God.” Shechem “lost no time in doing what they said.”

 Shechem and Hamor went back to their men and said, “Circumcise yourselves, and later Jacob’s livestock and property will probably become ours. Let’s get them to come here and settle among us.” Every male in the city agreed (that’s how greedy they were) and was circumcised. Three days later, while the men were still healing, Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, attacked the city and killed every male. They looted the city and come home with all animals, property, women, children, and their sister, Dinah.

The first time I read this story, I think I read it wrong. The temptation is to think of what Jacob’s sons did as honorable, clever, and manly, but it really isn’t. Still, we have some sympathy for them because they stepped up where their father didn’t. It’s complicated. They did use the sign of God’s covenant with Israel (circumcision) for their own vengeful purposes. That’s kind of a perversion, right? Also, you’d have to be very cold to do all of this. Those are some hard hearts; the same hard hearts that will rise up against their own brother, Joseph, later. It’s also overkill (no pun intended). Only Shechem hurt Dinah.

In this society, we still think might, violence, good fighters, and “bad assness” are good traits. Are they? In some ancient cultures (like Rome), strength and pride were good things. When Christianity started spreading, it didn’t revolutionize culture right away. There were crusades and holy wars partly because that mentality of killing for your religion, family, and land were still embedded in the mind of society. That ego-driven bloodlust twisted Christianity into the version of Christianity that would most please the powerful. It took a while for us to value peace and meekness. I feel like that love of violent strength is coming back. Just look at the movies. It’s fun. Everyone loves a good action scene and admires the winner. So yeah, coming from this time and place, I was like, “Hell, yeah. Levi and Simeon are real men.” I think I was wrong. But where is the line between sin and satisfying vigilante-ism? Is there one?

 Jacob wasn’t happy. The brothers replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute.” Later in Geneis, Jacob has this to say of these two sons: “Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly. For in their anger, they slew a man…Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce and their wrath for it is cruel.” Jacob said, “Let them be scattered throughout Israel.” This came true. Simeon’s tribe was dissolved for a failure and became part of Judah. In Exodus, Levi was scattered for a good reason and ended up blessing Israel. So sometimes a curse turns out good?

Jacob shouldn’t have been in this area. Had he obeyed God and not feared Esau, Dinah wouldn’t have been there to be raped. Now, God told Jacob again to go to Bethel (where God had told Jacob to go in the first place). God was more receptive to the instructions this time. He realized it was time for this family to have a spiritual makeover. Jacob told everyone in his household to get rid of foreign gods/idols, purify themselves, and change their clothes. He said, “Let’s go to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” So they gave Jacob all the idols and their earrings, and Jacob buried them.

When they set out, the “terror of God” fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them. Despite all the mistakes, God didn’t let this incident destroy this family. They arrived at their destination. There, Rebekah’s nurse, Deborah, died. They named her burial place “Oak of Weeping.” Even though Deborah was never mentioned before or after this, she must have been well loved.  God appeared to Jacob again, repeating old blessings. Jacob set up a stone pillar, poured a drink offering on it, and he also poured oil on it.

 Rachel was pregnant around that time, but her childbirth was difficult. With her last breath, she named her son Ben-Oni (meaning “son of my sorrow”), but Jacob changed the name to Benjamin (meaning “son of my right hand”). Good call, Jacob. Rachel was buried on the way to Bethlehem. Israel moved on again, and his oldest son, Reuben, slept with Bilhah, Jacob’s concubine.

I pointed out that Jesus came from Judah’s line, even though he is fourth born. Sometimes God completely disregards the tradition of favoring the oldest with the inheritance. Sometimes the oldest gives the inheritance away (like Esau did). Sometimes they show that they can’t handle it. Rueben slept with his father’s concubine, and Simeon and Levi kill a bunch of people. The next in line is Judah. That’s how it happened.

Jacob went to Isaac’s location. Isaac lived until 180. Jacob and Esau buried him. The Bible then lists Esau’s family line. His descendents are many, and a few are rulers and other wealthy men. Even though Esau didn’t get the blessing, he didn’t end up with nothing. It was the spiritual legacy he gave up. His descendants have names meanings that include “wicked” and one that incorporates the name of the popular ancient god, Baal.