Jacob in “As the Screw Turns: Rape and Revenge”

 

In our previous episode of God’s One Big Story—From the Frying Pan into the Fire—we saw how Jacob, following his narrow escape from his angry father-in-law, Laban, came face to face with Esau, the brother who had once threatened to kill him.  Jacob prepared for this event in every way that he could think of—first, he sent messengers on ahead in an effort to curry favor with Esau; then, he sent droves of animals on ahead as gifts for his brother; and finally, he separated the people, flocks and herds with him into two companies, thinking that if one group was slaughtered, the other one could escape.

It would seem that all of this pre-planning was unnecessary, though, because the night before the meeting, the Angel of the Lord met with Jacob and following an all-night wrestling match with him, He blessed him and changed his name to Israel.  The next day, when Jacob finally met up with Esau, their meeting went better than Jacob could have ever imagined, with the two former enemies being reconciled and parting as brothers and friends.  Afterward Esau made his way back to his home in Seir and Jacob headed for Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his animals.  Sometime later, Jacob moved to Shechem—which is where we find him when this episode opens.

This episode, Rape and Revenge, addresses a very dark chapter in the on-going drama of Jacob’s life, As the Screw Turns, as it not only deals with the violation of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, by the local prince, Shechem, but also the revenge exacted upon him, his family, and all the inhabitants of his city by Dinah’s very angry brothers.

Since this installment covers two chapters—Genesis 34-35—Part 1 will cover Chapter 34 and Part 2 will cover Chapter 35, with a review following each part.  This will also mark the end of Biopic #3, for even though Jacob will show up again later in the story, our focus from this point on will be on Joseph—the main character in Biopic #4.

Episode #5 of Biopic #3
Cast:     Narrator     Shechem/Hamor     Jacob’s Sons/Simeon & Levi     Jacob     God     Midwife

Part 1

Narrator:  Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to 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 violated her.  His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman.  So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying…

Shechem:  Get me this young woman as a wife.

Narrator:  And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came.  Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.  And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing which ought not to be done.  But Hamor spoke with them, saying…

Hamor:  The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.  And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.  So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.

Shechem:  Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.  Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.

Narrator:  But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.  And they said to them…

Jacob’s Sons:  We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.  But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.  But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.

Narrator:  And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.  So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father.  And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying…

Hamor/Shechem:  These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters.  Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.  Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.

Narrator:  And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males.  And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went out.  The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled.  They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.  Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi…

Jacob:  You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.

Simeon and Levi:  Should he treat our sister like a harlot?

 

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Review #1

Our review of the…

The Most Important Points of Part #1—

     — Setting the scene—when Jacob arrived in Succoth (see map below), his oldest son, Reuben, was probably about twelve years old and his daughter, Dinah, would have been much younger than that.  They must have lived there for some time, giving Dinah the time needed to grow to a more marriageable age.

     — Dinah went out to see the daughters of the land—growing up in an all-male family, Dinah must have been starved for the companionship of girls her own age.  However, the daughters of the land were pagans and as such, they were not suitable companions for a godly young woman.  This also put her in contact with Shechem, the prince of the land.

     — Shechem …violated her—in the ancient Near East, rape was one means of obtaining a marriage contract—see Deuteronomy 22:28-29.  Given that neither Hamor or Shechem apologize or express remorse concerning the act, it would seem that this was an accepted practice in their culture.

     — He loved the young woman…spoke to his father—Shechem asks his father to arrange a marriage contract with Dinah’s family.

     — Jacob heard…Jacob held his peace—throughout this episode, Jacob fails in his responsibilities as a father and the spiritual head of the family.

     — Hamor went out to speak with Jacob—in his efforts to secure a marriage contract for his son, Hamor appeals to Jacob’s baser instincts, offering him…

• • • Worldly society;
    • Worldly security; and,
    • Worldly success.

     — Dowry and gift—Shechem is so enamored with Dinah that he offers to pay whatever price her family thinks is appropriate.  The dowry and gift could be set higher if the bride’s family was socially superior or wealthy, or if the bride was especially beautiful.

     — Jacob’s sons came in…very angry—at this point, Jacob’s sons come in and take over the negotiations and we hear no more from Jacob.  They decide to play the “religion” card, claiming that they cannot give Dinah in marriage to someone who does not observe the same religious practices as they do—which, in this case, involves circumcision.

     — The young man did not delay—Shechem wastes no time in trying to convince the entire male population of the city to submit to circumcision.

     — The gate of their city—the gate was the place of assembly for legal and business transactions and for public meetings.  Hamor and Shechem appeal to the men by promising them an expanded marriage pool, new trade opportunities, and access to the great wealth of Jacob and his family.

     — All…heeded Hamor and Shechem/on the third day—all the men were circumcised and on the third day afterward, when their pain was the greatest, Simeon and Levi attacked the town, killing the men, plundering the town, and taking the women and children captive.  Dinah was also taken from Shechem’s home and carried back home.  Imagine the scene when Simeon and Levi came back—herding a town full of weeping widows and newly orphaned children, all their livestock and valuables, and Dinah—weeping not only because of her violation but also because now she was not going to be vindicated through marriage.  Had Simeon and Levi (and the other brothers) attempted to wipe out the town by themselves, they would have been unable to do so but this they accomplished because of the incapacitation of the town’s men.

     — You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land—Jacob seems more concerned about his personal safety than the rape of his daughter and the horrific actions of his sons.

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Part 2

Now back to our story…

 

Narrator:  Then God said to Jacob…

God:  Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.

Narrator:  And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him…

Jacob:  Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.  Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.

Narrator:  So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.

And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.  So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.  And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel,
because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.  Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him…

God:  Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.

Narrator:  So He called his name Israel.  Also God said to him…

God:  I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.  The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.

Narrator:  Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him.  So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it.  And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor.  Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her…

Midwife:  Do not fear; you will have this son also.

Narrator:  And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin.  So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).  And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

Israel journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.  And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it.

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:  the sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; the sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin; the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, were Dan and Naphtali; and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant, were Gad and Asher. These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Padan Aram.

Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt.  Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.  So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

 

 

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Review #2

Our review of the…

The Most Important Points of Part #2—

     — Go up to Bethel…make an altar there to God—in Part 1, there was no mention of God or of seeking His will.  Now God intervenes and tells Jacob that he needs to go back to the place where his faith walk began—to Bethel—and built an altar there.

     — Put away the foreign gods—these would have included the ones Rachel stole from Laban and all the idols and amulets that they picked up when looting Shechem.

     — The terror of God was on the cities—had the surrounding cities risen up against Jacob and his family, they would have been wiped out, so God protected him and them in His own way.

     — El Bethel—meaning “the strong God of the House of God.”

     — Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died—although we have no record of it, Jacob must have visited his father some time prior to this and taken Deborah with him.  He had known her all of his life and by this time, she was very old and his mother had died.

     — God appeared to Jacob again—this time, He re-enforced the fact that Jacob was no longer Jacob but Israel (possibly inferring that he needed to start acting like his new name), and He repeated the same Covenant Promises that He had given to both Abraham and Isaac.

     — God Almighty—God reveals Himself as El Shaddai—the All-Sufficient One who is strong enough to meet every need.

     — Jacob set up a pillar of stone—in this case, the stone speaks of Christ, the drink offering of the blood He poured out on the Cross, and the oil of the Holy Spirit.

     — Rachel labored in childbirth…she died—at this point, Jacob’s other wives had ceased bearing children and Joseph was probably about fifteen years old, so it is likely that Rachel was getting past the age of childbearing.

     — She called his name Ben-Oni…his father called him Benjamin—Rachel named her son “son of my sorrow”—a name that would have reminded him of the grief associated with his birth for the rest of his life, so Jacob renamed him “son of my right hand,” a name elevating him to a place of honor within the family.

     — The tower of Eder…Reuben lay with Bilhah—this tower was a place where shepherds could protect their animals from predators, and it was located somewhere near Jerusalem.  While living here, Reuben—who would have been about thirty—slept with Bilhah.  Not only was this an incestuous act but it could also have been seen as an attempt to usurp the authority of the family patriarch.

     — Now the sons of Jacob were twelve—Jacob’s family is finally complete and the foundation of the nation of Israel is now in place.

     — Jacob came to his father at Mamre/Hebron—years after his return from Padan Aram, Jacob makes a final trip to Hebron to see his father.

     — Isaac died…gathered to his people—Isaac, certainly blind by now and possibly senile, dies at 180 years old.  Gathered to his people indicates that he has gone on to Paradise—the place where all the OT saints went upon their deaths.

     — Esau and Jacob buried him—Esau and Jacob come together again to bury their father.

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In Summary

Given all that Jacob has been through thus far, we’d hope that things would finally begin to settle down for him now that he is back home in the Land of Promise. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case—he continues to be faced with one drama after another, just like everyone else in their walks of faith with God.

As we have noted in our previous episodes, many of Jacob’s problems can be traced back to his conniving character and the bad choices he has made in the past. Let’s face it…

• • If Jacob hadn’t cheated his brother and deceived his father, he wouldn’t have had to run away from home.
  • If he hadn’t run away from home, he wouldn’t have gotten involved with Laban.
  • If he hadn’t gotten involved with Laban, he wouldn’t have gotten tricked into marrying a woman he didn’t love.
  • If he hadn’t married a woman he didn’t love, he wouldn’t have had to spend twenty years working for his crooked father-in-law.
  • If he hadn’t gotten tricked by Laban, he wouldn’t have ended up with two wives and two concubines, and there would have been a lot less competition and strife in his household.
  • If there hadn’t been so much competition and strife between his wives and concubines, there wouldn’t have been so much jealousy and division among his sons.
  • If he hadn’t been away so much working for crooked Laban, his children wouldn’t have grown up with such a passive and absentee father, and left to be disciplined by their mothers.
  • If his children hadn’t grown up in such a dysfunctional household, they probably wouldn’t have been so angry and violent, Reuben probably wouldn’t have slept with his stepmother, and as we shall see in our upcoming episodes, they probably wouldn’t have sold their brother, Joseph, into slavery—but that’s a whole other story!

Of course, no one can say for sure what might have happened if Jacob hadn’t been such a scoundrel to begin with, but we be sure of this one thing—regardless of Jacob’s faults and failures, God was able to use all of them to achieve His desired purpose in both Jacob’s life and in God’s One Big Story! In fact, because He sees the end from the beginning and is sovereign over all the affairs of men, He is able to do the very same for us today—a promise He has made to us in Romans 8:28…

 …And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

Up next, we will begin our presentation of Biopic #4–Dreams, Dungeons, and Destinies, the story of Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph.  This will be a spin-off of Biopic #3 in that Jacob will still have a recurring role, so be sure to check back for that very soon!

 

 

 

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