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As we continue in our series in 
Genesis title, Legacy of 

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blessing and see that we're in a
difficult text this morning, 

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we're asking of Genesis these 
questions, these basic questions

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to human existence. 
What am I, who am I and why am I

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here? 
That's middle question, the 

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question of identity. 
Who am I? 

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Families have all kinds of 
identity markers. 

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And in the Old Testament, the 
sign of the covenant, the sign 

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of entrance into the covenant 
family, is the sign of 

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circumcision. 
That's going to be at play in 

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our text this morning. 
So we were looking for that. 

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In the New Testament, the sign 
of the covenant shifts over from

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circumcision over to baptism. 
And so we will celebrate this 

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morning this beautiful sign of 
initiation, the sign of the new 

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covenant, as we see our 
baptizees go into the water, 

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understanding a little bit more 
about their identity as a 

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Christian in the community with 
faith. 

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Talk about how Genesis, the 
promises of God deliver promises

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in these categories, land, 
nation and blessing or place, 

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place to live, a people or a 
family to whom we belong and 

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blessing, a purpose, work to do 
in the world. 

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We also have seen how sin wreaks
havoc in these categories. 

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We see people sent from their 
homes as a result of their sin 

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to exile from the Garden of 
Eden. 

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Jacob is having to flee out of 
Canaan. 

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We also see instead of family 
and love, we see murder or 

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potential murder, sometimes in 
the closest of relationships, as

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Cain kills Abel and as Esau 
breathes threats against his 

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brother Jacob. 
But we also see sin forth, the 

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purposes to bless the nation's 
Instead of blessing the people 

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around us, the unbelievers, 
curses happen instead. 

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And last week we hit this 
beautiful resolution in chapter 

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33 as Esau and Jacob, that we 
were expecting violence or 

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potential violence, this 
beautiful reconciliation, this 

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warm passage in chapter 33. 
We're blessed because Jacob was 

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finally out of exile back in 
Canaan and living at peace with 

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his brother, though in separate 
places. 

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Now we're hopeful as he buys 
land from Shechem that there 

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will be a peaceful relationship 
with the Gentiles in this place.

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You kind of expect the end 
credits to roll up the screen, 

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you know, Beautiful happy 
ending. 

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But sadly, Jacob is not Jesus 
and the human sin problem is not

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resolved and everything goes off
the rails in chapter 34 and all 

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three areas are are threatened 
as we will see. 

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How can they live in this place?
How can they bless these people?

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How can they have the 
appropriate purpose when such 

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atrocities are committed? 
So this is a hard text and we 

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have a great need that is 
addressed by this text, our 

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great need for justice and 
mercy. 

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We need justice and mercy, and 
if you're following along in 

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your bulletin, I'm giving you an
outline. 

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And our first point as we go 
along with the text is taken 

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directly from the Bible. 
Christians are called to act 

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justly and love mercy. 
Both of these go haywire in 

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chapter 34. 
Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, 

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whom she had born to Jacob, went
out to see the women of the 

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land. 
And when Shechem the son of 

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Hamor the Hibite, the Prince of 
the land, saw her, he seized her

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and lay with her and humiliated 
her. 

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And his soul was drawn to Dinah 
the daughter of Jacob. 

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He loved the young woman and 
spoke tenderly to her. 

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So Shechem spoke to his father 
Haymore, saying, get me this 

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girl for my wife. 
Couple of things we need to 

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note. 
Dinah is the daughter of Leah, 

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the wife that Jacob didn't love,
and the rivalry that exists in 

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his family is going to spill 
down to the next generation as 

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the brothers of Dinah. 
Sorry, the brothers of Dinah and

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the sons of Leah have rivalry 
against the sons of Rachel, 

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Joseph, and Benjamin. 
We're going to also see that 

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Dinah's name is mentioned over 
and over and over again by this 

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text, but not by the 
perpetrators who see her as an 

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object, sexual sin, an object of
lust, something to steal. 

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Tiny is the daughter of Leah, 
the full sister to Reuben, 

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Simeon and Levi and Judah. 
And we're going to see a 

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horrible situation in this text.
It's she's probably a very young

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girl, marriageable age, maybe as
young as 12 years old to 14, 

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very vulnerable, accosted by 
this Shechem, a Prince whose 

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father has all the power in this
city. 

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We move on in the text, verse 5.
Now Jacob heard that he had 

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defiled his daughter Dynam, but 
his sons were with his 

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livestocks in the fields. 
So Jacob held his peace until 

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they came, and Haymore, the 
father Shechem, went out to 

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Jacob to speak with him. 
The sons of Jacob had come in 

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from the field as soon as they 
heard of it, and the men were 

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indignant and very angry because
he had done an outrageous thing 

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in Israel by lying with Jacob's 
daughter, for such a thing must 

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not be done. 
But Haymore spoke with them, 

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saying, The soul of my son 
Shechem longs for your daughter,

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Please give her to him to be his
wife. 

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Make marriages with us, give 
your daughters to us, and take 

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our daughters for yourselves. 
You shall dwell with us, and the

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land shall be open to you. 
Dwell and trade in it and get 

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property in it. 
Shechem also said to her father 

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and to your brothers, Let me 
find favor in your eyes, and 

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whatever you say to me I will 
give. 

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Ask me for as great a bride 
price and gift as you will, and 

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I will give whatever you say to 
me. 

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Only give me the young woman to 
be my wife. 

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Well notes that there is no 
repentance in this attempt to 

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gain Dinah as a wife. 
We can also note very carefully 

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that Dinah is still in their 
custody. 

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At least two of the sons are 
enraged by this. 

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Jacob is probably too quiet. 
They negotiate for Dinah. 

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Sounds a little bit like they're
trying to buy her. 

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Better to be thinking this. 
In ancient customs of 

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negotiating gifts for arranged 
marriages, they offer a lot of 

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money but they never address the
crime and this adds insults to 

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the injury in the eyes of the 
brothers. 

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So in verse 13, the plot 
thickens. 

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The sons of Jacob answered 
Shechem and his father 

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deceitfully because he had to 
file their sister Dinah. 

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They said to them, we cannot do 
this thing to give our sister to

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one who is uncircumcised, for 
that would be a disgrace to us. 

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Only on this condition will we 
agree with you that you will 

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become as we are by every male 
among you being circumcised. 

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Then we will give your our 
daughters to you, and we will 

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take your daughters to 
ourselves, and we will dwell 

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with you and become one people. 
But if you will not listen to us

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and be circumcised, then we will
take our daughter and we will be

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gone. 
They're weaponizing their most 

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precious sign of the covenant. 
Now, appropriately, the sign of 

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circumcision is the sign of 
conversion into the family. 

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They're not to intermingle 
marriages with those who are not

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Jewish. 
So the offer is to say become 

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Jewish and we can combine our 
tribes. 

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But it's all under deceit. 
They're weaponizing their 

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religion. 
And then it continues to descend

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down, down, down. 
Their words, please. 

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Haymore and Haymore's son 
Shechem. 

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And the young man did not delay 
to do the thing to himself, 

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because he delighted in Jacob's 
daughter. 

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Now he was the most honored in 
of all his father's house. 

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So Haymore and his son Shechem 
came to this, the gate of their 

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city, and spoke to the men of 
their city, saying, imagine 

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trying to get people to go along
with this just for a second. 

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This is a crazy, crazy deal. 
Verse 21 These men are at peace 

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with us. 
Let them dwell in the land and 

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trade in it, for behold, the 
land is large enough for them. 

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Let us take their daughters as 
wives, and let us give them our 

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daughters. 
Only on this condition will the 

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men agree to dwell with us, to 
become one people. 

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When every male among us is 
circumcised, as they are 

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circumcised, well, not their 
livestock. 

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They're going to make an 
economic appeal here, will not 

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their livestock, their property 
and all their beasts. 

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BRS, only let us agree with them
and they will dwell with us 

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again. 
They're completely, completely 

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hiding and ignoring the atrocity
that they committed and 

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attempting to get the town to go
along with the plan. 

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Verse 24 And all who went out of
the gate of his city listened to

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Haymore and his son Shechem, and
every male was circumcised. 

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All who went out of the gate of 
his city. 

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Verse 25. 
On the third day, when they were

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sore, two of the sons of Jacob, 
Simeon, and Levi, Dinah's 

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brothers, took their swords and 
came against the city while it 

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felt secure, and killed all the 
males. 

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They killed Haymore and his son 
Shechem with a sword, and took 

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Dinah out of Shechem's house and
went away. 

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The sons of Jacob came upon the 
slain and plundered the city, 

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because they had defiled their 
sister. 

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They took their flocks and their
herds, their donkeys, and 

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whatever was in the city and in 
the field, all their wealth, and

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all their little ones and their 
wives, all that was in the 

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houses they captured and 
plundered. 

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They rained down vengeance upon 
Shechem, his father, and the 

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citizens of this city. 
The brothers join in and plunder

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their wealth and kidnap the 
families. 

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There's a lot going on here that
we don't have time to unpack, 

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but everybody agrees that this 
response to this heinous crime 

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against Dinah is 
disproportionate and unjust. 

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Their desire for vengeance has 
spilled over the banks of 

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justice into murder and theft 
and kidnapping. 

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Text concludes with a couple of 
responses. 

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Verse 30 says. 
Then Jacob said to Simeon and 

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Levi, You have brought trouble 
on me by making me stink to the 

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inhabitants of the land, the 
Canaanites and the Perizzites. 

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My numbers are few, and if they 
gather themselves against me and

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attack me, I shall be destroyed,
both I and my household. 

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On the face of it, Jacob has a 
legitimate complaint. 

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Y'all shouldn't have done that. 
That was unjust. 

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You committed an atrocity, 
That's a genocide. 

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But his response is also 
inadequate and surprisingly not 

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mentioning Dinah at all, and 
perhaps even a little bit 

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selfish. 
Jacob said to Simeon and Levi. 

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You have brought trouble on me 
by making me stink to the 

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inhabitants of the land, the 
Canaanites and the Perizzites. 

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My numbers are few, and if they 
gather themselves against me and

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attacked me, I shall be 
destroyed. 

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Both I and my household. 
Legitimate check against the 

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sons, but totally inadequate for
his own daughter. 

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To which the brothers respond 
and throw it right back in his 

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face in verse 31. 
But they said, should he treat 

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our sister like a prostitute? 
The text ends with his 

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resounding question. 
Can't she have justice? 

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Dad, this can't happen in 
Israel. 

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She is our sister. 
And the text reverberates with 

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this tension. 
How can Genesis continue? 

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How can human history continue 
if sin is this bad? 

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We need divine aid because 
there's no way we have the 

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wisdom to act justly and love 
mercy without God's 

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intervention. 
Dinah needs justice. 

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Shechem needs to pay for his 
crime. 

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But justice must be lawful, my 
friends with police and due 

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process and qualified righteous 
judges and juries and laws and 

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penal codes. 
Because if you don't have those 

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things, you know what happens? 
Revenge cycles. 

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That's why the Bible teaches 
U.S. law and teaches us that 

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vengeance belongs to the Lord 
alone. 

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Teaches believers to act justly 
and to love mercy. 

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But the only way we can do that,
the only way we can possibly do 

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that, is if we walk humbly with 
God. 

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It's the only way this tension 
resolves is in God and in the 

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gift of his Son. 
So let's think about Jesus for a

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few moments. 
The text makes us cry out for 

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Jesus. 
Jesus, who is no Shechem, 

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blustfully carrying out his 
desires on the women around him.

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No, you read the story of the 
Gospels and his relationship 

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with women is beautifully 
chaste. 

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They are drawn to him. 
He is gentle, He is wise, He is 

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no taker. 
Now on the one hand, Simeon's 

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complaint and Levi's zeal for 
the law kind of understand, 

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can't you? 
And our Lord too has a zeal for 

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righteousness. 
Zeal, it says, for his house 

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consumed him, but his zeal never
goes across the banks of justice

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into revenge. 
He has a zeal for righteousness,

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but he is not ever sinfully 
angry. 

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Jacob, perhaps in his love for 
mercy, his desire to keep the 

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peace, is passive. 
In this text. 

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He's not the one angry. 
He's not the one advocating. 

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Jesus is never passive and even 
now he is our advocate, the just

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judge. 
Jesus is also a victim. 

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Isn't he the most innocent 
victim to ever walk the face of 

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the earth? 
And he walks through a horrible 

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Rd. of suffering through 
victimhood to to save and to 

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redeem all the victims whose 
very bodies and blood cry out. 

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How long, Lord, How long with 
Abel and with Dinah, and with 

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whomever you know who has 
experienced an atrocity. 

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He is a victim, but he is also 
the just and the justifier, the 

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Lamb of God, the righteous judge
of all. 

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So though he's also he's a 
victim, he is also the judge of 

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all, and in him the cord. 
The discord will finally resolve

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when he pays back and makes new 
everything. 

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What are our applications, 
friends? 

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We too must care deeply about 
justice and mercy as we 

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propagate the gospel of Jesus 
Christ and Word. 

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Indeed, Christians defend the 
vulnerable lawfully. 

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Defend the vulnerable lawfully. 
Victims of sexual crimes need 

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safety. 
They need advocates. 

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These crimes must be reported to
the authorities. 

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Victims need professional care, 
crisis intervention, safe places

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to live, legal support, medical 
aid, psycho emotional therapy, 

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financial resources and 
spiritual care, and the church 

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and Christians needs. 
They need to be involved in 

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every aspect of what I just 
said. 

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Perhaps some of you are studying
to enter fields where you, 

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Christian, can be a defender of 
the vulnerable lawfully. 

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May God bless your work, but we 
also must learn to leave 

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vengeance to God patiently. 
You have to be careful because 

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you start talking about 
forgiveness and patience. 

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You start to seem to give power 
to perpetrators. 

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We just talked about defending 
the vulnerable with justice, but

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we must leave vengeance to God 
patiently. 

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It may take a long time. 
William Wilberforce, the great 

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advocate for the enslaved, 
worked 40 years to change unjust

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laws by a Christian principles 
to emancipate those who have 

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been enslaved. 
Leave vengeance to God 

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patiently. 
Do not be overcome by evil, but 

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overcome evil with good. 
Finally, we need the humility 

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because how can we do these 
things? 

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How are we up for this task of 
acting justly in loving mercy? 

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We have to walk humbly with our 
Lord, patiently and reverently. 

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This reverence comes from 
understanding our place in the 

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world as recipients of divine 
favor and divine grace, Divine 

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healing. 
And as we transition into this 

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baptism ceremony, we can think 
about this too being our sign of

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initiation, our sign of 
initiation into a covenant 

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community, our sign of 
initiation that is a multi 

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sensory experience, an 
illustration of the gospel 

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itself. 
So no matter whether we've been 

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victimized or whether we've been
perpetrators, whatever guilt 

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that we have carried, whatever 
memories that we need heal. 

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The Bible says that there is 
forgiveness and grace for us. 

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There is healing and washing for
us. 

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It's kind of like a bath. 
Though our skins are as scarlet,

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we come out white as snow. 
This does not save us, but it 

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pictures a washing. 
It's also a picture of the 

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gospel as the candidate goes 
under the water and comes back 

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up again. 
It looks like death, burial and 

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resurrection so that they are 
initiated to the family of God 

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to walk in newness of life. 
That may, they may join the 

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church, acting justly, loving 
mercy, and walking humbly as 

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those who bear His mark 
reverently. 

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And so to conclude, friends, the
Bible clearly teaches that sin 

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is a thief. 
It steals. 

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Sometimes it steals even the 
most precious things in life. 

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But God and the gospel 
transforms treacherous takers 

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into wise and generous givers 
who act justly, love mercy, and 

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walk humbly with God. 
Let us pray. 

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Father in Heaven, sin is 
exceedingly great, but there is 

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a grace that is greater than all
of our sin. 

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So we commit ourselves into your
care and keeping. 

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And I pray for healing for our 
congregation by the gospel that 

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we can encourage and support 
those who are going into the 

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00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:41,160
water today, that they may walk 
in newness of life. 

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00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:46,920
Bless us as we respond to you 
and initiate these beautiful 

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believers. 
In Jesus name we pray, and by 

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00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:52,440
the Spirit one God forevermore, 
Amen.