Being A Woman Has Never Been Easy

    From the very beginning of humanity, women have been different from men.  We are built to be physically weaker than men, but not emotionally or mentally.  Men should feel a responsibility for caring for women.  However, many men throughout time have not stepped up to the challenge, and women are a challenge.  Instead, they take the easy route by trying to control us, rule over us, or violate us.  Don't get me wrong, I do believe that most men try to treat women with respect, love, kindness, and gentleness.  It is just that the rotten fruit seems to be what stands out the most.  At the same time, today women do not typically make it easy on the men.  Women have been brought up not to rely on men for so long that God's design is all out of wack.

    Jacob established a home in the promised land.  His life and the life of his family was getting comfortable.  That is why Dinah, Leah's daughter, went to town to visit friends alone.  She knew the area.  People knew her.  She rightly felt safe.  Why would she need an escort?  She was young and innocent.  When she was in town a Hivite ruler, Shechem, saw her and wanted her.  He was used to getting what he wanted.  His mind set was who would not want him, so he took her and raped her.  He never considered what she wanted or needed.  Then he went home and told his father that he wanted to marry her.  Since she was now considered a defiled woman, he knew he would get his way.  No one else would ever marry her now.

    Shechem's father, Hamor, came to talk with Israel over what had happened and the proposal.  Israel remained quiet until his sons returned from the fields.  That is when all of them allowed their anger control the situation.  Shechem tried to make things right by offering his daughters to marry Israel's sons.  It is sad that almost no women had a say in whom they married or if they would.  Women had no way of survival without a man in those days.  

    Israel and his sons came to terms with Shechem and his father.  They said that Dinah could never marry an uncircumcised man according to the covenant Abraham had made with God.  Shechem saw what he wanted in his grasp, so he rushed the entire city of men into being circumcised.  They were all down for the pain for three days when Simeon and Levi took their swords killing all the men.  Their actions may have been on the extreme side, but at least they were protecting their sister.  They wanted him to be miserably in pain for a while before killing him.  The next part was not honorable: they looted the city.

    Israel heard what happened and was not happy.  He felt that all they had done would bring the family problems.  If Israel had stood up for his daughter, then maybe his sons would not have acted so rashly.  Murder and stealing is never the answer.  Sinning to vindicate a sin does not honor God.  However, Israel had not taken care of the victimization of his daughter, so the brothers did.  They were unrepentant for how they stood up for their sister.  It is good that they loved her enough to do something, but we are to allow God be the vindicator.  His punishments are much better than anything we can come up with in our anger.  We have to allow Him to take care of the situation in His timing.  None of the men actually helped Dinah.  She still had to deal with what happened to her on her own.

Genesis 34