OCTOBER 13, 2024

Bible verse “GENESIS 34:1~7”

Sermon title "The Jacob’s life 10’

After Jacob wrestled with the angel by the Jabbok River, Jacob’s first act of faith, recognizing God in his consciousness, was to go out and meet Esau. Jacob experienced a transformation in his thoughts, values, and entire soul. This is what it means to believe in God—God became not just part of Jacob's life but his whole life. If God became everything to Jacob and his name became Israel, then how was Jacob supposed to live from that point forward? Shouldn't Jacob have lived the rest of his life receiving all kinds of wealth and glory from God, living a long and healthy life, receiving answers to his prayers, and being blessed in everything he did?  Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings and was blessed with wisdom that no one before or after him ever had, along with all the wealth and glory a person could enjoy on this earth. If Jacob, who wrestled with God and won, was someone who could even overcome God, then shouldn't he have enjoyed even more wealth and glory than Solomon? His children should have gone to prestigious universities as valedictorians and become remarkable individuals. Whenever Jacob prayed, miracles should have occurred, and he should have lived a life full of testimonies. After all, if he was someone who wrestled with God and won, shouldn't God have backed him up? This is what every believer desires, believes, and hopes for. But Jacob’s life turned out to be the complete opposite of what people imagine, hope for, and believe. Instead of living a life of prosperity, it seems that Jacob was thrown into every hardship and adversity that people face in this world. Everything Jacob did seemed impossible to bear, and he endured things that were beyond his capacity to handle. When you look at Jacob, you can’t see any sign of someone who has wrestled with God and won. If he were alive today, evangelists might even try to convert him, telling him to believe in God, considering how difficult and harsh his life was. His life after meeting God by the Jabbok River was so difficult that it seemed better before he had met God. When he was living in Haran, at least, from a worldly perspective, he was able to achieve what he set out to do and lived a somewhat successful life.

But after meeting God by the Jabbok River, Jacob seemed to live as a completely ruined man from a worldly viewpoint. The Israelites lived in Egypt as slaves, but at least they were in a powerful nation. After meeting God and coming out into the wilderness, all they had to eat was manna and quail every day. From a physical perspective, life seemed much better in Egypt, even though they were slaves. In the wilderness, the only food they had was the meager manna. God explained that He did this to test whether they would live by bread alone or by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

God allowed Jacob to live a life of suffering and hardship to test whether he would live by bread or by the word of God. The passage we read today describes the first painful event Jacob experienced. After reconciling with Esau and entering the land of Canaan, Jacob first settled in Shechem. Shechem was a land where the Hivite clan, led by Hamor’s son Shechem, lived. Hamor named the city Shechem after his son. It was in this city of Shechem that an excruciatingly painful event occurred for Jacob. Jacob had a daughter named Dinah, who was the only daughter from his first wife, Leah. Among his 12 sons, Dinah was the only daughter, and Jacob must have adored her. She must have been precious to him like gold, and he likely cherished her deeply. She was the kind of daughter that, even if she were put in his eye, it wouldn’t hurt. One day, Dinah went out to visit the women of the land, but Shechem saw her and defiled her. Shechem fell in love with Dinah at first sight, but instead of proposing to her in a proper manner, he forced himself on her, thinking she was a powerless outsider. In verse 5, Jacob heard the shocking news that his beloved daughter Dinah had been raped by Shechem. Parents with daughters will understand this feeling, regardless of time or culture. Every parent hopes their daughter will grow up well, meet a good man, marry, and live happily. Jacob was no different. But Jacob heard the news that his only daughter, Dinah, had been defiled by Shechem. Jacob must have been furious, his blood boiling, and he probably could not see straight. Yet, Jacob remained silent. Although there is the explanation that his sons were still in the field, Jacob remained silent nonetheless.

When Dinah’s brothers returned from the field and heard that their only sister had been defiled by Shechem, verse 7 says, “The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it, and the men were grieved and very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing which ought not to be done.” Jacob's sons heard the news about their sister and were furious. Who wouldn't be? Their only sister had been defiled. But their father, Jacob, remained silent. Why did Jacob stay quiet? Of course, the text says it was because his sons were still in the field, but even if they had been home, Jacob would have stayed silent. Why, you ask? It wasn't because Jacob didn't love his only daughter, Dinah. If anything, Jacob should have been angrier than his sons, crying out to God, blaming Him, and accusing Him of not protecting his daughter, causing her to be violated. Jacob should have been throwing a fit, questioning his faith in God, once his sons came home. But instead of making a scene, Jacob remained silent, even after his sons returned. Was it because Jacob was so shocked that he had lost his mind? If the encounter with God at the Jabbok River had not been real, he would certainly have reacted that way. But Jacob had truly met God, and that allowed him to stay silent. It wasn't because he didn’t love Dinah. Upon hearing that his only daughter had been defiled, his body must have trembled, the sky must have felt like it was falling, the earth like it was sinking, and his heart like it was breaking into pieces. He must have felt the pain of his flesh being torn and his bones being crushed. Imagine Jacob, silently enduring and bearing such tremendous shock and pain. Waving his fist at the sky wouldn’t change what had happened. Crying and making a scene wouldn’t undo what had happened to Dinah. Blaming God wouldn’t make the event disappear.  Jacob simply accepted what had already happened. “God, why did this suffering come upon me? What do you want me to do? What do you want me to learn from this?” He listened quietly for God's voice. Who taught Jacob this kind of faith? Can a person really change this much after a single encounter with God at the Jabbok River? Humans are intricately and mysteriously made—it’s not that simple. Then what caused Jacob to grow so deeply in his faith? It must have been the faith education he received from his grandfather, Abraham, and his father, Isaac.

Abraham lived to be 175 years old. He had Isaac when he was 100. During Isaac’s youth, he was led by his father, Abraham, to Mount Moriah, where Abraham bound Isaac and raised a knife to kill him. From Abraham's perspective, this was an act of faith in obedience to God's command, and through it, Abraham earned God's trust. But from Isaac's perspective, it was a horrifying event where he was nearly killed by his own father. Although Abraham likely explained everything afterward, the experience must have left Isaac traumatized. This trauma could explain why Isaac did not marry until he was 40. Abraham, unable to find a bride for Isaac on his own, personally sought out a wife from the homeland where Terah had lived, bringing Rebekah to Isaac to be his wife. Even after marrying Rebekah, they couldn’t conceive immediately, possibly because Isaac’s feelings of betrayal toward his father affected his relationship with his wife. It seems that he couldn’t bring himself to be close to Rebekah. It took 20 years before they were finally able to have children.

That’s how Esau and Jacob were born. How much must their grandfather, Abraham, have adored his two grandsons? Esau, being like a wild donkey, didn’t stay in the tents but wandered around, while Jacob, being introverted, stayed in the tents. Abraham must have seated Jacob on his lap and told him countless times about how God had been with their family. Up until Jacob was 15, just before Abraham died, he must have received faith education from his grandfather. So when the God Jacob had heard about from his grandfather appeared to him as an angel by the Jabbok River, fought with him, deliberately let him win, and changed his name from Jacob to Israel, Jacob, like Abraham, came to receive God not just intellectually but with his whole being. Jacob remembered and believed everything his grandfather had told him about God. This is what it means to believe in God—one simply believes. Abraham was the first generation to believe in God, stepping out in faith without knowing where he was going—a kind of reckless faith. The second generation, Isaac, struggled to fully accept Abraham's faith due to the emotional wounds inflicted by his father. That’s why there is so little recorded about Isaac. God chose Jacob, the third generation, to demonstrate what it means to live a life of faith and belief in God. That’s why Jacob’s life is recorded in such detail in the Bible. God wanted to show that this is what the life of faith in Him looks like. This is what it means to believe in God. As the third generation to believe in God, Jacob had to live a life of faith, fighting spiritual battles alone. There was no one to teach him about God, faith, or belief. There were no Scriptures, no one to consult or discuss with. The only people in the entire world who believed in God were his late grandfather Abraham and Sarah, his blind and practically dead father Isaac, Rebekah, and himself. Who could he talk to about what had happened in Shechem? Who could he ask to pray for him or provide spiritual counseling? There was no one. Jacob had to endure the defilement of his only daughter by himself, completely alone. That’s why Jacob remained silent. He couldn’t even discuss the matter with his own children from a faith perspective.  In comparison, we are much better off than Jacob. We have people we can talk to about God and faith whenever we want. We have people who can share our struggles, give advice, and pray with us. We have fellow believers who can weep with us, share our pain, and stand with us in prayer. We also have pastors to guide us. Above all, we have the Bible, the completed Word of God. We must recognize how fortunate and blessed we are. If Jacob had been shown the Bible, he might have fainted from sheer joy. We have that very Bible, and we can read it.  The one saving grace in Jacob’s situation was that this event prompted him to begin teaching his children about faith in God. He began to instruct them about the God of Abraham, just as Abraham had taught him. Though his children were a mess at the time, from among them came Judah, Joseph, and the twelve tribes of Israel. From Judah’s line came Jesus Christ, making Judah a holy tribe. Jacob did not shrink back, wondering, “Why did such a painful thing happen to my family, especially now that I’ve committed to believing in God? Did I do something wrong to deserve this?” Jacob simply accepted what had already happened, just as spilled water cannot be gathered up again. Though Jacob didn’t have the Bible, he seemed to understand the principle found in Matthew 5:45, which says, “For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Yes, God doesn’t shine the sun only on the righteous and good but also on the wicked. Likewise, when He sends rain, He doesn’t just let it fall on the fields of the righteous but also on the fields of the unrighteous. Jacob knew that it wasn’t just the household of faith, Abraham’s great-granddaughter, and the only daughter of the only man in the world who believed in God that had been defiled. Jacob also knew that this wasn’t a punishment from God because he had done something wrong. Rather, he understood that believers, like everyone else, go through suffering, pain, and trials in this world, regardless of whether they are righteous or have strong faith.

Even though Jacob was called “Israel,” the one who wrestled with God and prevailed, this didn’t mean that his daughter, Dinah, would be exempt from suffering. Jacob knew this truth. To modern believers, this may seem nonsensical. That’s why many can’t bring themselves to believe in the Bible, in God, or in Jesus. Even those who do believe often think, “I’ll believe in my own way.” But what are they really believing in? They believe in their own opinions and only accept the parts of the Bible they want to. In that case, they aren’t following God but themselves, and that path leads to destruction. Just as Jacob trusted and believed in God, we too must trust and believe only in God. Even though his beloved, precious, only daughter Dinah had been defiled, Jacob did not curse God or rail against heaven. Though his heart was torn apart, and though he suffered immense pain, anguish, and sorrow, Jacob fully entrusted the situation to God, thinking, “God must have some plan.” This was the faith that had been passed down to him from his grandfather, Abraham, the father of faith. This is why teaching faith to children is so important. Even if they stray into the world for a while, they can return to the faith and trust in God that was instilled in them through persistent teaching. That’s why Jacob remained silent. He wasn’t just theoretically aware that God sends sunlight to both the righteous and the wicked and rain to both the just and the unjust. Jacob lived with this truth in his heart. We too will inevitably face suffering, pain, and hardship in our lives, just as Jacob did. When that time comes, may we, like Jacob, remain silent before the Lord and listen attentively for His still, small voice. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I bless you to become saints who quietly trust in the Lord. Amen.