Gen 33:14 “So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly…until I come to my lord in Seir.”
Jacob has made dubious choices for most of his life. He often acts in ways that are much more self-serving than godly. We see him once again deceiving his brother in Gen 33 when he promises to meet him in Seir and promptly heads in the opposite direction. His children see his behavior as well. And yet, God chose him to be the father of nations. Clearly, His ways are not our ways.
Gen 34:13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and Hamor.
In Gen 34, Simeon and Levi seem to have learned the merits of deception from their father. They intentionally incapacitate an entire city, kill the men, enslave the women and children, confiscate the property, and feel utterly justified in doing so. God’s calling, God’s presence, God’s influence seems wholly lacking in their actions and motivations.
Gen 34:25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the questions it raises. Thank You for the awareness that the moral behavior of the parents affects the moral decisions of the children. Help us to show our children by example how to live a moral life. Thank You for Your ability to use even someone as flawed as Jacob in mighty ways. That gives me hope that You can do the same with me. Help me to put my hope, faith, and trust in You. Amen.
Gen 34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land….”
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.