Dysfunctional Family Drama: Life of Jake in Gen 34—

Moral indignation against Shechem is shown only by Simeon and Levi.  When their acts were challenged by Jacob, they respond, “should he treat our sister as a harlot?” (Gen 34:31)  One commentator notes this phrase, ‘our sister’, as opposed to ‘daughter of Leah…Jacob’ in the beginning is possibly due to the authors intention to bring out the idea of family split (between Leah and Rachel).  Anyways, this passage leaves me w/ couple of ambiguous observations…

1. Is Jacob’s lack of retaliation due to the fear of the surrounding nations or due to his lack of concern for Leah and her children?
2. In spite of Simeon and Levi’s deceptive retaliation, is the author in favor of their behavior for bringing righteous vengeance?

A lesson to be learned – the idealistic vision of biblical patriarchs we learned in Sunday school is far from reality.  When I took religion class back in college, one classmate, reading Genesis for the 1^st time in her life, responded, “this is better than soap opera!”  Bible has plenty of drama – sex, incest, murder, rape, violence, deceit, manipulation, betrayal – and all these are practiced by patriarchs and other significant figures!  The wonder is not how great these heroic figures of Bible are but, how God works through the imperfections and mistakes of humanity.

On leadership—

“This scene begins to answer the important question of who will rule the twelve tribes of Jacob.  In the next scene Reuben, by his own immorality, like that of the Canaanites, disqualifies himself.  Simeon and Levi, while rightly showing moral indignation against the cultic defilement of their sister, disqualify themselves by their rashness and unbridled revenge.  Jacob acts as foil to them.  He is prudent but lacks faith and moral indignation.  In the last book, leadership will fall first upon the shoulders of Joseph, then finally upon Judah.” – B. Waltke