The Crime against Dinah and how Idols corrupt By Melissa C. Pointer
To answer the following questions you will need to read the lesson completely in addition to reading the chapters assigned and you will need to do research on the internet. Define the following words or phrases: Acceptable, Common practice, Covet, Idol and stay on the roof top, Patriarch Please use the phrase common practice in a sentence. Questions: 1. Who was the most honorable man in Hamor’s house? 2. What did Hamor tell the men in the gate of the city? 3. What did Abraham and Issac ask their wives to do for them? Why was this necessary 4. The ancient people of Babylon had their laws written in stone outside of their temples. What were one of these laws and why was that law unjust? 5. What were the three consequences of coveting listed in the lesson? 6. What were 2 of the things the Hivites worshipped? 7. How did God punish them with their idols? 8. Explain how the game knockout is a way of idolizing the god of force? 9. Explain how Christmas is a way of idolizing riches?
Today laws exist
We often take for granted the role of law and the current morales that exist today. However there have been times that were far more dangerous to live in.
For example there have been periods of time in which it has been so lawless that if a man saw something he wanted he would just take it. Even if it meant killing someone. Yes people steal cars at gun point but that behavior is not considered acceptable.
During the time of the Patriarchs: Abraham, Issac and Jacob. There was a significant amount of immoral behavior. Why? Recall this was the same era of Sodom and Gommorah. These cities were so corrupt that God had to destroy them with fire. Even though God destroyed those cities; wickedness continued. The bulk of the people worshiped idols. They believed that the worst acts of wickedness would please the gods. In fact they believed that when they engaged in this behavior they were god-like. They would also maintain the seasons and the gods would be less likely to punish them with drought or hardships. In fact many of their stories (myths) described evil acts performed by their gods. However because their gods behaved in such a manner it was acceptable for them to do so. Often this was reflected in their laws. In ancient Babylon the laws were written in stone outside of the temple. A picture of the idol Marduk was shown giving the law to the king. The laws covered everything from property to marriage.
People would offer their babies to the god Molech
An Idol worshipped by the Babylonians
The people could become very violent
What those people in the past and many people today do not understand that all good comes from God. It is God who teaches us what is and what is not acceptable. These laws (rules) organize our lives. They prevent problems that will harm you, others, the animals and even the earth itself. For example if everyone followed the tenth commandment it would have a huge impact. Covet means to desire things that do not belong to you. People would be less likely to steal because theft often begins as the desire to want a particular object. An object that does not belong to you. Sometimes a person may covet a talent or skill a person has. Because they cannot draw, sing, run as fast or dance like that person they become angry. This anger can lead to resentment. They are more likely to start a fight or try to bully that person because of their resentment.
Theft is often rooted in coveting
Cruel gossip can often be traced back to event and anger
Others may want a resource that someone has. It could be money or their land. They want it so badly they are willing to do anything for it like lie or cheat. Years ago there was a housing crisis. Why did it happen? People wanted money so badly they changed the rules of how to buy a home. They created mathematical equations to justify this. Some people pretended they had money they did not have to obtain their homes. So what happened? Many people lost theirs homes, jobs and millions upon millions suffered because of those who coveted!
This is very important to remember that during the time of the Patriarchs the majority of people did not even try to give the appearance of believing in the true God. It is because that many extreme forms of evil was able to occur. It is also why Abraham and Issac asked their wives to say they were their sisters. It was a common practice for a powerful man to kill the husband of a beautiful woman. Today that is a crime. However during the time of the patriarchs it was an accepted practice. Unfortunately when you live among people of this world you may become a victim of an evil act. Abel is the first example of this. Another example is Lot. Today we will talk about how Dinah, Jacob’s only daughter was a victim at the hands of the wicked.
After Jacob left his father in law he took his family Shalem. He bought land outside this city of the Hivites.
Dinah was young, beautiful and innocent. When Shechem the prince saw her the kidnapped her. He then performed an act of marriage without her consent. Later in our studies we will find that if a man does that to a woman he is supposed to be executed. It lets us know that such behavior is a sin. Unlike the nations around Israel it was not acceptable before God. What is so brazen about Shechem during this time he refused to let Dinah go. Instead he wanted to marry her and a covenant be drawn between his people and Jacob’s family. The Hivites clearly worshipped the god of force. How do we know? Their actions tell us what they valued and idolized. Also Canaanite idols were extremely violent and acts of that used strength or force were esteemed. In addition there are multiple myths in which kidnapping and forcing occur. Force was not the only god idolized. The Hivites loved mammon the god of riches. Now it has had many names and forms through all nations. Yet at its core it is the same. It is the love of money and everything money can obtain for you. How do we know? They wanted an economic covenant with Jacob. They knew he was wealthy and had large herds of cattle. Cattle was a form of wealth.
So in their greed they agreed to be circumcised. They believed it was an appropriate sacrifice to the god of wealth. Their belief in forces made them comfortable that Jacob’s family did not pose any true threat. What could a man and his 11 sons do to them? What these men did not know was Dinah’s brothers were not exactly normal men. Two of her older brothers devised a plan to get her back. Now circumcision is a very painful procedure on adult men. Simeon and Levi waited until the 3rd day after they were circumcised. They then armed themselves and killed every man in the city. They rescued Dinah and also took the wealth of the Shalem. In addition they took the women and children of the city captive! Now Jacob loved his daughter Dinah but he was afraid that all the different people of the land would try to destroy his entire household. That did not happen. In fact God made people of the land scared of Jacob’s sons.
So why is this information important for us today? It teaches us that when people don’t serve god they are capable of unthinkable evil. This evil can become a normal practice. Second a child of God can be a victim of this evil. It was not Dinah’s fault that she was forced; just like it was not Able’s fault that he was killed. Third God will punish people with the things they worship. The Hivites worshipped the god of force and greed. They believed in living by the sword and were killed by the sword. Their wealth was stolen from them. The wicked do not realize God does not need large numbers of people to obtain victory. In this case he just used two brothers. In addition it teaches us the best way to avoid becoming a victim of an outrageous sin is that we may need to stay separate from those that commit sin. There are two phrases you may have heard: stay on the roof top or don’t end up on Satan’s ground. Basically that means don’t engage in behaviors that can put you at risk.