Dinah? Sure!

Genesis 34

So Dinah(Leah's daughter) goes out to visit some of the women. Shechem takes her and rapes her and somehow falls in love with her and wants to take her as his wife. Shechem's daddy, Hamar comes and asks for her hand. He asksJacob's people to intermarry with them. This seems like the beginning of quite a joyful life for Dinah. Is there a less desirable choice for a spouse than your rapist? And is there something awfully strange about a land where a man has no problem raping a woman but feels compelled about going through the proper channels to ask for her hand?

Jacob keeps quiet when he hears about it until his boys get home and then the plan hatches. After Shechem offers any price for Dinah, Jacob's spawn say that they couldn't possibly turn their sister over to someone uncircumcised. We'll approve of the union if you will circumcise all your males. How could they possibly know that Schechemville would go for it. Were they all that desperate for woman and possessions (which in this period of time seems a redundancy) that they'd voluntarily have surgery on their sexual organs for the potential of what they might get?

But they do it! And while the men are moaning and suffering and carrying on (you think we're babies when we have the flu?) Simeon and Levi attack the city and carry off all their wealth and women and children.

Jacob reacts negatively- not because they've acted deceitfully or out of revenge- but because he fears this will increase his enemies.

Lessons from this text? That's a good question- anybody wanna give me some help here?

The best I can come up with is that even these patriarchs fell way short over and over again. God's people in the OT act out of revenge, self-interest, greed, deceitfulness, and lust- yet He loved them and took care of them. Surely he'll take care of me too.