34:1-4 Shechem may have been a victim of “love at first sight,” but his actions were impulsive and evil. Not only did he sin against Dinah, he sinned against the entire family (34:6, 7). The consequences of his deed were severe both for his family and for Jacob’s (34:25-31). Even Shechem’s declared love for Dinah could not excuse the evil he did by raping her. Don’t allow sexual passion to boil over into evil actions. Passion must be controlled.
34:25-31 Why did Simeon and Levi take such harsh action against the city of Shechem? Jacob’s family saw themselves as set apart from others. God wanted them to remain separate from their pagan neighbors. But the brothers wrongly thought that being set apart also meant being better. This arrogant attitude led to the terrible slaughter of innocent people.
34:27-29 When Shechem raped Dinah, the consequences were far greater than he could have imagined. Dinah’s brothers were outraged and took revenge. Pain, deceit, and murder followed. Sexual sin is devastating because its consequences are so far-reaching.
34:30, 31 In seeking revenge against Shechem, Simeon and Levi lied, stole, and murdered. Their desire for justice was right, but their ways of achieving it were wrong. Because of their sin, their father cursed them with his dying breath (49:5-7). Generations later, their descendants lost the part of the Promised Land allotted to them. When tempted to return evil for evil, leave revenge to God and spare yourself the dreadful consequences of sin.