Jacob and Leah’s daughter Dinah went out and Shechem seized her, lay with her, and humiliated her. He loved her and spoke tenderly to her. He told his father to get her to be his wife. Jacob heard about all of this and went to talk with Hamor. Jacob’s sons were angry. Hamor asked for Dinah to be given in marriage to Shechem. He offers their daughters in marriage to his sons and asks for theirs to marry his. Jacob’s sons told Shechem and Hamor they must be circumcised first. They agreed. On the 3rd day when they were sore Simeon and Levi took swords and killed all the males including Hamor and Shechem. They plundered the city. They did this because they had defiled their sister. Jacob told Simeon and Levi that they brought trouble on their house among the Canaanites and Perizzites. Jacob said they may attack and destroy them. The sons asked, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
First, Jacob seeks to worship God on his own terms by settling in Shechem. This brings his family into peril. Second, Jacob seems to assume that the future of his posterity lies in how well he can pursue diplomacy instead of going to Yahweh and pleading for justice, and then waiting to hear from God as to how justice should be pursued. In the process he fails to protect his daughter, and his sons take justice into their own hands. Only Jesus is the perfect Messiah. He perfectly exercises leadership over His people. He did not fall short in perfect covenant obedience to His heavenly Father. He does not abandon His people to the world when it seems to overtake them. He will hold every person who violates His children accountable with a perfect judgment. He does not react to sin too slowly or too quickly, but He deals with sin and evil at just the right time, and in just the right way. Trust in His care.