Jacob to Israel – A Life Transformed – 12
To understand Jacob’s actions we have to understand his circumstance. Jacob is in a hostile place, he is few in number compared to all those that surround him. One false move and he, his family and his livelihood would be taken away. He had no walled city, just tents in the fields, his only protection was his relationship with Almighty God. He had begun to imbibe the ‘faith’ that was so evident in his grandfather Abraham and to some extent was in his father Isaac. It was this belief and knowledge that kept him going. Genesis 35:3 tells us that Jacob acknowledged that God answered him in his time of distress and was with him in the way that he went.
Sometimes it pays to wait, especially wait on God. We see in this chapter that Jacob’s sons did not appear to share the same conviction with regard to Almighty God as their father. That may be something to do with the fact that they had not had ‘God Encounters’. All of us need ‘God Encounters’ that move our lives from relying on our parents’ encounters (if they have had them) to that of our own encounters. If we do not have this kind of relationship with Almighty God then we are in grave danger of making disastrous decisions that will have lasting consequences throughout our lives.
The situation here in Genesis 34, although awful, could have been used for the glory of God and to demonstrate that this God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the living God and did change lives. But unfortunately youthful hot headedness and arguably justified anger got in the way.
The young sons never had any intention of trying to rectify the situation other than through the shedding of blood. They had premeditated to kill those that had offended their family. Retribution and retaliation is not God’s way. Jesus demonstrated a different way on a cross, a way of love, compassion and self sacrifice.
The sons of Jacob used circumcision, the sign that God had established His covenant with His people, the outward sign that these sons of Abraham had been set apart to Him, as a way of weakening those that had offended them. How is it that we always try to beat non believers into submission instead of loving them into the kingdom of God?
After two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, had seized the moment and destroyed all the males that had been weakened by the physical act of circumcision and “rescued” Dinah their sister, the rest of the sons of Jacob plundered the city and took what was not rightfully theirs thereby bringing disgrace and reproach on Jacob and his family.
Jacob responded to this situation with a very heavy heart indeed. He said “You have made me obnoxious among the inhabitants”, “I shall be destroyed, my household and I”.
Despite all of this we will see that God comes to the rescue yet again.
Almighty God, deliver us from all the Sin that stops us from allowing you to work the miracle, life changing experience in our lives. Wrestle with us oh God that we may be able to make a difference to those around us and those we meet. Grant us self control together with a peace and knowledge in Your gift of Salvation that we may be able to live a righteous and holy life before you and those we come in contact with in our daily lives. Give us patience and wisdom to know how to act and react. Grant us your peace, a peace that transcends all logical reason so that we can be your effective witnesses, demonstrating your way, the way that your Son so selflessly demonstrated on a cross. Giving up His right for the greater good of humanity. In the difficult experiences of our lives help us Lord to forgive our enemies and those that misuse us. Help us Lord to be doers of the word and not just hearers so that our actions speak louder than our words.
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