We're going to start up tonight with our study in the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter number 34. Genesis chapter number 34. As we continue on in this saga of Jacob. Now God had commanded, we looked last week, or Wednesday night rather, at Jacob's meeting with Esau. This is something that was no doubt giving Jacob a great deal of anxiety. He of course comes to the Lord about that situation in prayer. It was something that he was concerned with, although we saw very much Jacob's faith there in that chapter in his in his belief, in his faith, that God would keep his promises, as he did. In fact, that's how he prayed, Lord, I know you're going to be faithful to your promises. That's how he approached God concerning this. And so, nevertheless, even in his faith, he was still bothered by that meeting and what would take place in that meeting with Esau, yet he is the one that sent messengers out to let Esau know, I'm coming home, I'm coming that way, and so that Esau would meet up with him to bring it to an end, his own anxiety, his own struggles in regards to meeting his brother again, because again, when he left, To go to the Latham's household, he left for the purpose of escaping from Esau because he was expecting Esau to kill him. Esau had made that statement. So his mourning is over for daddy. As soon as we get done with his funeral, I'm killing Zeke. And so Zechariah left, expecting that same anger when he would return to be a part of Esau. The Lord, of course, works this out wonderfully and brings these two brothers together in reconciliation here in chapter 33. Now, the reason Zechariah leaves Laban's house, because he didn't want to. He'd been there for 20 years. But God had commanded him specifically to. God had commanded him specifically to go. Go home. Get out of the lady's house. Go home. So Jacob tells his wife, look, God told us to go. Go back to my home. So we're going to pack up and we're going to go. They were okay with that. So they willingly got up and followed after Jacob as he was returning home. The problem is where we stopped off in chapter 33. Jacob's just making home. He met with Esau there at Tenuel after having wrestled with the Lord all night that previous night. After meeting with Esau there and reconciling with him, He then left from Heniel and went up to Sukkot, and the Bible tells us there in the latter part of chapter 33 that there in one of the cities in Selim, a city of Shechem, Zekiet sets up his dwelling there. makes him a household there, he lets his flock stay there, and whether he intended it to be temporary or not, he'd definitely go in the wrong direction, because the way to get to where his mom and daddy was, where God had sent him, was to go continue on west. He did not go west, he went north, and there settled, and again, whether it meant temporary or not, he ends up staying there for about ten years. So you can see now this kind of the problem with Esau is alleviated and suddenly Jacob's mind is worried about Jacob again. And so he doesn't go on and do what God has commanded him. God commanded him to go home. And yet we find him in Sukkot in Siloam there residing and he does so again for about 10 years until this event in chapter 34 takes place. And so we read here in chapter 34 what took place here after this, about 10 years have passed, and it tells us here about a situation that arose with Dinah. The only daughter mentioned of Jacob. There may have been others because there is, In the text here, they talk about, we'll marry your daughters and you marry our daughters. And so there may have been more than just Dinah, but Dinah is the only one specifically named because of this situation that occurs here in chapter 34. It says, Dinah, verse 1, and Dinah, the daughter of Leah, which she bear unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem, the son, of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her and devoured her. So Shechem here, he is the prince of the land. Hamor the Hivite is his father. Hamor is the king of this land of Shilem. And so while she, Dana, is out looking at the daughters of the land, seeing what they're doing, what they're about, what they're into, what fashions they've got on, and so on. She goes out to spot out what's going on in the land, and Shechem sees her. She's probably 14 or 15 at the time. Shechem sees her and gets her and raises her. Okay? So this is a great tragic, a great sin that is perpetrated against Dinah here. It says that in verse 3, it says, his soul claimed unto Dinah, the daughter of Zedekiah, and he loved the damsel, and spake timely unto the damsel. So a strange thing happens to Shechem. Wraith is always about control and power. That's what it's always about. And yet in the process here of his control and power, he falls in love with her and has a real affection for Dinah. So much so that he wants to marry her. And it's kind of a strange thing. that happens, people can be so weird and complicated to do something so perverse and so depraved simply for power and then turn around and have this kind of affection for the very victim that they do this evil to, which is something we see all the time. It's something that is a regular occurrence in our world in the depraved mind and the heart But here he does this evil, he falls in love with her, and speaks kindly to her, and it says in verse 4, she had been speaking to his father Hamel saying, get me this damsel to wife. Get me this damsel to wife. And so he asked his father to allow or prepare or to make possible him taking Dinah to be his wife. And so Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they were come. So Jacob doesn't say anything about it until his sons come, because they've been out in the field with the cattle. And it says there in verse 6, And Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out unto Jacob to commune with him. And the sons of Jacob came out of the field, and they heard it. And the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in line with Jacob's star, which they ought not to be done. And so her brothers hear about it, they're very angry. Hamor comes out. I don't know We're not given any information here about what Hamor himself knew, but in all the actions of Hamor, for that matter, besides this raid that took place, even in the Acts of the Second, you see at least an honor in them as this story unfolds. Again, we don't know what Hamor knew or didn't know, but he seems to be honorable in his actions toward Jacob here. And so he comes and is trying to arrange this marriage for his son. Zizek's sons know about what has been done against Dinah, and so they're very angry at what took place. And Hamor says, verse 8, Hamor, can you give them, saying, the soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter, I pray you, give her him the wife. and make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters of you." So there he gives a hint that perhaps there were more than Dinah as far as the daughters of Jacob are concerned, or maybe by this time the daughters of his sons, but again, Dinah's the only one mentioned at this point. And so it says here that he's desiring to make an alliance. between himself and Jacob and between their families so that their—which, if it would have taken place, would have probably, once again, kept Jacob in this area. That is something very important to consider when we're looking at what's transpired here. Not that Hamel had anything evil intent, but had this gone through in Jacob's plans, it may very well have kept him from further obeying the Lord, you see. And so Amor desires to intermarry with the family of Jacob, and he says in verse 10, And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you, Let me read that again. "...and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein." He said, look, you come intermarry with us, and you join with us, and whatever you want yours. The land before you can have it. This is for you to dwell in. So that's kind of the mindset that Jacob was already in because he bought. This piece of land that he's dwelling on now, he bought that from Hamel. You see, so he's already establishing himself in the land, he's lived here for almost 10 years, and here Hamel was offering him more if he would intermarry with them. And so it says there, verse 11, Shechem said unto her father and to her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me, but give me the damsel, the wife." Whatever you want, whatever the price you want to put on this contract, whatever it is, he said, we'll pay it. Whatever it is, we'll pay it. We just want this marriage for Jacob and Dinah at that place. And so it says, the sons of Jacob answered Jacob. And Hamor, his father, deceived them. Here was the problem, right here. Whether or not Jacob knew their intent fully, he acts like he doesn't know when he gets down here to the inn, but whether he knew their intent fully, he should have not let his son speak for him. Jacob was the one that was supposed to be leading his family. Jacob was the one that was supposed to be. Yeah, his sons were grown at this time, but he still had charge for something. He's the one leading them. He's the number one speaking, instead of allowing his sons to speak for him. But instead, he allows his sons to make the curbs here of disarrangement. And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem, and paid for his father deceitfully, and said, because he had deviled Dinah their sister. And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, for that were a reproach. unto us. But in this will we consent unto you, if ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised. Verse number 16 says, Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if he will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. In other words, please, Hamor, and shepherd Hamor's son. And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delighted in Jacob's daughter, and he was more honorable than all the house of his father. That's what God says about it. This is what God says about Shechem. Yes, Shechem did an evil thing. He performed an evil sin. But here God says he's more honorable than all his house, all his father's house. And so these two were acting in an honorable way in this regard to Shechem and to his family to work out the arrangement of this marriage between Shechem and Dinah. And of course his sons say, The only way it can happen is that you all be circumcised like us. And then if you be circumcised like us, then we can join our families together and everything will be okay. And so they go to do that. They go to allow this to take place. They see that that's an honorable thing in respect to what Jacob's sons required of them. And so it says there, Again, in verse 19, the young man, speaking of Shechem, deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's sovereign, and he was more honorable than all the house of his father. And Hamor and Shechem, his son, came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, These men are peaceable with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein. For the land, behold, it is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only herein will the men consent unto us, for to dwell with us to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. Shall all their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours, only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. And unto Hamor, and unto Shechem his son, hearkened to all that went out of the gate of his city, and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city." So this shows you the people of the city, their love, or at least their respect for Hamor and Shechem, that every male in the city said, okay, we'll be circumcised, that'll be fine. If this helped you out, King, if this will work out for us, if this worked out for you, if this is what you've arranged, that this would be better. Yeah, sure, we'll do that. And so every man of the city gave themselves to be circumcised because their king asked them to. And so that tells you a little bit about at least their love or their respect for Halar. and said to them that they were willing to do that. And so they give themselves to be circumcised, and it says, verse 25, it came to pass on the third day. So after they are circumcised, three days passes by, it says, when they were sore, when they were sore. This great pain had been inflicted on them, and having this great pain inflicted on them, it's been three days now, they're still very sore from this surgery that has taken place. And it says that while they were sore on this third day, that the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males. They caught all of them in bed resting because of their soreness, and they murdered every one of them. They went in and killed every man in the city. Shechem is the only one that did anything wrong. He's the only one that performed any evil, and he seemingly was trying to make up for it. He seemingly was trying to correct what mistake that he had made. But he's the only one that did any evil in this situation. All the rest were yielding even to the demands of Jacob's sons, and yet they went in and murdered every one of them. Every man of the city they murdered. And since they slew, and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went out." So apparently, Jacob had already given Dinah to watch. Now they go into their sister's home, they murder her husband, they murder her father-in-law, and they drag her out from the home, which it doesn't seem like she was home. Times were different then and arranged marriages and so on, but it doesn't seem like she was there against her will. But here her brothers come in, murder her husband, murder her father-in-law, and take her out of the city. And it says, the sons of Jacob came upon the slain and spoiled the city because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep and their oxen, and their ashes, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, and all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house. So they turned around, and because of the sin that was done against them, they turned around and did the same thing and worse. Turned around and performed the same sin and worse. took all captives, stole all their wealth, stole all their property. And it says, verse 30, and Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ye have troubled me to make me to seek among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites, And I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me and slay me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. And they said, should he deal with our sitters with a harp? Well, check him, Paul, he shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have done that. This is the reason, what we see concerning our brothers here, this is the reason the Lord warns us that vengeance is his. That vengeance is his. But when we carry out vengeance ourselves, our vengeance is tainted by too many other things. Our vengeance has our pride involved in it. Our vengeance has our sin, our depravity. It's got all of our mixed-up notions and all of our crazy thinkings and all of our sins and all the sins that were done to us. It's got all of that mass mixed up in us. And when we go to carry out vengeance, there is in no way can we truly carry it out with justice without bringing part of our own perverseness and our own wickedness out in the process. And this is exactly what Jacob's sons did here. They carried out this vengeance, but in carrying out this vengeance, they showed their own depravity and their own wickedness in what they did and how they carried it out. In the dishonesty that they performed there, in the killing, the murdering that took place, in the robbing, in the spoiling, in the defiling that they themselves did, they showed their own filthiness and they showed their own sin. It is the reason the Lord tells us vengeance is mine, said the Lord. His vengeance is not tainted by anything. His vengeance is perfect, and when he carries out his justice, when he brings the vengeance that is necessary to accomplish or to appease those sins that have been wrought against his people, he will do it perfectly. Absolute justice, absolute righteousness will he exercise. It will not be mixed with the wickedness of man. This, however, was a wicked deed performed by Jacob's sons as they would carry out this vengeance upon his people. Again, Jacob was the only one that did anything wrong. And yet they slayed the whole city. Every man in the city they killed. Stole everything that was in the city of worth. Carried off their children and their wives as their slaves. And Jacob said, you all make me stink among the inhabitants of the people. How different that was. How different it was for Jacob here compared to Abraham in the land. Abraham in the land was revered. Abraham in the land was honored. Abraham in the land was praised. God made Abraham's name great. Then we see how quickly when Jacob's kids get loose and they do their thing, how quickly they can make such a mess out of the great name of Abraham. given their working of their own vengeance. This is a sign to come of the nation of Israel and how they will constantly try to go their way, do their thing. Constantly, constantly disobey, constantly leave off from what God has declared for them to do and how well He has God sent them, but I'm going to do it this way. How awesome. Do we see that in the history of Israel given to us in the Scripture when they were following after their own desires, working their own things, doing their own schemes to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish instead of simply obeying what God had given them to do? And so here we see this nation of Israel. being represented by their very namesakes, the very tribe's namesakes, we see here how quickly they can follow after itself and do their own thing instead of following that which is right in the sight of the Lord. We also see something else here. The very fact that this is taken place, The very fact that this situation has arisen in their place here is because Jacob was not where Jacob was told to be. Jacob was not where Jacob was told to be. God commanded him to go home. And Jacob stopped on his journey and had been in this place for ten years or better and made himself a home and made himself a place Not where God told him to go. Not where God told him to be. And had he obeyed, had he been where God told him to be, we know this situation would not have been. But that's not where he was at, because he did not obey. And so he's in this other place. He's in this place far off from where God had commanded him to go. And so for this reason, this situation arises. And yet God, who is sovereign over all things, will bring Jacob to obedience. And Jacob will be. Jacob will be where God commanded him to be. One way or another, he's going to be where God commanded him to be. And so though Jacob had disobeyed and had strayed here from the path for these ten plus years, when God commanded him to go home, he was going to get Jacob home. He would bring the pass God's purposes and promises that he had given to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. He'd given him that land to be in, to dwell in. He told him to be there in that land, specifically the land of the Canaanites, to go into that place and dwell there. He told him specifically, Jacob specifically, to go home where his mom and dad were. And so he commands him specifically in regards to that. Had Jacob stayed in the land there of Edom, had he continued on there, what landmarks, what proof, what instances that Moses has written for us from this chapter on What landmarks that Moses would record from this chapter on for the children of Israel as they are coming out of captivity, coming back into the land, what men could he point to in regards to their rights to the land, in regards to the promise that God had given them to go into that land, what could he point to? And Jacob remained outside of the land of Canaan where God had permitted him to go. God's will, God's purposes, God's promises will always be fulfilled. Always. Even in our disobedience, God will work His purposes and His promises to accomplish exactly what He has established to accomplish. Because guess where Jacob goes after he's made a sink here? He goes to Bethel. He goes home. He goes home. And here in chapter 35, which we'll get into on Wednesday, he returns to Bethel, the house of the Lord, and there straightens things out with the Lord. He acknowledges, I've not done what I'm supposed to do, Lord. And he renews, here in chapter 35, he renews his covenant with the Lord to do as God commanded him to do. God's will, his will, will always, always be done. Will always be done. Man will go all sorts of different directions and he'll twist and turn and follow all sorts of paths and go all sorts of different directions. God's purpose remains true, His purpose remains headlong, straight on, and despite the curves and the twists that man will go through, God will accomplish His purpose, His timing, exactly in the time that He commands that it be done, and He will perform it to the detail every single time. Every single time. He is the sovereign God that rules and reigns over all His creation. His will will always be done. And He does. He does it to you. He does it to you. His will will always be done in spite of, and sometimes even usually, the disobedience of his people to do so. Here, here, Jacob will accomplish, he will accomplish exactly what God has set for him to accomplish in coming into the land of Atlantis. Let's be dismissed. Let's all stand.