1.  Jacob has turned himself around
  2. He gets a new name from God
  3. He is reconciled to his brother.
  4. Hard turn of events as a story is added here

The blessing going to the firstborn

  1. Reuben
  2. Simeon
  3. Levi
  4. Judah

We are going to see why the line of Jesus is transferred to the fourth born son Judah

  1. Reuben
  1. Sleeps with Bilhah Genesis 35: 22
  2. Cursed is everyone who sleeps with his father’s wife. Deuteronomy 22: 30

2. Dinah Goes out

  1. Rape can be an incredible subject here and I am not trying to belittle it.
  2. We want to see the results of what is happening here and why this is in the Bible in the first place.
  3. Hard to face what is happening here after all he reconciliation that has happened in the previous chapters.
  4. Dinah goes out and leaves the family
    1. Book of Jubilees She left the family
    2. She was only twelve at the time
    3. She will eventually be given as the wife of Job.
  5. What we do know
    1. She was the daughter of Leah Vs 1
    2. She is raped by Shechem
    3. He falls in love with her and wants her for his wife
      1. Or he likes the money of her family and wants that instead.

3. The Story.

  1. Hamor goes to Jacob and bargains for the daughter.
  2. Jacob doesn’t respond until the brothers return from the fields. Vs 6
  3. The brothers return and are grieved when they hear what happened
  4. They make a bargain for their sister.
  5. Later they come and kill all the residents of the city
  6. When Jacob confronts them they defend their sister.
  7. No real resolution about who is right.

4. The Meeting

  1. Give your daughter to us and let there be a treaty 34: 11
    1. Echos Jacob and Laban Genesis 29: 18
  2. Sons came and met with Hamor and Sheckem Vs 13
    1. They speak deceitfully to them. Vs 13
    2. Where have we heard this before?
      1. Laban deceived Jacob, Genesis 29: 25
      2. Jacob deceived his father. Genesis 27: 35
    3. They are replaying their father’s behavior
  3. After they kill all the men of Sheckem they are confronted by their father.
  4. We can’t do that thing to our daughter Vs 14
    1. Laban to Jacob that kind of thing is not done here. Genesis 29: 26
  5. What Laban did to Jacob, the sons are doing to Sheckem.

5. Out of Favor

  1. Once again we see how people react when they are out of the favorite position
  2. Dinah is the daughter of Leah, (The unfavored wife)
  3. Jacob does nothing to defend his daughter when she is attacked.
    1. The next person to act in this story is Hamor Vs 8
  4. Hamor spoke with them.  Putting Jacob and his sons on the same level. Vs 8
  5. Simeon and Levi answer instead of Jacob. Vs 14
  6. Go with the deal or we will take our daughter and leave. Vs 17
    1. They defend our daughter instead of Jacob’s daughter
    2. This is not how our sister should be treated. Vs 31

6. Dealing with favoritism

  1. Jacob should have know better than to pick favorites because he was a victim
    1. Not favorite so he deceived to get what he wanted.
  2. When we are not in favor, we deceive to get that favor.
    1. She is not your daughter enough for you o act.  (This is the perspective of the brothers)
  3. When we are not in favor, we deceive to get what we want. James 4: 1 – 5
    1. We are in the time of God’s favor today Luke 4: 18, 19
  4. No real resolution to this story because it is for us to figure out
    1. How to deal with being favorite
    2. How to deal with being the unfavorite
  5. This story is still not over as Joseph (the favorite) deals with his brothers.