WOW, Levi and Simeon, two of the middle sons of Jacob. How deceitful and conning. Who was the dirty rotten scoundrel? Dinah, Levi and Simeon, Shechem, Shechem’s Father, the Canaanite men, or Jacob.

Levi and Simeon, the two middle sons of Jacob (Israel). How deceitful and conning? Dinah, their only sister and the daughter of Jacob, went out in the neighborhood among the Canaanite people when she was advised to stayed at home! Attractive and beautiful, Shechem saw her and desired to be with her. Thus, letting his desire get the best of him, he had sex with her before coming to her father and asking to have her hand in marriage. That’s how they did it back in the day. There was no sex before marriage and the parents had to approve the marriage.

Shechem fell deeply in love with Dinah and wanted to marry her. So, he told his father that he wanted her for his wife and he wanted her at whatever cost. He and his father went to Jacob and his sons to ask for Dinah’s hand in marriage.

Shechem’s father told them he was willing to pay whatever they desire so that his son could have Dinah for his wife. So, Simeon and Levi decided that, more than any gift they could obtain materially, they wanted all the men in Shechem’s camp be circumcised. Ouch! What a price!

Levi and Simeon were right, according to the instructions given to them by their ancestors Abraham and Isaac. Anyone joining up with the family of Jacob (Israel) must be circumcised if they wanted to unite with them and marry their women. Therefore, desperately desiring Dinah for Shechem’s wife, Shechem and his father agreed to have all the men in their camp circumcised.

However, Levi and Simeon had something else in mind. Deceiving the Canaanite men, Levi and Simeon used circumcision as a means to weaken the men. Once they were circumcised, at their weakest point, Levi and Simeon went into their camp, killed all the men, took all their possession and took their women and children captive in revenge for what Shechem had done to their only sister, Dinah. Their father, Jacob insisted that their action brought reproach upon him, because it would cause the surrounding nations to look unfavorable at him.

My View of the Dirty Rotten Scoundrel

I am torn between Dinah who started the whole ball to rolling, but it was certainly wrong for Shechem to take advantage of here. I kind of envy Dinah for having bothers like Simeon and Levi who was willing to take revenge for anyone who would take advantage of their dear sister.

However, God says vengeance belongs to him. They took matters in their own hands. I pray that I remember that when thing are done to me that I do not take matters in my own hands and try to get revenge. I want to leave that up to God. He has provided Jesus as my big brother. He will fight for me.

I believe it is true that when I do bad things, it brings reproach upon God. I feel it is best to allow him to work things out for me rather that taking matters in my own hands. Yet, in my impatience, that seems so hard to do. In your opinion who was the dirty rotten scoundrel: Dinah, Simeon and Levi, Shechem, Shechem’s Father, the Canaanite men or Jacob the father of Dinah, Simeon and Levi?