(Genesis) Genesis 34:1-9 — J. Vernon McGee

Naming Sexual Sin Plainly

Now, I'm reading,. And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she barren to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. She went visiting in this town of Shalem. And when Shechan the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her and defiled her.

Or let me put it in the language that the papers of today, the news media, would say that he raped her. And if they can say it in print today and on radio and television, certainly this poor preacher can say it.

The Pulpit Must Address Sin Directly

I think the pulpit today has become weak because it's not strong, because it doesn't at least use the language of the day in which we live. And I do not mean the slang, but there's a lot of strong language that needs to be used today.

Sin needs to be spelled out. There was a time when sin was sin. Now they've taken the S off of it, and you're in the N group today if you are a sinner. But that's not the way God spells sin. He still spells it with a capital S, a capital I, and a capital N.

The Sordid Story of Dinah and Shechem

And you'll notice that I is right in the middle of the word. That's where all of us are. Now this is the sordid story that we have before us. And the very interesting thing is that the boy Shechem was apparently in love with the girl and would have married her.

Shechem's Desire to Marry Dinah

Notice verse 3,. "...and his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.". Now he really wanted to marry her and would have married her. "...And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his cattle in the field, and Jacob held his peace until they were come. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.

Jacob's Sons Grieve Over Dinah's Defilement

And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it. And the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done.".

And we certainly agree that it should not have been done, but it had been. And now the fellow wants to marry her. Well, I tell you, when Jacob heard it, he called for these 12 boys of his to come in, and they had a war council.

Jacob's Proposed Resolution and Shechem's Marriage Request

And I'm of the opinion that Jacob probably should not have made as much of it. And when Hamor the father of Shechem came out to him, it's obvious what he came for. He wanted to get the girl for his son's wife.

And Jacob probably should have yielded to that, because that was, shall I say, the best way out at the time. It's certainly the thing they did that wasn't the best way by any means. And God did not approve of it.

And Hamor communed with them, saying, the soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter. I pray you, give her him to wife, and make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.

The Proposed Marriage as the Better Course

Now frankly, that would have been wrong. But this, I think, would have been right, because of what had transpired and taken place. That is, that probably Dinah should have been given to him.