The book of Genesis is an encouraging story about the faithfulness and grace of God. It is also an honest story about the failings and follies of the people whom God has chosen to work with, and humanity as a whole. In Genesis 34 Jacob's daughter Dinah is raped by one of the leading men of a neighboring tribe. Rather than seeking justice openly, Jacob's sons scheme like their father resulting in wholesale murder of all of the male relatives of the perpetrator living in the same town, the stealing of all of their property, and the enslavement of the now widows and orphans. Jacob's sons responded to evil with a much greater amount of evil. There are no excuses, no "what about..." deflections. They knew better, and they should have done much better than any of that. As a Church, Jesus Christ calls us to reject this human tendency toward vengeance in all its forms.
This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment