Jacob’s Family (1)
And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob,
went out to see the daughters of the land.
Genesis 34:1
Read Genesis 34:1-5
Dinah was Jacob’s younger daughter. She wanted to meet other young people
to see if she could measure up to them. She did not meet young people
her own age very often because she did not live in a city, but in a tent in the
countryside. Dinah lived a very sheltered life in the midst of her family. That
changed when her father pitched his tent in close proximity to the inhabitants
of the city of Shechem. Dinah wanted to satisfy her curiosity, so she
made her way to the city. She wanted to see what was going on there.
Surely there is nothing wrong with that. You probably also have good friends
with whom you can have conversations. You know almost everything about
one another. You notice everything about each other. Whether asked or not,
you give your opinion about each other’s dress and other various issues.
That is what Dinah wanted to experience as well.
But things turned out badly. In this scenario we do not hear anything from
Dinah’s father. Jacob remained completely passive in our text chapter. Even
when things got out of hand, Jacob took no action. Instead, he waited for the
return of his sons. He had lost complete control in the rearing of his children.
He remained silent. He did not point out to Dinah her vulnerability,
or warn her of the dangers that present themselves to young ladies. This
was out of character for Jacob. He should have been there for his daughter,
standing by her side. This was the real problem; it was not first of all Dinah’s
misbehavior, but Jacob’s negligence.
Question: When is the last time you had an in depth discussion with
your parents?
Psalter 444:5 (based on Psalm 103)
Like as a father looketh with compassion
Upon his children, lo, in such a fashion
The Lord doth look on them that fear and trust.
He knoweth that our frame is weak and humble;
How void of strength, how prone we are to stumble!
And He is mindful that we are but dust.
