The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 17 August 2024 — The Unruly Nature Of The Uncircumcised Heart
TOPIC: The Unruly Nature Of The Uncircumcised Heart
READ: Genesis 34: 1-24 (NKJV)
- Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
- And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her.
- His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman.
- So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.”
- And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob held his peace until they came.
- Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.
- And 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.
- But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.
- “And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.
- “So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.”
- Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.
- “Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.”
- But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.
- And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that [would be] a reproach to us.
- “But on this [condition] we will consent to you: If you will become as we [are,] if every male of you is circumcised,
- “then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
- “But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.”
- And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.
- So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He [was] more honorable than all the household of his father.
- And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying:
- “These men [are] at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land [is] large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters.
- “Only on this [condition] will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they [are] circumcised.
- “[Will] not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs [be] ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”
- And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
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