The temptations of this world (Genesis 34)

Shechem

Biblical stories are rarely didactic telling us exactly what to think. Rather, they describe a complex reality of people’s actions and motivations and encourage us to develop a nuanced way of thinking about God’s truth. Thus, the story of Shechem and Jacob’s family is not simply condemnation of the former and approval of the latter. Despite Shechem’s despicable act, the narrator stresses that he loved Dinah, was attracted to and delighted with her and was highly respected in his community (Gen 34:3, 8, 19). Unbridled lust got the better of him, but he is now eager to marry Dinah and willing to pay a hefty bride-price (Gen 34:12). On the other hand, his act was disgraceful and a defilement of a young girl (Gen 34:7, 13) and, given the high value placed on virginity at the time, Shechem’s lack of apology is conspicuous.

Attractive offer

Hamor suggests a solution to the Dinah question and sweetens the deal with a profitable proposal for broader interaction (intermarriage, trade, acquiring property; Gen 34:9-10). For Jacob’s family without any claims in the land, this would have been an attractive offer but at what price? Should Dinah’s suffering earn them advantage as if she were a prostitute (cf. Gen 34:31)? Moreover, God promised the land to Jacob’s family and gaining it by alliance with the current ‘tenants’ who were under God’s judgment (Gen 15:12-21) would surely be wrong. It should also give us pause that Hamor and Shechem suggest to the town that through such an alliance they could lay their hands on Jacob’s wealth (Gen 34:23). Is this purely rhetoric to win the town’s co-operation or their intent?

The brothers’ and Jacob’s response

The brothers’ response to the proposal touches on the truth even if spoken in deceit. Alliance with the Canaanites is unacceptable because they lack commitment to the true God expressed symbolically in circumcision. Against Shechem’s eagerness to adopt circumcision and gain Dinah legally, the brothers’ massacre and looting is a shocking contrast (Gen 34:25-29).[1] The punishment is disproportionate to the crime.[2] Nevertheless, taking Dinah’s abuse seriously and refusing to gain land through forbidden alliances is commendable. Moreover, we discover at the end that Dinah was kept in Shechem’s house throughout (Gen 34:26), so the prince was in a power position. In all this, Jacob’s response is particularly disappointing. He recedes into the background in the negotiations (Gen 34:11-13) and shows no concern for the injustice done to Dinah or the Shechemites. His old fearful nature re-asserts itself, so that he is only worried about his own safety (Gen 34:30).

Lessons from Shechem and Jacob’s family

What are we to learn from this story? First, the portrayal of Shechem cautions us from tarring all outsiders with the same brush. God graciously bestows goodness, honourable feelings, wisdom even on unbelievers. Nevertheless, Shechem’s depiction also highlights that those outside the faith live by different standards and some of these are deeply offensive and wrong in God’s estimate. We should neither be surprised if we find unbelievers better than we thought, nor be tempted to excuse their wrongdoing because they are charming and otherwise likable people.

Second, the weak position of Jacob’s family against a dominant majority is increasingly our story, so that some Christians are actively persecuted, others encounter growing hostility towards their views. In such a climate, it is tempting to keep silent like Jacob to save our skin, our jobs, or simply retain people’s good opinion of us. At the other extreme and depending on temperament, it may also be tempting to lash out in animosity disproportionate to the wrong done, to meet injustice with injustice. Yet we can learn from the brothers to take sin seriously. Their question left hanging in the air at the end is at the heart of the matter. While they crudely interpret Shechem’s offer as wages for prostitution (Gen 34:31), Israelite readers would hear echoes of the phrase ‘playing the harlot’ used of Israel when they were unfaithful to God (e.g. Num 25:1-13).[3] Will we sell our souls to gain temporary fulfilment and advantages that the world offers or are we willing to wait for God to fulfil his promises in our lives in a deeper way than the world can ever do?

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[1] Circumcision was widely practised in the ancient Near East (though with a different meaning, as a rite of passage at puberty or before marriage), so that the idea would not have been unfamiliar to Shechem.

[2] It is hard to know what would have been seen as appropriate punishment in Jacob’s time and how later Israelite readers would have perceived the brothers’ act. As a comparison, Deut 22:28-29 and Exod 22:16-17 set out the rules within a later Israelite context. Even if the dishonour was such that killing the guilty party was seen as acceptable, the massacre of a whole town is disproportionate revenge. Israelite readers may have also remembered the sin of Baal of Peor, where the people ‘played the harlot’ by engaging in worship of other gods and immoral sexual acts (Num 25:1-18). After God condemned such practices, He ordered the guilty leadership to be executed. A descendant of Levi, Phinehas, was particularly commended because he acted promptly killing an Israelite man and Midianite woman defiantly engaged in such acts while the rest of the people mourned for their sins. Although there was likewise a massacre, but it involved the guilty, Israelite and Midianite alike.

[3] Worship of other gods sometimes involved sexual immorality (e.g. with temple prostitutes to ensure the fertility of the land and the people), but the expression is often used in a metaphorical sense. Israel, God’s bride, gave away her favours in exchange for material advantages (worship of other gods to secure a good harvest, prosperity, or safety from enemies, e.g. Hos 2:2-13).

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