WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.960 a half year or so, and we're now in chapter 34. 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:12.140 And what happened at the end of chapter 33 is we saw Jacob finally be reconciled to his 00:00:12.140 --> 00:00:20.120 twin brother and rival, Esau, and purchased a lot of land in the city of Shechem. 00:00:20.719 --> 00:00:25.080 And Shechem is in the land of Canaan, so this seems to be an auspicious beginning for him, 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:28.800 his return to Canaan, because the promise of God that he would inherit the land of Canaan 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:30.080 seems to be getting fulfilled. 00:00:31.420 --> 00:00:37.579 Now, as that's happening, however, as it happens throughout the book of Genesis, a big threat 00:00:37.579 --> 00:00:42.120 arises, and right now what we're reading about here is perhaps the most dramatic threat we've 00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:46.420 seen up to this point to that potential fulfillment of Jacob's promise. 00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:52.700 And while he's dealing with his fear and uncertainty in that situation, we learn from him and his 00:00:52.700 --> 00:00:59.820 example that we should not compromise our exclusive devotion to God because he is the one who 00:00:59.820 --> 00:01:00.540 keeps his promise. 00:01:00.660 --> 00:01:02.620 He's the God who's faithful to keep his promises. 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:05.560 And we're going to learn that through two main points. 00:01:05.620 --> 00:01:10.020 And the first is we're going to look at the promise threatened in chapter 34, and then we're 00:01:10.020 --> 00:01:14.060 going to look at the promise renewed in chapter 35 and following. 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:16.960 And 34.1, it begins, 00:01:16.960 --> 00:01:23.840 Now, Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the woman 00:01:23.840 --> 00:01:24.659 of the land. 00:01:25.180 --> 00:01:31.439 Now, that sounds innocent at first glance, but there is more going on under the surface 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:34.599 because the first word of the sentence is really awkward. 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:38.099 The verb went out is the very first word of the sentence. 00:01:38.960 --> 00:01:41.300 And people, the Hebrew writers, do that for emphasis. 00:01:41.299 --> 00:01:43.039 They front the word that they want to emphasize. 00:01:43.259 --> 00:01:46.640 So he says, went out, Dinah, the daughter of Leah. 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:47.979 And why is that emphasized? 00:01:48.140 --> 00:01:53.859 Because here in this passage, the verb went out occurs four times in just in chapter 34. 00:01:54.079 --> 00:02:01.900 And every time it represents a crossing of ethno-religious boundary, kind of a social boundary, 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:02.280 right? 00:02:02.579 --> 00:02:09.159 So first time is when Dinah goes out, went out to see the woman of the land, to see the woman 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:09.599 of Canaan. 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:15.699 And later in verse 6, Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out to Jacob to speak to them. 00:02:16.060 --> 00:02:21.560 And then in verse 24, all who went out of the gate of the city were circumcised, meaning 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:25.939 all the able-bodied men who would typically go out of the city gate to represent their 00:02:25.939 --> 00:02:27.840 city in battle with other nations and cities. 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:31.340 So these, they went out to cross, again, another social boundary. 00:02:31.340 --> 00:02:36.539 And then finally, in verse 26, it says that Simeon and Levi killed Hamor and Shechem and 00:02:36.539 --> 00:02:40.060 took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went away. 00:02:40.140 --> 00:02:44.560 Again, same word, leaving that social, that ethno-cultural boundary. 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:50.879 So each time the word is used, it refers to a crossing of a boundary, social-religious 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:51.219 boundary. 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:57.780 And that implies that Dinah is here crossing over, transgressing a boundary that she probably 00:02:57.780 --> 00:03:00.419 should not be crossing given the context of Genesis. 00:03:01.079 --> 00:03:05.159 This is confirmed by the fact that the only other occurrence of the phrase, woman of the 00:03:05.159 --> 00:03:07.759 land, right, is in the book of Genesis. 00:03:07.860 --> 00:03:13.879 The whole book is in Genesis 27, 46, where Rebecca says to Isaac, I loathe my life because 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:18.400 of the Hittite woman, if Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:23.280 women of the land, that's the same phrase, then what good will my life be to me? 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:29.560 So all the patriarchs of Genesis have up to this point have shown great concern with preserving 00:03:29.560 --> 00:03:34.620 their faith and allegiance to God by refusing to intermarry with the Canaanites, right? 00:03:35.099 --> 00:03:38.939 And so, because they could potentially lead them astray, lead them to idolatry. 00:03:38.939 --> 00:03:44.919 So the fact that Dinah here goes out, right, to consort with the woman of the land is not 00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:45.879 an innocent comment. 00:03:45.979 --> 00:03:46.919 So in verse 1 to begin. 00:03:47.659 --> 00:03:51.579 So Dinah goes out to check out the social scene among the woman of the land, and while 00:03:51.579 --> 00:03:58.199 she is out to sea, it says, that she is herself seen by a man of the land. 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:04.360 In verse 2, when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, 00:04:04.699 --> 00:04:07.500 he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:10.780 Note the parallel repetition of the phrase, of the land, right? 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:14.659 Dinah consorts with the woman of the land and is caught by the prince of the land. 00:04:15.139 --> 00:04:19.399 And what Shechem does here is unequivocally condemned by the narrator. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:24.259 And we know that because of the phrase, he saw her and seized her. 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:27.319 Now, the word seize here is an over-translation. 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:32.100 So it's actually just the same generic word for take that is used all throughout Genesis. 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:33.279 It doesn't say seize. 00:04:33.379 --> 00:04:35.240 It doesn't imply violence or force. 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:36.279 It just says take. 00:04:36.279 --> 00:04:40.879 Now, but when you translate it that way, it says saw her and took her. 00:04:41.259 --> 00:04:45.019 That raises up a lot of interesting parallels in the book of Genesis. 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:50.419 Because the very first time when someone is said to saw, and they saw and took, it was 00:04:50.419 --> 00:04:52.599 at the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3, 6. 00:04:53.039 --> 00:04:57.119 When Eve saw that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was good for food, and that it 00:04:57.119 --> 00:05:01.059 was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of 00:05:01.059 --> 00:05:02.339 its fruit and ate. 00:05:02.339 --> 00:05:06.500 So the first sin of humanity was described that way, saw and took. 00:05:07.119 --> 00:05:11.659 And then the second time that happened was that someone saw and took was what precipitated 00:05:11.659 --> 00:05:14.259 the flood judgment over all the earth, right? 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:20.539 So it's when the angels of God, the sons of God, saw that the daughters of men were attractive, 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:23.480 and they took as their wives any they chose, right? 00:05:23.520 --> 00:05:24.660 Genesis 6, 2. 00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:27.800 And then there's other times, and it's all kind of similar sins. 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:28.860 So Genesis 12, 15. 00:05:28.860 --> 00:05:33.520 The prince of Pharaoh saw Sarai, Abram's wife, and took her into his house. 00:05:34.060 --> 00:05:37.820 And it describes Leah's unfaithfulness as well later in Genesis 39. 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:42.600 When she saw that she had seized bearing children and took her servant Zilpah and gave her to 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:43.520 Jacob as a wife. 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:49.479 So the two verbs, when they're paired together throughout Genesis, always refers to sin, transgressing 00:05:49.479 --> 00:05:52.000 of a boundary that God has placed for our good. 00:05:52.479 --> 00:05:56.279 So what boundary exactly did Shechem cross here, transgress? 00:05:56.859 --> 00:06:01.120 And many biblical scholars see this as an instance of rape. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:07.419 And this particular translation certainly sends that impression, the way it's translated. 00:06:07.420 --> 00:06:12.920 And that's the assumption that I, too, brought to this text as I was preparing this sermon 00:06:12.920 --> 00:06:17.879 this week, and wrote like three pages of sermons, worth of sermons. 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:21.680 And then as I was studying more of it, I realized I don't think this is actually rape. 00:06:21.860 --> 00:06:24.819 And I'll explain in a second why that's the case. 00:06:25.060 --> 00:06:29.139 First, the word I mentioned to you, take, is just a generic word for take. 00:06:29.200 --> 00:06:29.819 It's not cease. 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:35.300 And that's the typical word that is used to describe a man taking a wife throughout Genesis. 00:06:35.300 --> 00:06:39.240 Over and over again, you find so-and-so took so-and-so as a wife. 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:40.620 Over and over again throughout Genesis. 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:46.259 Now, and then in, so to give you an example of this, a specific example, Genesis 38, 2, 00:06:46.860 --> 00:06:51.379 it says that Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. 00:06:51.840 --> 00:06:53.920 He took her and went into her. 00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:55.319 It's the same word for take. 00:06:55.620 --> 00:07:00.439 But there's no indication whatsoever there that there was something inappropriate going 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:02.360 on because it just says took, right? 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:09.819 And in fact, it implies that the woman became his wife and she bears three children for him. 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:17.819 And then in Deuteronomy, also written by the same author, 22, 23, 29, it delineates specific 00:07:17.819 --> 00:07:19.420 laws governing sexual relations. 00:07:19.860 --> 00:07:26.960 And in those case laws that's in Deuteronomy, it specifically distinguishes rape from just 00:07:26.960 --> 00:07:29.759 premarital sex, fornication, right? 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:37.079 And there is a specific Hebrew word that is used to mean seize forcibly, right? 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:38.659 To be strong over someone. 00:07:38.899 --> 00:07:42.459 And that's the word that the Hebrew uses to imply rape. 00:07:42.819 --> 00:07:47.939 That's the word that is used to describe Emnon's rape of Tamar in 2 Samuel 12, for example. 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:54.000 And that's the word that's used to refer to the rape of the widow or the wife of the man 00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:54.540 from Gibeah. 00:07:55.060 --> 00:08:00.180 So that's the word that's used, but that word is curiously not used here. 00:08:00.339 --> 00:08:02.160 It uses just a generic word for take. 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:05.000 It doesn't say seized forcibly. 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:12.600 Second, and in verse 2, it says that Shechem humiliated her. 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:18.980 And this also is the word that is typically used to describe fornication and all kinds 00:08:18.980 --> 00:08:22.939 of sex outside of marriage and not specifically sexual abuse. 00:08:23.540 --> 00:08:30.200 So for example, in Deuteronomy 22, 23 to 29, a betrothed woman who consensually sleeps 00:08:30.200 --> 00:08:36.519 with another man and thereby commits adultery, as well as an unbetrothed woman who consensually 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:42.600 sleeps with a man thereby committing fornication are both said to have been humiliated. 00:08:42.659 --> 00:08:44.139 Exactly the same word. 00:08:44.139 --> 00:08:52.240 So the third final thing, the word defile that's used to describe Dinah, which is used 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:54.580 three times, verse 5, verse 13, verse 27. 00:08:55.019 --> 00:09:01.039 It also refers generically to uncleanness and inappropriateness and not specifically to sexual 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:01.879 abuse or violation. 00:09:02.419 --> 00:09:07.039 So example, Deuteronomy 24, 4, a woman who is legally divorced from her husband and then 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:11.179 marries another man and then is legally divorced again from her second husband. 00:09:11.179 --> 00:09:17.299 It says she is defiled and therefore cannot go back to marry the first ex-husband, right? 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:19.159 Even though they were all consensual relationships. 00:09:19.239 --> 00:09:21.519 It has nothing to do with rape or abuse. 00:09:21.620 --> 00:09:23.179 It's an inappropriate relationship. 00:09:23.299 --> 00:09:25.979 All kinds of inappropriate sexual relations were defiled. 00:09:26.079 --> 00:09:27.500 It's considered defiling. 00:09:28.399 --> 00:09:34.500 And so Shechem and Dinah certainly have transgressed a divinely ordained boundary, but that boundary 00:09:34.500 --> 00:09:39.879 is not that he forced her to have sex with her, but that they crossed the boundary that 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:45.039 God had tried to put a hedge around, hedge of protection around intercourse, around intimacy, 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:50.200 so that it happens in the trusting context and commitment of marriage under the covenant 00:09:50.200 --> 00:09:54.620 of God, but they violated that by having sex outside of marriage. 00:09:54.700 --> 00:09:57.360 So that's one way in which defilement and humiliation occurred. 00:09:57.779 --> 00:10:03.840 And the second thing is that Dinah did this with a member outside of her religious group. 00:10:03.840 --> 00:10:10.240 That's, again, another thing that leads to her defiling and humiliation. 00:10:11.139 --> 00:10:18.040 And so this interpretation makes better sense of the whole passage as a whole because later 00:10:18.040 --> 00:10:21.180 when the narrator comments on this episode in verse 7, he says, 00:10:21.180 --> 00:10:26.860 The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were 00:10:26.860 --> 00:10:35.440 indignant and very angry because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:39.019 daughter, for such a thing must not be done. 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:41.639 What is the outrageous thing, right, that he's come to? 00:10:41.680 --> 00:10:46.379 It's not outrageous that Shechem forced Dinah into having sexual relations. 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:52.840 What's outrageous is that he did a thing in Israel with Jacob's daughter, right? 00:10:52.899 --> 00:10:54.920 That's what's emphasized by the narrator, right? 00:10:54.919 --> 00:11:00.179 So that seems to me like, okay, that's why they're concerned for her humiliation and defilement. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:05.379 And finally, at the end in verse 31, after they take their bloody vengeance, Simeon and 00:11:05.379 --> 00:11:09.539 Levi, they say, Should he treat our sister like a prostitute? 00:11:10.039 --> 00:11:13.659 There's another clue because a prostitute is not raped, right? 00:11:13.659 --> 00:11:17.539 A prostitute is paid for consensual sex. 00:11:18.079 --> 00:11:22.719 And what they're accusing him of is you, instead of taking her into marriage and having a proper 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:27.460 relationship with her, you slept with her, and now you're bringing, after the fact, a bright price 00:11:27.460 --> 00:11:28.279 as a payment. 00:11:28.580 --> 00:11:29.519 So that's what they're saying. 00:11:29.540 --> 00:11:32.460 You're treating our sister like a prostitute, right? 00:11:32.560 --> 00:11:39.080 So I think that's, I mean, that's, I think this affects the way we understand the passage. 00:11:39.500 --> 00:11:41.720 It's still, I think, the main point of passage remains the same. 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:46.060 So, I mean, if you guys are skeptical, I totally understand because I was skeptical of it myself 00:11:46.060 --> 00:11:47.259 as I was studying it all week. 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:54.460 But that is, when we recognize that Shechem had a committed fornication with Dinah rather 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:58.980 than raping her, then Shechem's response afterward also actually makes a lot more sense. 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:00.660 Because look at verse 3. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:04.920 And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. 00:12:05.240 --> 00:12:08.480 He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 00:12:08.940 --> 00:12:10.720 His soul was drawn to Dinah. 00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:16.399 So the word drawn here is the same word that is used in Genesis 2.24, where it gives a vision 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:17.420 for Christian marriage. 00:12:17.560 --> 00:12:22.500 It says, therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife. 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:24.220 That's the same word, you know, drawn. 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:30.540 So even though he sinned, Shechem, now after the fact, is feeling exactly the right kind 00:12:30.540 --> 00:12:34.320 of bond that he's supposed to feel, that a spouse is supposed to feel. 00:12:35.160 --> 00:12:39.019 And then it says he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:41.759 That literally translates to speak over the heart. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:46.039 So it's the reassuring, comforting word that he's speaking to her. 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:50.419 And so Shechem is genuinely infatuated with Dinah. 00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:54.699 And even though he sinned by sleeping with her before marrying her, he now wants to do the 00:12:54.699 --> 00:12:59.299 right thing by marrying Dinah and committing to a loving relationship with her. 00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:05.759 And this is not the reason why I think this argument is compelling, but it's also confirmed 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:07.019 by social research, right? 00:13:07.059 --> 00:13:13.439 So in an article published by UCLA in the Journal of Social Sciences, Dr. Neil Malamuth writes 00:13:13.439 --> 00:13:20.059 about how men who had raped women, had a tendency to rape women, have a hostile adversarial relationship 00:13:20.059 --> 00:13:21.099 with women in general. 00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:25.019 So for them, the rape is not merely about sex. 00:13:25.300 --> 00:13:29.220 It's not about gratification, but about control and conquest. 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:32.259 And it's frequently vindictive. 00:13:32.620 --> 00:13:38.159 So generally what happens after a rape is that the rapist feels hostility and hatred toward 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:40.560 the victim, not love and attachment. 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:47.120 And that's actually exactly what you find in the case of rape in 2 Samuel 13, 13 to 17. 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:54.639 When Amnon rapes Tamar, it says afterward, Amnon hated her with very great hatred so that 00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:59.500 the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her, 00:13:59.620 --> 00:13:59.820 right? 00:13:59.960 --> 00:14:01.320 So that's what you would expect. 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:05.940 But instead, what you find here is Shechem is drawn to her and loves her and cares for 00:14:05.940 --> 00:14:06.100 her. 00:14:07.340 --> 00:14:10.279 So Shechem is kind of a complicated character. 00:14:10.379 --> 00:14:12.100 So he's not a one-dimensional character. 00:14:12.180 --> 00:14:13.100 He's a complex character. 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:16.060 He's a sinner, clearly, but he also loves Dinah. 00:14:16.059 --> 00:14:21.299 And then he speaks tenderly to Dinah, but he speaks incredibly rudely to his father. 00:14:22.079 --> 00:14:25.000 So in verse 4, get me this girl for my wife. 00:14:25.219 --> 00:14:26.759 Now that's a command, right? 00:14:26.939 --> 00:14:27.559 It's abrupt. 00:14:27.659 --> 00:14:28.339 There's no please. 00:14:29.239 --> 00:14:33.759 And so when they finally come to speak to Jacob in verse 5, it tells us how Jacob responded. 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:39.539 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah, but his sons were with his livestock 00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:40.159 in the field. 00:14:40.239 --> 00:14:43.179 So Jacob held his peace until they came. 00:14:43.179 --> 00:14:48.799 So Jacob is undoubtedly upset, but he keeps his cool for the time being because his sons 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:50.039 are out of the house. 00:14:50.539 --> 00:14:54.099 So he seems that he didn't want to start a confrontation that could spiral out of control 00:14:54.099 --> 00:14:56.539 without his sons there to back him up. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:58.699 So Jacob waits. 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:03.079 And when everyone's gathered, Hamor, the father of Shechem, makes this offer. 00:15:03.719 --> 00:15:05.959 And notice he doesn't apologize for anything, right? 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:10.540 If his son had raped Jacob's daughter, you would expect some kind of apology because the 00:15:10.540 --> 00:15:15.060 way the Hebrew Bible looks at rape, it considers it exactly the same as murder. 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:16.360 It says in Deuteronomy 22. 00:15:17.040 --> 00:15:17.800 So he says, 00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:45.000 And the word for property here is the same word that is translated possession in Genesis 17, 8 and 48, 4, 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:52.019 where God promises to Abraham and his descendants the land of Canaan as their possession, everlasting possession. 00:15:52.259 --> 00:15:58.220 So the fact that Canaanites here are offering them possession of the land, it's very appealing. 00:15:58.460 --> 00:16:01.919 If you're Jacob, you've been waiting for a long time for this to be fulfilled, right? 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:05.399 So he's saying, maybe this is finally the way in which this will happen. 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:12.039 But of course, the offer doesn't just come with the carrot, it comes with the trap. 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:17.159 And it also requires that they intermarry and settle among the Canaanites with them, 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:21.139 even though that is explicitly forbidden in later Mosaic law, right? 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:23.379 So Exodus 34, 13 to 16, 00:16:23.500 --> 00:16:27.699 Don't take the daughters of Canaanites for your sons, lest their daughters whore after their gods, 00:16:27.819 --> 00:16:30.939 and make your sons whore after their gods, right? 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:37.120 So to intermarry with them risk apostasy, lack of faithfulness to God. 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:44.840 And so that's why here we find Jacob and his sons in a great bind under the dilemma. 00:16:45.660 --> 00:16:51.720 And so Jacob can't simply accept this offer, and his sons respond in verses 14 to 17, 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:58.120 We cannot do this thing to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, 00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:00.220 for that would be a disgrace to us. 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:06.680 Only on this condition will we agree with you that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. 00:17:06.920 --> 00:17:10.360 Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:12.660 and we will dwell with you and become one people. 00:17:13.120 --> 00:17:15.400 But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, 00:17:15.460 --> 00:17:18.319 then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone. 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:25.299 So for Hamer and Shechem, the only problem with Shechem and Dinah's illicit relationship is that they're not yet married. 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:29.700 So they come to solve that problem by offering a bride price and get them to marry. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:32.519 But for Jacob and his sons, that's not the only problem. 00:17:32.859 --> 00:17:38.399 There's another problem, and that's that they belong to a different religious ethnic group. 00:17:38.859 --> 00:17:41.379 They don't worship the Lord God that they serve. 00:17:41.380 --> 00:17:45.220 And so because of that, even though the Shechemites are offering a great, 00:17:45.380 --> 00:17:48.380 they are highlighting the economic advantages of this intermarriage, 00:17:48.840 --> 00:17:53.660 the sons of Jacob highlight the religious disadvantages of intermarrying with them. 00:17:54.380 --> 00:17:56.240 And so in verse 13, it says, 00:17:56.560 --> 00:17:58.980 but so everything that the sons are saying here are true. 00:17:59.360 --> 00:18:03.140 I mean, they're saying it would be a disgrace for us to intermarry with the uncircumcised people. 00:18:03.140 --> 00:18:10.240 But they're not saying it sincerely because their intention is simply to deceive them, it says in verse 13. 00:18:11.060 --> 00:18:18.259 The circumcision was a ruse designed to incapacitate the men of Shechem so that they could raid them and ransack the city. 00:18:19.040 --> 00:18:25.000 So not knowing this, obviously, Hamer and Shechem used their political clout to influence all the men of Shechem. 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:34.440 And they are saying it's a really interesting study in human psychology because they know how to cajole people into doing things that they want 00:18:34.440 --> 00:18:39.079 because when they come to talk to them, they don't mention anything about their personal stake in this, right? 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:46.140 And the whole driving force of this transaction is that Shechem wants to marry Dinah, but they mention nothing of that. 00:18:46.220 --> 00:18:50.039 But they say, oh, but look, all their stuff is going to be ours, right? 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:52.740 You're going to be rich once these people settle with us. 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:53.579 So that's what they say. 00:18:53.579 --> 00:18:58.879 And that's also a contradiction of what they promised to Jacob and his sons because he promised them, 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:04.799 you get property in our midst, but now he tells his own people that we're going to get their property for ourselves. 00:19:04.939 --> 00:19:09.279 So he's not being entirely forthright with either of them. 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:18.000 And John Calvin's comment about this is incisive, very telling, a comment about the human psychology. 00:19:18.179 --> 00:19:20.579 It says, Hamer and Shechem then enumerate other advantages. 00:19:20.579 --> 00:19:24.960 Meanwhile, they cunningly conceal the private and real cause of their request, 00:19:25.399 --> 00:19:28.579 whence it follows that all these pretexts are fallacious. 00:19:29.039 --> 00:19:32.659 But it is a very common disease that men of rank who have great authority, 00:19:32.939 --> 00:19:35.539 while making all things subservient to their own private ends, 00:19:35.879 --> 00:19:40.960 feign themselves to be considered for the common good and pretend a desire for the public advantage. 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:42.159 Ouch. 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:45.620 So that's what's going on here. 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:53.400 And nonetheless, their pitch is accepted, and all able-bodied men are circumcised. 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:59.000 And it's ironic because they tell themselves that these people are at peace with them 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:00.660 all the while they're planning this raid. 00:20:01.800 --> 00:20:02.980 And it says in verse 25, 00:20:02.980 --> 00:20:19.220 Nowadays, a lot of men are not circumcised. 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:24.299 And even the men who are circumcised were probably circumcised when they were babies or infants, 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:27.519 so they don't know what it's like to circumcise as a grown man. 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:31.180 But when you're circumcised as a grown man, it's incapacitating for weeks. 00:20:31.619 --> 00:20:33.339 So, I mean, they can't fight. 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:34.900 They can't even walk properly. 00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:41.000 And Levi and Simeon surely take advantage of that and raid the house. 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:45.019 So as they do that, there is kind of an eye-for-eye principle at work, 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:48.339 in the sense that they took Dinah, that's the same word, 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:54.879 and now it says Levi and Simeon, they take Dinah out of Shechem's house in verse 26. 00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:57.560 So they're kind of returning what they did to them. 00:20:57.940 --> 00:21:01.840 But then they go beyond that because the word take is used multiple times 00:21:01.840 --> 00:21:03.700 to refer to all the other stuff that they take. 00:21:04.040 --> 00:21:05.360 They don't just take Dinah back. 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:08.420 It says they also took the sword, right? 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:11.300 And then they killed all the people, killed all the men in the city. 00:21:11.600 --> 00:21:14.560 And it says that they also took their flocks and their herds, 00:21:14.860 --> 00:21:17.320 their donkeys and whatever was in the city and in the field. 00:21:17.660 --> 00:21:18.620 And it says in verse 29, 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:22.939 all their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, 00:21:23.179 --> 00:21:25.459 all this was in the houses. 00:21:25.539 --> 00:21:28.479 All that was in the houses they captured and plundered. 00:21:28.899 --> 00:21:31.859 So this is a despicable act that they're doing. 00:21:31.939 --> 00:21:34.859 They're taking, this is not justice. 00:21:35.099 --> 00:21:37.039 They're taking vengeance into their own hands. 00:21:37.419 --> 00:21:39.739 And what they're doing is widely disproportionate. 00:21:39.819 --> 00:21:40.599 It's not just. 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:46.019 And so Jacob, who was apparently not privy to what Simeon and Levi were planning on doing, 00:21:46.379 --> 00:21:48.859 rebukes them in verse 30. 00:21:49.339 --> 00:21:52.899 You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, 00:21:53.179 --> 00:21:54.639 the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 00:21:54.919 --> 00:21:58.519 My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, 00:21:58.759 --> 00:22:02.579 I shall be destroyed, both I and my household. 00:22:03.059 --> 00:22:06.419 So that's the threat, the promise threatened. 00:22:06.420 --> 00:22:09.500 So not long after Jacob's return to the land of Canaan, 00:22:09.800 --> 00:22:13.080 the promise that God had made to Jacob appears to be in jeopardy. 00:22:13.480 --> 00:22:16.940 Not merely because the Canaanites might now be out to get them, 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:19.420 but also because of the raid that they conducted 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:22.840 and all the idols potentially that they have accumulated for themselves 00:22:22.840 --> 00:22:25.620 and with all the women and the children that they took. 00:22:27.300 --> 00:22:30.759 But whenever this happens in the book of Genesis, 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:33.700 God graciously intervenes for his people. 00:22:34.100 --> 00:22:36.360 And that leads us to our second point, promise renewed. 00:22:37.300 --> 00:22:39.800 God says to Jacob in chapter 35, verse 1, 00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:42.900 Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:45.680 Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:48.200 when you fled from your brother Esau. 00:22:48.340 --> 00:22:51.279 This is a kind reminder from God of the other time 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:55.140 that when he delivered Jacob from a mortal threat from his brother Esau. 00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:57.440 And this is an allusion. 00:22:57.580 --> 00:23:00.980 That's what God says here to the promise that God made to Jacob 00:23:00.980 --> 00:23:03.160 in chapter 28, 13 to 16. 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:06.820 When Jacob was first leaving Canaan, God promised to Jacob, 00:23:07.040 --> 00:23:09.040 I will be with you and keep you, protect you, 00:23:09.140 --> 00:23:11.019 and I will bring you back to this land. 00:23:11.420 --> 00:23:13.560 And then Jacob responded by making a vow, 00:23:13.820 --> 00:23:16.740 If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go 00:23:16.740 --> 00:23:18.900 and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear 00:23:18.900 --> 00:23:21.640 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, 00:23:22.040 --> 00:23:24.240 then the Lord shall be my God. 00:23:24.420 --> 00:23:26.400 And this stone which I have set up for a pillar 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:27.500 shall be God's house. 00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:30.660 And of all that you give me, I will give a full tent to you. 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:32.799 So this is a vow that Jacob had made. 00:23:33.160 --> 00:23:34.240 And throughout this narrative, 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:37.640 God has faithfully kept his end of the bargain. 00:23:37.940 --> 00:23:39.200 He has protected him. 00:23:39.420 --> 00:23:41.420 He has given him clothes, enriched him, 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:43.240 and now he has brought him back to the land of Canaan. 00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:48.019 So we're waiting as readers to see if Jacob will actually fulfill his vow. 00:23:48.259 --> 00:23:50.980 And that's what God's calling him to do here. 00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:53.579 But interestingly enough, 00:23:53.700 --> 00:23:57.740 this happens at a time when Jacob would be most reluctant to venture out 00:23:57.740 --> 00:23:59.900 into further into the land of Canaan, 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:00.660 to go to Bethel, 00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:02.360 because he thinks there are people, 00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:05.480 all the Canaanites are going to gather and kill off his entire household. 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:09.059 But it's that moment when his faith is most needed, 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:09.920 God calls him, 00:24:10.079 --> 00:24:14.039 Go now, arise, and go and worship me in Bethel. 00:24:15.019 --> 00:24:17.940 And Jacob responds promptly. 00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:18.980 He obeys. 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:23.759 And sensing that his vow to have the Lord be his God 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:28.660 is inconsistent with all the household idols that were in their possession, 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:32.880 he calls for a purge of this in verses 2 to 3. 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:35.599 Put away the foreign gods that are among you 00:24:35.599 --> 00:24:38.120 and purify yourselves and change your garments. 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:40.759 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, 00:24:40.980 --> 00:24:43.099 so that I may make there an altar to the God 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:44.839 who answers me in the day of my distress 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:47.799 and has been with me wherever I have gone. 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:50.859 So if you guys remember from chapter 31, 00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:55.099 remember Rachel stole a household god from her father, Laban, 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:57.559 when she left with Jacob, her husband. 00:24:58.259 --> 00:25:00.319 So there's probably household gods from that. 00:25:00.599 --> 00:25:03.619 But there's also likely household gods from Shechem 00:25:03.619 --> 00:25:05.919 because he says that they took all that was in the houses 00:25:05.919 --> 00:25:07.680 and they were pagan nations. 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:09.079 They worshiped idols. 00:25:09.079 --> 00:25:11.859 And so that's why he calls for a purge. 00:25:11.919 --> 00:25:12.119 He says, 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:15.179 Wash yourself and change your garments, 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:18.240 so that represents a new way of life, 00:25:18.279 --> 00:25:19.519 a purified way of life. 00:25:20.159 --> 00:25:23.619 And then it's only then they can arise and go up to Bethel, 00:25:23.679 --> 00:25:25.099 which is a language of pilgrimage. 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:27.279 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord, right? 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:29.159 Who has clean hands and a pure heart, right? 00:25:29.159 --> 00:25:30.359 So that's what they're doing, 00:25:30.419 --> 00:25:32.539 purifying themselves so they can go up and worship him. 00:25:32.539 --> 00:25:36.960 Jacob's family members also promptly obey Jacob's call. 00:25:37.539 --> 00:25:37.980 And so he says, 00:25:38.099 --> 00:25:40.579 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had 00:25:40.579 --> 00:25:42.579 and the rings that were in their ears. 00:25:42.960 --> 00:25:46.240 Jacob hid them under the terebin tree that was near Shechem. 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:50.019 It's not exactly clear why they also take their rings off. 00:25:50.659 --> 00:25:52.759 They take the gods, but they also take their rings off. 00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:56.680 It might be that later in the Pentateuch, 00:25:56.680 --> 00:25:58.840 like in Exodus 32, 2-4, 00:25:59.060 --> 00:26:01.759 Israelites take their rings and melt it 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:03.299 and forge an idol out of it. 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:06.360 So it may be expressing a total commitment, 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:08.420 saying we will never return to these gods at all. 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:09.920 And so we're even getting rid of the ways 00:26:09.920 --> 00:26:10.980 which we can make these idols. 00:26:11.620 --> 00:26:14.480 It could also be a way of bringing an offering. 00:26:14.700 --> 00:26:16.940 So there's an example of that in Numbers 31, 00:26:17.340 --> 00:26:19.140 where after a raid of the Midianites, 00:26:19.140 --> 00:26:23.320 Israelites offer the plunder that they have to God as an offering. 00:26:24.019 --> 00:26:25.860 So anyway, in this episode, 00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:30.179 that they're going through a purification of the defiling that happened, 00:26:30.259 --> 00:26:31.179 not just of Dinah, 00:26:31.339 --> 00:26:35.519 but also through the raid of Simeon and Levi of the town of Shechem. 00:26:36.599 --> 00:26:39.759 And in this, we learn that we as people, 00:26:39.879 --> 00:26:43.579 God's people should not compromise our exclusive devotion to God 00:26:43.579 --> 00:26:47.079 because He is the one who is faithful to keep His promises. 00:26:47.319 --> 00:26:50.399 And because if God has promised it, then He will fulfill it, 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:53.339 and then we don't have to resort to our own devices 00:26:53.339 --> 00:26:56.339 or compromise our devotion and obedience to God. 00:26:56.439 --> 00:27:00.199 So Israel was not supposed to become one people with Canaan, right? 00:27:00.899 --> 00:27:03.439 Shechem was not the man that God had chosen 00:27:03.439 --> 00:27:06.480 through which the nations and Israel will be united. 00:27:07.299 --> 00:27:11.299 And for that reason, and because Israel had to preserve its line 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:13.039 from whom the Messiah would come, 00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:14.220 the Jesus Christ would come, 00:27:14.619 --> 00:27:17.339 they had to be faithful to Him. 00:27:17.339 --> 00:27:19.500 And this is confirmed. 00:27:19.720 --> 00:27:21.980 I won't really speak too much about Genesis 36, 00:27:22.179 --> 00:27:24.759 which tells us about the genealogy of Esau. 00:27:24.859 --> 00:27:27.980 But the main point from that is the fact that Esau, 00:27:28.199 --> 00:27:31.240 you know, Esau left the land of Canaan, 00:27:31.339 --> 00:27:32.220 the land of promise, 00:27:32.379 --> 00:27:34.059 and he intermarried with Canaanites. 00:27:34.379 --> 00:27:36.220 And so that's set up there in Genesis 36 00:27:36.220 --> 00:27:39.799 as a contrast to Jacob in Genesis 35. 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:41.779 So it says 36, 1 to 2, 00:27:41.779 --> 00:27:44.139 These are the generations of Esau, that is Edom. 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:46.879 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites. 00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:48.980 And then later in 36, 6, 8, it says, 00:27:49.099 --> 00:27:51.279 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, 00:27:51.359 --> 00:27:52.500 and all the members of his household, 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:54.879 his livestock, all his beasts, 00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:56.079 and all his property that he had acquired 00:27:56.079 --> 00:27:56.779 in the land of Canaan. 00:27:57.160 --> 00:28:00.879 And he went into a land away from his brother Jacob, 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:03.639 for their possessions were too great for them 00:28:03.639 --> 00:28:04.420 to dwell together. 00:28:04.799 --> 00:28:07.339 The land of their sojournings could not support them 00:28:07.339 --> 00:28:08.899 because of their livestock. 00:28:08.900 --> 00:28:12.400 So Esau settled in the hill country of Seir. 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:14.340 Esau is Edom. 00:28:15.360 --> 00:28:18.540 And that's contrasted with 37, 1, 00:28:18.620 --> 00:28:21.080 which said that Jacob remained in the land of his sojourning. 00:28:21.380 --> 00:28:24.280 Jacob remains a sojourner in the land of promise 00:28:24.280 --> 00:28:26.060 because he's holding on to the promise of God 00:28:26.060 --> 00:28:27.500 that God will give him this land. 00:28:27.940 --> 00:28:30.220 Esau forsakes that promise. 00:28:30.340 --> 00:28:31.440 He leaves the land of Canaan 00:28:31.440 --> 00:28:33.820 and intermarries with the Canaanites. 00:28:34.360 --> 00:28:37.380 And that's given to us as an example 00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:39.600 so that we should not compromise 00:28:39.600 --> 00:28:41.060 our exclusive devotion to God 00:28:41.060 --> 00:28:44.820 because God is faithful to fulfill his promises. 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:47.100 And I want to just ask you, 00:28:47.220 --> 00:28:48.240 just for a way of application, 00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:50.460 what are the ways in which, you know, 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:53.180 you are tempted to settle and compromise 00:28:53.180 --> 00:28:54.760 with the ways of this world, 00:28:55.340 --> 00:28:56.900 with the ways of Shechem? 00:28:57.240 --> 00:28:59.700 Maybe, I'm just thinking about some examples, 00:28:59.840 --> 00:29:01.020 maybe you, like Shechem, 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:04.400 are tempted by promiscuity, pornography, 00:29:05.140 --> 00:29:05.920 premarital sex. 00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:09.880 Everyone else seems to be doing it, right? 00:29:11.960 --> 00:29:13.920 Maybe there's a TV show you watch 00:29:13.920 --> 00:29:16.519 or a musician you listen to 00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:18.080 that does not fill your mind 00:29:18.080 --> 00:29:19.360 with whatever is true 00:29:19.360 --> 00:29:20.900 and whatever is honorable, 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:22.120 whatever is just, 00:29:22.580 --> 00:29:23.519 whatever is lovely, 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:25.279 whatever is excellent and praiseworthy. 00:29:26.140 --> 00:29:28.080 Instead, it fills your mind with violence, 00:29:28.820 --> 00:29:32.120 lust, crudeness, pride, cynicism, 00:29:32.119 --> 00:29:33.639 unbelief. 00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:38.159 Maybe your speech is not always gracious, 00:29:38.159 --> 00:29:39.579 seasoned with salt, 00:29:40.219 --> 00:29:41.719 as it says in Colossians 4.6. 00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:44.579 Instead, it's rash and presumptuous, 00:29:44.859 --> 00:29:45.959 puffed up with pride, 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:47.959 sharp with anger, 00:29:48.699 --> 00:29:50.579 cutting down instead of building up. 00:29:51.119 --> 00:29:53.459 Maybe there's a biblical teaching 00:29:53.460 --> 00:29:55.160 that you know of 00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:57.779 that is particularly unpopular 00:29:57.779 --> 00:29:59.480 in our culture this day and age. 00:30:00.120 --> 00:30:02.039 And instead of holding fast to it, 00:30:02.100 --> 00:30:03.559 you're beginning to slip, 00:30:04.220 --> 00:30:05.799 sliding closer and closer 00:30:05.799 --> 00:30:06.819 to the world 00:30:06.819 --> 00:30:08.079 in order to be more relevant 00:30:08.079 --> 00:30:09.380 and accepted. 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:14.140 We must not compromise 00:30:14.140 --> 00:30:16.400 our exclusive devotion to God 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:17.680 because He is faithful 00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:19.079 to fulfill His promises. 00:30:19.079 --> 00:30:21.220 His words are true 00:30:21.220 --> 00:30:22.980 and His words are good for us. 00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:24.980 What are the idols in your life 00:30:24.980 --> 00:30:25.720 that you have been hiding? 00:30:25.899 --> 00:30:27.179 Maybe like Rachel 00:30:27.179 --> 00:30:28.720 and the other servants 00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:30.939 in the household of Jacob. 00:30:31.159 --> 00:30:32.699 You worship the true God, yes, 00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:33.919 but you say to yourself, 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:34.939 maybe, well, 00:30:35.019 --> 00:30:35.980 it's nice to hold on 00:30:35.980 --> 00:30:37.139 to some of these things 00:30:37.139 --> 00:30:38.480 as an insurance policy, 00:30:38.579 --> 00:30:39.740 maybe not consciously, 00:30:39.879 --> 00:30:40.799 but subconsciously. 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:43.879 What competes with God 00:30:43.879 --> 00:30:44.740 in your life 00:30:44.740 --> 00:30:47.359 for your affection and trust? 00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:50.079 Maybe you struggle 00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:50.740 with idleness 00:30:50.740 --> 00:30:52.299 and distraction. 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:54.099 You retreat 00:30:54.099 --> 00:30:55.659 to mindless scrolling 00:30:55.659 --> 00:30:56.539 and surfing 00:30:56.539 --> 00:30:57.659 to get away 00:30:57.659 --> 00:30:58.699 from the responsibilities 00:30:58.699 --> 00:31:00.139 and demands of this life 00:31:00.139 --> 00:31:01.240 instead of finding 00:31:01.240 --> 00:31:02.799 your true rest in God. 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:05.599 Maybe the opposite 00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:06.339 is true for you. 00:31:06.819 --> 00:31:10.119 You're constantly busy. 00:31:10.259 --> 00:31:10.699 You're struggling 00:31:10.699 --> 00:31:12.419 with perpetual business 00:31:12.419 --> 00:31:13.819 not because your schedule 00:31:13.819 --> 00:31:14.199 is busy, 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:15.079 but because your heart 00:31:15.079 --> 00:31:15.500 is busy. 00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:18.599 You're trying to find 00:31:18.599 --> 00:31:19.559 fulfillment in something 00:31:19.559 --> 00:31:20.440 other than God. 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:23.740 Maybe you're trusting 00:31:23.740 --> 00:31:24.279 in wealth, 00:31:24.440 --> 00:31:25.059 how much money 00:31:25.059 --> 00:31:25.880 you've saved up 00:31:25.880 --> 00:31:28.099 that makes you feel secure. 00:31:28.960 --> 00:31:29.940 Maybe you're trusting 00:31:29.940 --> 00:31:30.559 your boyfriend 00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:31.160 or girlfriend 00:31:31.160 --> 00:31:31.700 or husband 00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:32.440 or wife 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:33.960 or just your best friend 00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:34.680 and you're looking 00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:36.180 to them to fulfill 00:31:36.180 --> 00:31:37.700 and satisfy longing in you 00:31:37.700 --> 00:31:38.599 that only God 00:31:38.599 --> 00:31:39.220 can fulfill. 00:31:39.220 --> 00:31:43.960 maybe if you're a believer, 00:31:44.660 --> 00:31:47.039 you're becoming legalistic. 00:31:47.160 --> 00:31:47.720 You're trusting 00:31:47.720 --> 00:31:49.720 in your own diligence 00:31:49.720 --> 00:31:51.400 and your own law keeping. 00:31:53.799 --> 00:31:55.160 Striving to be good enough 00:31:55.160 --> 00:31:56.559 to earn God's favor 00:31:56.559 --> 00:31:57.960 so you can make the cut. 00:32:00.440 --> 00:32:01.819 That too is an idol 00:32:01.819 --> 00:32:02.539 because ultimately 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:04.000 you're relying on yourself 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:05.900 not on God who saves. 00:32:05.900 --> 00:32:08.480 We must not compromise 00:32:08.480 --> 00:32:09.480 our exclusive devotion 00:32:09.480 --> 00:32:09.759 to God 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:10.980 because He who promised 00:32:10.980 --> 00:32:12.060 is faithful. 00:32:12.600 --> 00:32:13.620 Seek first the kingdom 00:32:13.620 --> 00:32:14.080 of God 00:32:14.080 --> 00:32:14.740 and His righteousness 00:32:14.740 --> 00:32:15.820 and all these things 00:32:15.820 --> 00:32:16.900 will be added to you 00:32:16.900 --> 00:32:17.660 as well. 00:32:17.780 --> 00:32:18.720 Trust in Christ 00:32:18.720 --> 00:32:19.880 and His sufficiency 00:32:19.880 --> 00:32:21.259 for you today 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:23.500 and let's daily 00:32:23.500 --> 00:32:24.300 as God's people 00:32:24.300 --> 00:32:24.920 take inventory 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:25.360 of our lives 00:32:25.360 --> 00:32:26.280 to purify ourselves 00:32:26.280 --> 00:32:27.200 as Jacob's household 00:32:27.200 --> 00:32:27.660 has done. 00:32:29.100 --> 00:32:30.759 And so after Jacob's 00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:31.460 household purified 00:32:31.460 --> 00:32:31.860 themselves, 00:32:32.280 --> 00:32:33.480 God acts decisively 00:32:33.480 --> 00:32:34.259 on their behalf 00:32:34.259 --> 00:32:36.160 and He strikes 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:37.119 the Canaanite population 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:37.879 with fear. 00:32:37.960 --> 00:32:38.859 It says in verse 5, 00:32:39.160 --> 00:32:40.519 and as they journey, 00:32:40.680 --> 00:32:41.740 notice this happens, 00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:42.839 as they are journeying 00:32:42.839 --> 00:32:44.160 and stepping out in faith 00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:44.779 to what God 00:32:44.779 --> 00:32:45.539 has called them to do, 00:32:45.799 --> 00:32:46.779 as they do that, 00:32:47.019 --> 00:32:48.279 a terror from God 00:32:48.279 --> 00:32:49.359 fell upon the cities 00:32:49.359 --> 00:32:50.140 that were around them 00:32:50.140 --> 00:32:51.500 so that they did not 00:32:51.500 --> 00:32:53.160 pursue the sons of Jacob. 00:32:53.660 --> 00:32:54.619 So though Jacob 00:32:54.619 --> 00:32:55.799 and his sons 00:32:55.799 --> 00:32:56.500 were afraid 00:32:56.500 --> 00:32:57.279 of the Canaanites, 00:32:57.519 --> 00:32:58.339 it's the Canaanites 00:32:58.339 --> 00:32:59.099 who are struck 00:32:59.099 --> 00:33:00.720 with divine terror 00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:01.440 and fear. 00:33:02.579 --> 00:33:03.119 And then God 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:04.240 appears to Jacob again 00:33:04.240 --> 00:33:04.819 to reaffirm 00:33:04.819 --> 00:33:05.519 the new name 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:06.140 he gave him 00:33:06.140 --> 00:33:07.440 earlier in chapter 32, 00:33:07.500 --> 00:33:07.759 20, 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:08.440 it's saying this, 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:09.700 your name shall 00:33:09.700 --> 00:33:10.579 no longer be called 00:33:10.579 --> 00:33:11.740 Jacob but Israel 00:33:11.740 --> 00:33:13.120 for you have striven 00:33:13.120 --> 00:33:13.680 with God 00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:14.380 and with men 00:33:14.380 --> 00:33:16.240 and have prevailed. 00:33:16.680 --> 00:33:17.720 It's a really powerful 00:33:17.720 --> 00:33:18.319 name change 00:33:18.319 --> 00:33:19.400 because the new name 00:33:19.400 --> 00:33:20.079 Israel 00:33:20.079 --> 00:33:21.059 is a combination 00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:22.079 of the Hebrew word 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:22.700 for God 00:33:22.700 --> 00:33:23.859 and the Hebrew word 00:33:23.859 --> 00:33:24.680 for strive 00:33:24.680 --> 00:33:25.400 or struggle, 00:33:25.660 --> 00:33:25.819 right? 00:33:26.099 --> 00:33:27.000 So it means 00:33:27.000 --> 00:33:28.500 God struggles 00:33:28.500 --> 00:33:29.920 or God strives, 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:30.160 right? 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:31.620 And Jacob 00:33:31.620 --> 00:33:32.660 in that episode 00:33:32.660 --> 00:33:33.519 in chapter 32, 00:33:33.519 --> 00:33:36.420 his name 00:33:36.420 --> 00:33:37.200 was played, 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:37.980 it was a word 00:33:37.980 --> 00:33:38.960 played on 00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:39.819 the place name 00:33:39.819 --> 00:33:40.359 Yabok 00:33:40.359 --> 00:33:41.180 which also means 00:33:41.180 --> 00:33:41.660 struggle. 00:33:42.099 --> 00:33:42.539 Yaakov, 00:33:42.740 --> 00:33:43.139 Yabok, 00:33:43.259 --> 00:33:43.599 there's a, 00:33:43.660 --> 00:33:44.119 it sounds, 00:33:44.220 --> 00:33:44.900 it looks very similar. 00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:46.240 So Jacob's name 00:33:46.240 --> 00:33:46.940 was also played 00:33:46.940 --> 00:33:47.599 along with the word, 00:33:47.680 --> 00:33:48.519 a different Hebrew word 00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:49.059 that also means 00:33:49.059 --> 00:33:50.220 struggle or strive. 00:33:50.700 --> 00:33:51.599 So the name change 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:51.819 is, 00:33:51.900 --> 00:33:52.599 this is what's happening. 00:33:52.680 --> 00:33:53.139 So Jacob 00:33:53.139 --> 00:33:54.279 is the heel grabber, 00:33:54.480 --> 00:33:54.680 right? 00:33:54.839 --> 00:33:55.799 He's the deceiver, 00:33:56.099 --> 00:33:57.139 he's the usurper, 00:33:57.319 --> 00:33:58.319 but now he becomes 00:33:58.319 --> 00:33:59.000 Israel, 00:33:59.139 --> 00:34:00.160 the rightful heir 00:34:00.160 --> 00:34:01.340 to God's 00:34:01.340 --> 00:34:02.200 covenantal promises. 00:34:02.759 --> 00:34:03.720 His name was 00:34:03.720 --> 00:34:04.140 Jacob, 00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:04.980 the wrestler, 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:05.420 right? 00:34:05.519 --> 00:34:05.680 The, 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:06.519 the struggler, 00:34:06.800 --> 00:34:07.440 the striver, 00:34:07.519 --> 00:34:08.960 always striving for himself, 00:34:09.159 --> 00:34:10.740 grasping to advance himself. 00:34:10.740 --> 00:34:11.559 But now, 00:34:11.800 --> 00:34:12.380 his name becomes 00:34:12.380 --> 00:34:12.980 Israel, 00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:14.000 meaning God 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:15.039 will contend for him. 00:34:15.480 --> 00:34:16.820 God will strive for him. 00:34:17.159 --> 00:34:18.079 And that's a powerful 00:34:18.079 --> 00:34:18.480 name change, 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:19.500 and that's God's taking 00:34:19.500 --> 00:34:20.240 is the, 00:34:20.380 --> 00:34:20.840 and Jacob 00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:21.680 and redeeming him, 00:34:21.820 --> 00:34:22.380 saying to him, 00:34:22.579 --> 00:34:23.840 I will be your God. 00:34:24.320 --> 00:34:24.780 Now, 00:34:25.400 --> 00:34:26.380 this doesn't mean 00:34:26.380 --> 00:34:27.260 from this point on 00:34:27.260 --> 00:34:28.380 of Jacob's life, 00:34:28.380 --> 00:34:29.579 everything goes smoothly, 00:34:29.740 --> 00:34:30.500 and he doesn't struggle 00:34:30.500 --> 00:34:31.300 and doesn't experience 00:34:31.300 --> 00:34:31.840 any sorrows. 00:34:32.300 --> 00:34:32.559 It's, 00:34:32.720 --> 00:34:33.500 that's contradicted 00:34:33.500 --> 00:34:34.280 just in this, 00:34:34.460 --> 00:34:35.760 the rest of chapter 35. 00:34:36.200 --> 00:34:36.840 Jacob loses 00:34:36.840 --> 00:34:37.840 his beloved wife, 00:34:37.940 --> 00:34:38.200 Rachel, 00:34:38.380 --> 00:34:38.579 right? 00:34:39.720 --> 00:34:40.619 And Rachel 00:34:40.619 --> 00:34:41.619 had earlier said 00:34:41.619 --> 00:34:42.059 to Jacob, 00:34:42.220 --> 00:34:42.920 give me children 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:43.960 or I shall die. 00:34:44.280 --> 00:34:45.140 And ironically, 00:34:45.420 --> 00:34:46.559 it's in giving birth 00:34:46.559 --> 00:34:47.059 to children 00:34:47.059 --> 00:34:47.840 that she dies. 00:34:49.660 --> 00:34:50.720 But nevertheless, 00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:52.160 he who promised 00:34:52.160 --> 00:34:52.820 is faithful, 00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:53.920 and God's promise 00:34:53.920 --> 00:34:54.680 of progeny 00:34:54.680 --> 00:34:56.220 continues to be fulfilled. 00:34:57.099 --> 00:34:58.099 And God answers, 00:34:58.099 --> 00:34:58.860 Rachel's prayer 00:34:58.860 --> 00:34:59.819 for another son 00:34:59.819 --> 00:35:01.039 by giving her Benjamin. 00:35:02.380 --> 00:35:03.319 And then still later 00:35:03.319 --> 00:35:04.059 in 35, 00:35:04.119 --> 00:35:04.460 22, 00:35:04.619 --> 00:35:05.639 Jacob's oldest son, 00:35:05.739 --> 00:35:06.079 Reuben, 00:35:06.460 --> 00:35:07.440 sleeps with his 00:35:07.440 --> 00:35:08.579 father's concubine. 00:35:09.259 --> 00:35:10.079 This is not just 00:35:10.079 --> 00:35:10.860 a sensual act, 00:35:10.900 --> 00:35:12.219 it's a power-grabbing act 00:35:12.219 --> 00:35:13.400 because he's assuming 00:35:13.400 --> 00:35:14.519 and asserting 00:35:14.519 --> 00:35:16.420 authority over his father 00:35:16.420 --> 00:35:17.139 by doing that, 00:35:17.259 --> 00:35:17.420 right? 00:35:17.980 --> 00:35:18.559 And so, 00:35:18.719 --> 00:35:20.279 he's trying to assert 00:35:20.279 --> 00:35:21.219 his firstborn rights. 00:35:21.339 --> 00:35:22.179 Perhaps he was 00:35:22.179 --> 00:35:23.079 a little bit afraid 00:35:23.079 --> 00:35:23.739 because he's 00:35:23.739 --> 00:35:24.839 the firstborn son, 00:35:24.920 --> 00:35:25.599 but he's the son 00:35:25.599 --> 00:35:26.139 of Leah, 00:35:26.139 --> 00:35:28.000 not the son 00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:28.920 of the favored wife, 00:35:29.059 --> 00:35:29.319 Rachel, 00:35:29.460 --> 00:35:30.099 so maybe he thought 00:35:30.099 --> 00:35:30.599 he would lose 00:35:30.599 --> 00:35:31.339 his firstborn rights, 00:35:31.619 --> 00:35:32.359 but it's actually 00:35:32.359 --> 00:35:33.359 in his presumption 00:35:33.359 --> 00:35:34.339 and sinful act 00:35:34.339 --> 00:35:35.139 of sleeping with 00:35:35.139 --> 00:35:35.859 his dad's concubine 00:35:35.859 --> 00:35:36.900 that he will actually 00:35:36.900 --> 00:35:38.819 lose his firstborn's rights. 00:35:40.079 --> 00:35:41.699 And in spite of all of this, 00:35:41.759 --> 00:35:42.400 through all these 00:35:42.400 --> 00:35:43.239 sinful children 00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:45.279 and all the division 00:35:45.279 --> 00:35:45.940 that they're experiencing 00:35:45.940 --> 00:35:46.900 because of Jacob's 00:35:46.900 --> 00:35:48.179 sinful polygamous marriage, 00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:49.400 God's plans 00:35:49.400 --> 00:35:51.500 still go forward. 00:35:51.500 --> 00:35:54.820 So Jacob's life 00:35:54.820 --> 00:35:55.619 is still full 00:35:55.619 --> 00:35:56.219 of brokenness, 00:35:56.280 --> 00:35:56.699 suffering, 00:35:56.840 --> 00:35:57.159 and grief, 00:35:57.239 --> 00:35:57.619 and sorrow, 00:35:57.719 --> 00:35:58.340 but God, 00:35:58.460 --> 00:35:59.199 who promised, 00:35:59.440 --> 00:36:00.300 is faithful, 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:01.219 and we see 00:36:01.219 --> 00:36:01.980 that his promises 00:36:01.980 --> 00:36:02.940 advance in an 00:36:02.940 --> 00:36:04.239 ineluctable way. 00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:05.360 The promise 00:36:05.360 --> 00:36:05.860 of multitude 00:36:05.860 --> 00:36:06.380 of descendants 00:36:06.380 --> 00:36:07.719 is being fulfilled, 00:36:07.860 --> 00:36:08.480 and Jacob's 00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:09.280 final return 00:36:09.280 --> 00:36:09.920 to Mamre, 00:36:10.239 --> 00:36:11.079 where most 00:36:11.079 --> 00:36:11.699 of the promises 00:36:11.699 --> 00:36:12.300 that God had made 00:36:12.300 --> 00:36:13.320 to Abraham was, 00:36:13.599 --> 00:36:14.440 and where Abraham 00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:15.579 first got to 00:36:15.579 --> 00:36:16.460 own property 00:36:16.460 --> 00:36:17.039 in Canaan. 00:36:17.380 --> 00:36:17.980 That's, again, 00:36:18.039 --> 00:36:18.500 a reminder 00:36:18.500 --> 00:36:18.940 of the fact 00:36:18.940 --> 00:36:19.719 that God's promises 00:36:19.719 --> 00:36:20.339 to Jacob 00:36:20.339 --> 00:36:21.819 are being fulfilled, 00:36:22.219 --> 00:36:23.919 which is great 00:36:23.919 --> 00:36:25.239 for storytelling purposes, 00:36:25.399 --> 00:36:26.500 but why do we care? 00:36:27.279 --> 00:36:28.139 Why do we care 00:36:28.139 --> 00:36:28.559 about Jacob? 00:36:32.299 --> 00:36:33.159 Because ultimately, 00:36:33.319 --> 00:36:34.159 Jacob is a small, 00:36:34.259 --> 00:36:35.099 insignificant man, 00:36:35.199 --> 00:36:35.439 right? 00:36:37.119 --> 00:36:37.899 His life 00:36:37.899 --> 00:36:38.319 is streaked 00:36:38.319 --> 00:36:39.119 with sins and sorrows, 00:36:39.219 --> 00:36:39.959 and you won't find 00:36:39.959 --> 00:36:40.879 any story about him 00:36:40.879 --> 00:36:41.799 in our history books 00:36:41.799 --> 00:36:42.319 in schools, 00:36:42.699 --> 00:36:43.939 so why do we learn 00:36:43.939 --> 00:36:44.279 about him? 00:36:44.339 --> 00:36:44.839 And the reason 00:36:44.839 --> 00:36:45.779 why he figures 00:36:45.779 --> 00:36:46.659 prominently here 00:36:46.659 --> 00:36:47.139 in the Bible 00:36:47.139 --> 00:36:48.119 is because God, 00:36:48.480 --> 00:36:49.579 in his sovereign grace, 00:36:49.719 --> 00:36:50.899 chose to use 00:36:50.899 --> 00:36:51.480 the people 00:36:51.480 --> 00:36:52.480 of Israel 00:36:52.480 --> 00:36:53.679 to bring forth 00:36:53.679 --> 00:36:54.519 Jesus Christ, 00:36:54.639 --> 00:36:55.379 who in turn 00:36:55.379 --> 00:36:56.599 will save 00:36:56.599 --> 00:36:57.899 not just Israel, 00:36:58.019 --> 00:36:59.219 but all the nations 00:36:59.219 --> 00:37:00.599 by reconciling them 00:37:00.599 --> 00:37:01.399 to himself. 00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:02.859 It's for that purpose. 00:37:03.199 --> 00:37:04.539 So this is not parochial. 00:37:04.659 --> 00:37:05.259 This is not 00:37:05.259 --> 00:37:06.019 ethnic, 00:37:06.159 --> 00:37:06.379 you know, 00:37:06.419 --> 00:37:07.399 ethnocentrism. 00:37:07.739 --> 00:37:09.019 This is God's plan. 00:37:09.139 --> 00:37:10.459 His sovereignly chosen 00:37:10.459 --> 00:37:11.519 plan through which 00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:12.379 he will bring redemption 00:37:12.379 --> 00:37:13.599 to all nations, 00:37:13.699 --> 00:37:14.839 and it is that reason 00:37:14.839 --> 00:37:15.839 why that Jacob 00:37:15.839 --> 00:37:17.419 has to be so concerned 00:37:17.420 --> 00:37:18.599 about fidelity 00:37:18.599 --> 00:37:20.559 and faithfulness 00:37:20.559 --> 00:37:21.340 and preserving 00:37:21.340 --> 00:37:21.880 the faith 00:37:21.880 --> 00:37:22.700 of his household. 00:37:24.099 --> 00:37:24.440 And later, 00:37:24.559 --> 00:37:25.559 when Jesus does come, 00:37:25.880 --> 00:37:27.280 Paul speaks 00:37:27.280 --> 00:37:28.139 about what Jesus did, 00:37:28.380 --> 00:37:29.039 and he addresses 00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:29.780 Gentiles, 00:37:29.860 --> 00:37:30.740 the non-Jews, 00:37:30.940 --> 00:37:31.840 in Ephesians 2, 00:37:31.900 --> 00:37:32.820 11 to 16. 00:37:33.680 --> 00:37:34.159 Therefore, 00:37:34.420 --> 00:37:35.099 remember that 00:37:35.099 --> 00:37:35.860 at one time 00:37:35.860 --> 00:37:36.619 you Gentiles 00:37:36.619 --> 00:37:37.300 in the flesh 00:37:37.300 --> 00:37:39.340 called the uncircumcision 00:37:39.340 --> 00:37:41.360 by what is called 00:37:41.360 --> 00:37:42.039 the circumcision, 00:37:42.159 --> 00:37:42.519 which is made 00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:43.340 in the flesh by hands. 00:37:43.659 --> 00:37:44.220 Remember that 00:37:44.220 --> 00:37:45.380 you were at that time 00:37:45.380 --> 00:37:46.740 separated from Christ, 00:37:47.220 --> 00:37:47.980 alienated from 00:37:47.980 --> 00:37:48.680 the commonwealth 00:37:48.680 --> 00:37:49.119 of Israel, 00:37:49.240 --> 00:37:50.000 and strangers 00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:51.019 to the covenants 00:37:51.019 --> 00:37:51.539 of promise, 00:37:51.880 --> 00:37:53.200 having no hope 00:37:53.200 --> 00:37:54.519 and without God 00:37:54.519 --> 00:37:55.119 in the world. 00:37:55.940 --> 00:37:57.000 But now, 00:37:57.420 --> 00:37:58.840 in Christ Jesus, 00:37:59.220 --> 00:37:59.920 you who once 00:37:59.920 --> 00:38:00.740 were far off 00:38:00.740 --> 00:38:01.380 have been brought 00:38:01.380 --> 00:38:02.780 near by the blood 00:38:02.780 --> 00:38:03.380 of Christ, 00:38:03.559 --> 00:38:04.780 for he himself 00:38:04.780 --> 00:38:05.640 is our peace 00:38:05.640 --> 00:38:06.780 who has made us 00:38:06.780 --> 00:38:07.559 both one 00:38:07.559 --> 00:38:08.579 and has broken 00:38:08.579 --> 00:38:09.700 down in his flesh 00:38:09.700 --> 00:38:10.780 the dividing wall 00:38:10.780 --> 00:38:11.599 of hostility 00:38:11.599 --> 00:38:13.220 by reconciling us 00:38:13.220 --> 00:38:14.019 both to God 00:38:14.019 --> 00:38:15.679 in one body 00:38:15.679 --> 00:38:17.400 through the cross. 00:38:18.739 --> 00:38:21.119 It's when we truly believe 00:38:21.119 --> 00:38:22.960 that Jesus Christ, 00:38:23.079 --> 00:38:23.800 the Son of God 00:38:23.800 --> 00:38:24.800 and Son of Man, 00:38:25.119 --> 00:38:26.219 died for our sins 00:38:26.219 --> 00:38:27.059 and rose again 00:38:27.059 --> 00:38:27.820 from the dead. 00:38:28.699 --> 00:38:30.239 And it's when we, 00:38:30.460 --> 00:38:31.320 in that faith 00:38:31.320 --> 00:38:31.940 and in accordance 00:38:31.940 --> 00:38:32.880 with that faith, 00:38:32.960 --> 00:38:33.480 are baptized, 00:38:34.259 --> 00:38:35.179 which signifies 00:38:35.179 --> 00:38:36.239 our union, 00:38:36.400 --> 00:38:37.259 our identification 00:38:37.259 --> 00:38:38.139 with the death 00:38:38.139 --> 00:38:38.619 and resurrection 00:38:38.619 --> 00:38:39.400 of Christ. 00:38:39.980 --> 00:38:41.079 That's when we can 00:38:41.079 --> 00:38:42.519 be assured of this. 00:38:42.619 --> 00:38:43.619 Then we are born again 00:38:43.619 --> 00:38:44.699 into the family of God 00:38:44.699 --> 00:38:45.980 and into the nation 00:38:45.980 --> 00:38:47.440 of spiritual Israel, 00:38:47.539 --> 00:38:48.339 the new Israel 00:38:48.339 --> 00:38:49.400 which is in Jesus. 00:38:50.579 --> 00:38:51.759 Then we no longer 00:38:51.759 --> 00:38:52.519 also, like Jacob, 00:38:52.579 --> 00:38:53.199 have to contend 00:38:53.199 --> 00:38:53.859 for ourselves. 00:38:54.420 --> 00:38:55.279 We don't have to 00:38:55.279 --> 00:38:56.000 strive for ourselves 00:38:56.000 --> 00:38:56.960 to save ourselves. 00:38:57.420 --> 00:38:57.900 There are people 00:38:57.900 --> 00:39:00.179 I see every week, 00:39:00.279 --> 00:39:00.400 right, 00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:02.139 and during the week, 00:39:02.299 --> 00:39:03.039 I meet believers 00:39:03.039 --> 00:39:03.659 all the time 00:39:03.659 --> 00:39:04.480 who are striving 00:39:04.480 --> 00:39:05.440 so hard 00:39:05.440 --> 00:39:06.759 but down on themselves 00:39:06.759 --> 00:39:08.319 and plagued by guilt 00:39:08.319 --> 00:39:09.339 and giving up 00:39:09.339 --> 00:39:10.059 on what it means 00:39:10.059 --> 00:39:10.719 to be a Christian in life, 00:39:10.799 --> 00:39:11.960 giving up on sanctification 00:39:11.960 --> 00:39:12.920 because they're trying 00:39:12.920 --> 00:39:13.340 to do it 00:39:13.340 --> 00:39:14.300 in their own strength 00:39:14.300 --> 00:39:15.220 when the strength 00:39:15.220 --> 00:39:16.039 for sanctification, 00:39:16.240 --> 00:39:17.079 strength for growth 00:39:17.079 --> 00:39:18.039 comes only through 00:39:18.039 --> 00:39:18.800 Jesus Christ 00:39:18.800 --> 00:39:19.559 and His power. 00:39:22.480 --> 00:39:23.920 And it's when we believe that 00:39:23.920 --> 00:39:25.000 and when we become Christians, 00:39:25.079 --> 00:39:25.840 we no longer have to 00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:26.720 contend for ourselves 00:39:26.720 --> 00:39:28.179 because God contends for us. 00:39:28.420 --> 00:39:29.679 He strives for us. 00:39:29.940 --> 00:39:30.760 Jesus earned 00:39:30.760 --> 00:39:32.079 our righteousness for us. 00:39:32.440 --> 00:39:33.079 And we no longer 00:39:33.079 --> 00:39:33.940 have to be our own 00:39:33.940 --> 00:39:35.019 saviors and lords. 00:39:36.340 --> 00:39:36.920 And then, 00:39:37.000 --> 00:39:37.480 like Jacob, 00:39:37.539 --> 00:39:38.260 we also receive 00:39:38.260 --> 00:39:38.800 a new name. 00:39:38.800 --> 00:39:40.440 We are baptized 00:39:40.440 --> 00:39:41.420 in the name 00:39:41.420 --> 00:39:42.420 of the Father, 00:39:42.980 --> 00:39:43.300 Son, 00:39:43.580 --> 00:39:45.039 and the Holy Spirit. 00:39:45.860 --> 00:39:47.360 And we become Christians 00:39:47.360 --> 00:39:50.080 known and called 00:39:50.080 --> 00:39:51.260 by the name of Christ, 00:39:51.840 --> 00:39:53.740 not by our own name, 00:39:53.920 --> 00:39:54.600 no longer living 00:39:54.600 --> 00:39:55.560 for ourselves. 00:39:56.620 --> 00:39:58.160 We're living in Christ 00:39:58.160 --> 00:39:59.780 and for Christ. 00:39:59.900 --> 00:40:00.320 Our allegiance 00:40:00.320 --> 00:40:00.960 is no longer 00:40:00.960 --> 00:40:01.780 to ourselves, 00:40:01.900 --> 00:40:02.760 to this world, 00:40:03.060 --> 00:40:04.240 or to our race, 00:40:04.580 --> 00:40:05.640 or to our ethnicity, 00:40:06.060 --> 00:40:07.100 or to our gender, 00:40:07.360 --> 00:40:08.340 or to our country, 00:40:08.340 --> 00:40:09.920 but to our God 00:40:09.920 --> 00:40:10.720 who is faithful 00:40:10.720 --> 00:40:12.320 to keep His promises. 00:40:12.519 --> 00:40:13.280 And that's what it means 00:40:13.280 --> 00:40:14.320 to be a people of God. 00:40:15.539 --> 00:40:17.300 I pray all of you 00:40:17.300 --> 00:40:18.800 will come to know Him 00:40:18.800 --> 00:40:20.039 and have that relationship 00:40:20.039 --> 00:40:21.039 with Him. 00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:22.460 And if you're not yet 00:40:22.460 --> 00:40:22.900 a believer, 00:40:23.100 --> 00:40:23.960 not yet a Christian, 00:40:24.079 --> 00:40:24.960 then I urge you 00:40:24.960 --> 00:40:25.880 to consider 00:40:25.880 --> 00:40:28.380 entrusting your life to Him 00:40:28.380 --> 00:40:29.380 and getting baptized 00:40:29.380 --> 00:40:30.019 in His name. 00:40:30.300 --> 00:40:31.320 We're planning on offering 00:40:31.320 --> 00:40:32.340 a baptism service 00:40:32.960 --> 00:40:33.900 sometime in the fall. 00:40:33.900 --> 00:40:35.360 I'll probably 00:40:35.360 --> 00:40:38.320 write in the next 00:40:38.320 --> 00:40:38.980 couple weeks 00:40:38.980 --> 00:40:39.760 a class 00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:40.900 as a primer 00:40:40.900 --> 00:40:41.440 for people 00:40:41.440 --> 00:40:42.000 who are interested 00:40:42.000 --> 00:40:42.660 in getting baptized. 00:40:42.860 --> 00:40:43.680 If you're having a baptizer, 00:40:43.780 --> 00:40:44.539 if you want to know 00:40:44.539 --> 00:40:45.180 what the basics 00:40:45.180 --> 00:40:45.980 of Christianity is, 00:40:46.059 --> 00:40:46.860 what is Christianity 00:40:46.860 --> 00:40:47.480 all about, 00:40:48.019 --> 00:40:48.559 it would be a great 00:40:48.559 --> 00:40:49.300 opportunity to take 00:40:49.300 --> 00:40:50.099 advantage of that. 00:40:53.320 --> 00:40:54.200 I guess that's not 00:40:54.200 --> 00:40:54.780 the way I wanted 00:40:54.780 --> 00:40:55.820 to conclude that, 00:40:55.880 --> 00:40:56.360 but I think that's 00:40:56.360 --> 00:40:56.960 all I have to say. 00:40:57.019 --> 00:40:57.460 So let's pray. 00:40:57.460 --> 00:41:01.720 God, we are thankful, 00:41:02.659 --> 00:41:04.000 just overjoyed 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:06.320 in Your presence, 00:41:06.500 --> 00:41:08.920 grateful that we can be here, 00:41:10.099 --> 00:41:11.679 that we can be sitting 00:41:11.679 --> 00:41:12.280 in Your presence 00:41:12.280 --> 00:41:14.659 and not be consumed 00:41:14.659 --> 00:41:15.679 by the just wrath 00:41:15.679 --> 00:41:16.320 of the Father, 00:41:17.699 --> 00:41:18.900 that we can be sitting 00:41:18.900 --> 00:41:19.519 in Your presence, 00:41:19.639 --> 00:41:20.539 the holy God, 00:41:20.900 --> 00:41:22.639 the perfect God, 00:41:23.440 --> 00:41:24.619 the eternal God 00:41:24.619 --> 00:41:27.440 as just fleeting human 00:41:27.440 --> 00:41:27.840 beings, 00:41:28.599 --> 00:41:29.179 sinful, 00:41:32.340 --> 00:41:32.980 selfish, 00:41:33.480 --> 00:41:34.079 prideful. 00:41:35.900 --> 00:41:36.559 Yet because 00:41:36.559 --> 00:41:38.019 of Jesus, 00:41:39.320 --> 00:41:42.539 because of Your grace, 00:41:43.820 --> 00:41:45.720 because of the eternal love 00:41:45.720 --> 00:41:46.780 that You set on us 00:41:46.780 --> 00:41:48.340 from before the foundation 00:41:48.340 --> 00:41:48.900 of the world, 00:41:49.800 --> 00:41:51.720 we are here 00:41:51.720 --> 00:41:54.380 and we love You. 00:41:55.039 --> 00:41:56.260 We are grateful for You. 00:41:57.440 --> 00:42:02.519 and Lord, 00:42:02.599 --> 00:42:03.579 we want to live 00:42:03.579 --> 00:42:05.039 in light of that truth. 00:42:08.619 --> 00:42:10.240 As people who are called, 00:42:10.599 --> 00:42:11.539 not by Your own name, 00:42:11.579 --> 00:42:12.340 but by Your name, 00:42:13.340 --> 00:42:14.539 we want to live 00:42:14.539 --> 00:42:17.559 with exclusive devotion 00:42:17.559 --> 00:42:19.900 and allegiance to You. 00:42:20.619 --> 00:42:21.639 We want to worship 00:42:21.639 --> 00:42:22.380 only You, 00:42:22.380 --> 00:42:23.360 O God. 00:42:26.200 --> 00:42:27.300 Help us to do that 00:42:27.300 --> 00:42:28.480 through Jesus, 00:42:28.640 --> 00:42:29.559 by the power of Your Spirit. 00:42:31.240 --> 00:42:31.900 It's in Your Son's 00:42:31.900 --> 00:42:32.740 precious name we pray, 00:42:33.140 --> 00:42:33.400 Amen. 00:42:33.460 --> 00:42:33.539 Amen. 00:42:33.539 --> 00:43:03.519 Thank you.