Jdg 9:22-40 God Sent an Evil Spirit Between Abimelech and the Men of Shechem

[Study Aired May 17, 2021]

Jdg 9:22  When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 
Jdg 9:23  Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 
Jdg 9:24  That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. 
Jdg 9:25  And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:26  And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 
Jdg 9:27  And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:28  And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 
Jdg 9:29  And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. 
Jdg 9:30  And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 
Jdg 9:31  And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee. 
Jdg 9:32  Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: 
Jdg 9:33  And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion. 
Jdg 9:34  And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. 
Jdg 9:35  And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait. 
Jdg 9:36  And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. 
Jdg 9:37  And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim. 
Jdg 9:38  Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them. 
Jdg 9:39  And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:40  And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.

In the first part of Judges Chapter 9, we reviewed how Abimelech became king in Shechem and got the necessary resources from the men of Shechem to hire vain and light men to follow him. Instead of plural leadership, the people of Shechem chose Abimelech and the result was the slaying of the seventy sons of Gideon. However, God left a remnant by the name of Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon who proclaimed that fire would come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Millo and vice versa.

The review for today is the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophesy by Jotham that fire from Abimelech would consume the men of Shechem and Millo and vice versa.    

Jdg 9:22  When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 

Abimelech represents the old man within each of us. His reign of three years over us refers to the period in our lives where we are held in bondage by the dictates of the flesh, or the old man, even though we have started our journey with Christ. The three years therefore symbolize the fact that this period of the experience of evil in our lives is all part of the process of becoming spiritually complete through judgment.

Luk 13:31  The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

This experience of evil when our old man dominates us is part of the perfecting process of the Lord as we walk with Him. We mature through judgment, and so God seeks for an occasion to judge us. In this case, He sends an evil spirit to precipitate the opportunity to judge us as follows:

Jdg 9:23  Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 

As indicated in the previous review, the men of Shechem represent the churches or Babylon. This verse says that the purpose of God sending an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem was for the purpose of using the men of Shechem to deal treacherously with Abimelech. That is to say God causes a conflict between us (represented by Abimelech) and Babylon while we are in Babylon which forces us to leave Babylon with the purpose of gradually putting to death our old man. For our old man (Abimelech) cannot die while we are in union with Babylon. In other words, we cannot sing the Lord’s song in a strange land, so we must leave Babylon. On our own we cannot leave, and God sends an evil spirit to facilitate our exit through judgment so that our old man (Abimelech) can be dealt with treacherously.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?

What we have to bear in mind is that the conflict between Abimelech and the men of Shechem is one of God’s four judgments. The purpose of all judgments which the elect experience is to learn righteousness. Here God is using the sword as judgment to bring about His purpose. The sword, on a positive note, is the word of God. However, in this context, we are looking at the negative application of sword which includes the physical use of sword for the destruction of lives, false doctrines, bitter words against each other, lies, etc.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Jdg 7:22  And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

Jdg 9:24  That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

The seventy sons of Jerubbaal (Gideon) represent the prophets in the Old Testament and our Lord Jesus Christ and His elect in the New Testaments. This verse is therefore another way of saying that the blood of the prophets and that of Jesus Christ will be required of this generation, which includes us. We are all therefore guilty for the killing of our Lord Jesus Christ as our old man (Abimelech) detests the reigning of our Lord Jesus in our hearts.

Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Jdg 9:25  And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech. 

A mountain or mountain top signifies the place of worship, whether we are worshiping idols or Christ, as indicated by the woman at the well with Jesus.

Joh 4:19  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Joh 4:20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

What is being said here in this verse is that it is in the church (men of Shechem) that we are robbed by these false apostles who lie or deceive us.  These lies are what strengthen our old man.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Jdg 9:26  And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

In our time in Babylon, we put our confidence in the “men of God” whose preaching caused us to be attracted to fleshly desires, making us worse off than when we started. According to Strong, the meaning of the name ‘Gaal’ is loathing. Loathing means hatred or intense dislike. Therefore in this verse, Gaal represents the leaders in the churches whose preaching promotes intense dislike for the truth of the word of God. What these men of God preach is of the world, and since we were worldly at that time of our lives, we put our confidence in them.

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Jdg 9:27  And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 

The field means the world. “They went out into the fields” means that our walk during our time in Babylon was worldly as we loved pleasure more than the truth of God’s word. This verse is the same as what Peter said:

2Pe 2:12  But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,
2Pe 2:13  suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
2Pe 2:14  They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! (ESV)

Jdg 9:28  And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 

Gaal’s statement, “Who is Abimelech that the men of Shechem including himself should serve him” shows our mindset while we were in Babylon. We thought that we had the power to deal with our old man (Abimelech) and, therefore our sins, at our own discretion. This notion was based on the notion that as long as Christ died for our sins, we do not need to die and that our old man is already dead with Him. We did not consider that the old man only dies through God’s judgment of our sins. What this means is that we did not consider suffering as part of the ways that God deals with us.

We quoted Romans 6:6 as showing that Christ has already died for us as follows:

Rom 6:6  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Rom 6:7  For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Rom 6:8  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Rom 6:9  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
Rom 6:10  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
Rom 6:11  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

We forgot that in verse 8 above, there is a caveat. All the verses above are dependent on verse 8 – that is, our old man is crucified only if we have died with Christ.  We die with Christ through suffering by filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Jdg 9:29  And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. 

All of us when we were in Babylon supported this spirit of the Nicolaitans. According to Strong, the word ‘Nicolaitan’ means to dominate. So the spirit of the Nicolatians is the spirit which makes us think we must dominate the children of God or rule over them instead of being a servant to the people of God. That was the spirit of Gaal and is the spirit of the leaders of Babylon who want the people of God to serve them instead of being their servants as Jesus stated.

Rev 2:6  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Mat 20:26  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
Mat 20:27  and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,
Mat 20:28  even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (ESV)

Apostle John also warned us of this spirit when he talked about Diotrephes who was dominating the church to which John wrote.

3Jn 1:9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

Again, in this verse, Gaal thought that he could easily deal with Abimelech by saying to him to increase his army and come out. Our old man, representing Abimelech, cannot be destroyed by our own self-will or effort or by our own timing. Everything is of the Lord, and He deals with our old man gradually through our fiery trials.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Jdg 9:30  And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 

It is our own words which will serve as fuel for the destruction of the Babylon within each of us as we see Zebul angered by the words of Gaal. Outwardly, religious organizations (Babylon) are setting themselves up for their destruction by their own words. The destruction of Babylon is a looming disaster ready to happen, and it is not going to take long as we see how the world is heating up for the kingdom of this world to become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Rev 18:11  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

Jdg 9:31  And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee. 

As stated by Zebul, the words of Gaal end up fortifying the city against Abimelech. So the words we heard from Babylon fortified us against our old man’s destruction. In other words, our old man was strengthened by the words we heard in Babylon making it impossible for the old man to be destroyed while we were still in Babylon. This is spoken of by the Lord as follows:

Rev 9:3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Rev 9:9  And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

Both the messengers and the hearers in Babylon are described as locusts with breastplates of iron. The fortification of the city is the same as the locusts with breastplates of iron.  What the breastplate of iron means is that, in Babylon, our hearts and minds are strengthened by the false doctrines we hear such that it is impossible for the truth of the words of God to penetrate into our hearts as our hearts and minds are like iron.

Jdg 9:32  Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: 

Abimelech is being advised by Zebul to rise up in the night and lie in wait in the field. It is during the night that we are met by the woman who is dressed as a prostitute who seduces us causing our old man (Abimelech) to lie in wait in the field (the world) where we conform to the standards of the world.

Pro 7:9  in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.
Pro 7:10  And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
Pro 7:11  She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home;
Pro 7:12  now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait.
Pro 7:13  She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him,
Pro 7:14  “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows;
Pro 7:15  so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
Pro 7:16  I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen;
Pro 7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Pro 7:18  Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love.
Pro 7:19  For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey;
Pro 7:20  he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.”
Pro 7:21  With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.

Jdg 9:33  And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion. 

The morning signifies the time that the daystar (Jesus) comes to us, and His coming is with judgment for what we have done in the night. It is the period that God finds an occasion to judge us with the view of learning righteousness. In this story, God is using Abimelech as the instrument to judge the men of Shechem and vice versa. That is what it means by every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

Jdg 9:34  And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

It is while we are in darkness as a result of the night that Christ prepares for our judgment using all His resources (four companies).

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jdg 9:35  And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait. 
Jdg 9:36  And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. 

In the absence of the light of Christ, we are engulfed in darkness, and we cannot see properly. In other words, we were not given eyes to see and ears to hear. That was what happened to us while we were in Babylon because we were experiencing the night of our lives. This situation is just like the story of the blind man who was touched first by Jesus, and as a result, he could see men as trees. However, after another touch by the Lord Jesus, he was able to see clearly. We all were seeing “men of God” as trees to go under their shade to rest from the scorching sun, but after having received mercy from the Lord, He touched us again, and so we are seeing clearly now.

Mar 8:22  And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
Mar 8:23  And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
Mar 8:24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
Mar 8:25  After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

In verse 36, although Gaal saw men coming down from the top of the mountains, he chose to believe the lies of Zebul that he was actually seeing the shadow of the mountains. What we are being told here is that even though sometimes we stumbled on the truth during our time in Babylon, we did not believe the truth but rather chose to believe the lies of our “men of God.”  The reason we believed in their lies instead of the truth at that time was simply because God had sent us strong delusion to believe in lies.

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Jdg 9:37  And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim. 
Jdg 9:38  Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

When we start to see clearly, then it means that judgment is about to begin in our house. In essence, that was what Zebul told Gaal when he started seeing clearly that people were coming down by the middle land, and another set of people were coming by the plain of Meonenim.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

His glory being revealed in verse 13 is our eyes seeing and our ears hearing the words of the Lord.

Jdg 9:39  And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:40  And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate. 

The fighting between the men of Shechem, led by Gaal and Abimelech, is the fire which Jotham prophesied will consume the men of shechem and Abimelech for not dealing truly and sincerely with Gideon and his house.

Jdg 9:19  If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
Jdg 9:20  But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

This fire is the fighting between the men of Shechem and Abimelech which represents one of God’s four sore judgments which is the sword. As stated, being judged by the sword includes physical fighting, bitter words that people (including family members) say about us to others or say to us directly, misunderstanding between family members, etc.

1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

We will conclude this story of Abimelech’s fight with the men of Shechem next week.

[Author may be contacted at abarnes (at) semfinancial.com]

(Key verses: Gen 34:1-31)

The theme of sanctification in scripture deals with the perfecting of the elect of God to be a “vessel unto honour…and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2Ti 2:21). Through this process of sanctification we are being separated for ministry in the service to God and His church first and foremost, but also we are being prepared to be of service to the rest of humanity in due time (Jer 1:5; Act 13:2; 1Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-24; 1Co 6:2-3; Rev 20). The apostle Paul is also testifying about this sanctified position through which the elect of God is made whole in every aspect (Ecc 12:13; Rom 6:18; Rom 12:1; 2Co 3:18; Php 1:6; Php 3:21):

Rom 1:1 (ESV) Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly [Greek: “holoklēros” – lacking nothing]; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Jacob is an Old Testament type of this elected servant of God, as his life helps us to see how this enduring process of sanctification is being worked by God from start to finish (Lev 20:26; Joh 10:36-39; Joh 17:19). Jacob is back in Canaan after his twenty-year period in Haran, Mesopotamia, in the service of his uncle Laban for his two daughters, Leah and Rachel, and also to establish a huge group of animals for himself (Gen 31:36-42). Before he re-entered Canaan, he met with his twin brother, Esau, who showed no open hostility towards him and seemingly had forgiven Jacob for taking from him the rights of the firstborn, and his inheritance (Gen 25:29-34; Gen 27:6-29; Gen 33:4-16). Jacob and his family then entered Canaan and went to stay in a place called Shalem which was in the region of the city Shechem. Here Jacob built an altar for the God Almighty who protected him and his family and brought them back safely to Canaan (Gen 33:18-20). At this point in time, Jacob had eleven sons and one daughter. Six of these sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun) and one daughter Dinah were all born of his lesser loved wife, Leah, and this daughter Dinah is one of the emphases of this chapter 34 of Genesis:

Gen 34:1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
Gen 34:2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled [Hebrew: “ânâh”] her.

The Hivites were one of the uncircumcised nations in the land of Canaan which were offspring of Canaan, the son of Ham (Noah’s son) and they were also physically very strong (Gen 10:15 Exo 3:8; Deu 7:1). The Hebrew word “ânâh” in Genesis 34 verse 2 is also mentioned in the following passage in scripture which described what happened between David’s son, Amnon, and David’s daughter, Tamar. Here we can see that this word “ânâh” relates to a forceful way to get involved in a sexual act with a woman:

2Sa 13:10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
2Sa 13:11 And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.
2Sa 13:12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.
2Sa 13:13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
2Sa 13:14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced [Hebrew: “ânâh”] her, and lay with her.

The two women in these two cases, Dinah and Tamar, were sexually dishonoured as they were overpowered by someone with more strength, also in terms of their position of authority in that particular community. Both these young men were sons of leaders in their respective communities. These two instances reveal to us the negative application of intimacy between two people as we know that the sexual act involves the deepest intimacy between two human beings. In the Hebrew word “yâda” we find meanings that can assist us to see how the physical sexual act also reveals the spiritual things of God in this regard (Rom 1:20). This Hebrew word “yâda” was first used in its physical application in terms of Adam and Eve being sexually intimate to bring forth their first born son Cain, (the corresponding Greek word for the Hebrew word “yâda” is “ginōskō”):

Gen 4:1 And Adam knew [Hebrew: “yâda”; Greek: “ginōskō”] Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

Jesus’ physical mother, Mary, also “knew” no man in this sense of the word, because Joseph did not have a sexual relationship with her at that time before their marriage:

Luk 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know [Greek: “ginōskō”; Hebrew: “yâda”] not a man?
Luk 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The physical sexual act points to what it spiritually means to “know” someone very intimately. Spiritually Adam and all in him are first introduced to be ‘known’ by the spirit of the world, as our first intimacy is with the flesh and its natural or carnal mind (1Jn 2:16). This is why the first Adam was created as an enemy of God as he was made of the earth, and more importantly it is what was revealed in Eve’s thoughts before they trespassed outwardly (Gen 2:7; Rom 8:5-8; 1Co 15:35-50):

Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

We first “walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness” in our hearts, before the true seed of God is planted in our spiritual wombs, by which we are being “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (2Pe 2:10; Rom 12:2; Joh 3:3-7; 1Jn 3:9):

1Pe 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The person who has the proper spiritual “yâda” or intimacy with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, does have spirit life by which he is equipped with the understanding of God’s will (Rom 12:2):

Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know [Greek: “ginōskō” Hebrew: “yâda”] thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

This is what the prophet Daniel foresaw when he wrote these words, because this intimacy with the Father and His Son is our sanctified spiritual domain, which is the right position from where we can serve God and others; the ultimate purpose of a servant of God (Joh 14:1-4):

Dan 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know [Hebrew: “yâda”] their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
Dan 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

When we are under the mind of the world, we are the wicked, and we do despicable deeds, as also happened in the cases of Shechem and Amnon, all being after the counsel of His will (Pro 16:4; Eph 1:11). Forceful sexual acts are horrendous acts which relate to spiritually enforcing one’s religious ideas or false doctrines on others, and by instilling fear and guilt in order to have dominion over their faith and their minds (2Co 1:24). This is what the world, and its spiritual rulers, do to its followers, as we all can testify to through our own experiences:

Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them [His twelve apostles] unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

This is what these despicable acts of Shechem and Amnon point us to, even as they were not sanctified in their position to act properly and to show respect for themselves and others with whom they interact. They abused their position of privilege and also raped the honour of Dinah and Tamar. The story in Genesis 34 is written for our admonition, and we also learn so much of our own haughtiness and all-consuming and destructive lusts. (Mat 4:4; 1Co 10:11-12; 1Jn 2:16). Even after Shechem abused Dinah, he was still adamant to have her as his wife:

Gen 34:3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
Gen 34:4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

This rape of Dinah was shocking news for Jacob and the family, and it grieved them deeply as it brought shame to all of them. Shechem and his father, Hamor, came to introduce to Jacob and his sons the marriage proposal of Shechem to Dinah. This also aggravated the grieving spirit in Jacob and his sons, as the sons of Jacob especially were “very wroth”:

Gen 34:5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
Gen 34:6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
Gen 34:7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

Hamor also came with proposals for the two communities to be integrated and the wealth distributed by sharing their daughters between the two groups. The sharing of daughters is very significant as this was the foundation on which the other proposals rested:

Gen 34:8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
Gen 34:9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
Gen 34:10 And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

In the scriptures, the sharing of the daughters of foreigners always opened the door to fleshly pollutions and brought abominable idols to the people of God to turn their hearts away from God (Gen 6:1-5; Gen 19:14; Gen 26:34; Gen 36:2; Jdg 14:1-4; 2Sa 11:3). This interest in the daughters of other nations is what also happened to King Solomon when he disobeyed God’s commandment not to marry the women of other nations around Israel:

1Ki 11:4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

Even the inhabitants of Canaan, especially their daughters, were to be avoided by the offspring of Abraham. Canaan and all his offspring, including their daughters, were cursed by Noah to be a servant to the generational line through Shem, which includes Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:

Gen 9:25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
Gen 9:26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

This was always conveyed to the elected offspring through Abraham:

Gen 24:2 And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:
Gen 24:3 And I will make thee swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:

Gen 28:1 And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

This proposal of sharing daughters made by Hamor and Shechem was in direct violation to the wishes of the forefathers of Jacob. Now Jacob, back in the land of Canaan, is for the first time placed before this situation as coming through the proposals by Hamor and Shechem. Added to the proposal of more wealth and land, comes more temptations in the form of the special dowry and gifts for the family of Jacob, as promised by Shechem if they will allow him to marry Dinah:

Gen 34:11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.
Gen 34:12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

It is important to note that it was Jacob’s sons who then put a deceitful condition of peace and reconciliation to Hamor and Shechem because the hearts of Jacob’s sons were still filled with hatred towards Shechem. When these profanities of evil and hatred are in the hearts of humans, no honourable agreement can come forth. The hearts of these sons of Jacob were not sanctified to act righteously:

Gen 34:13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
Gen 34:14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
Gen 34:15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
Gen 34:16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
Gen 34:17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

The condition put to Hamor and Shechem was that all the men of Shechem were to be circumcised if Shechem were to marry Dinah, to which Hamor and Shechem agreed:

Gen 34:18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
Gen 34:19 And the young man deferred not [Shechem did not hesitate] to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter: and he was more honourable [Hebrew verb is “kâbad” or “kâbêd” which in one sense of the word means “to make oneself numerous”] than all the house of his father.

The Hebrew word for “more honourable” is “kâbad” or “kâbêd” and it also relates to honouring oneself or to make oneself numerous. Shechem’s “more honourable” status has therefore more to do with a negative application of those words as it relates to his evil desire to gain more honour and glory, and to increase the numbers of his people through this deal with the house of Jacob. This is what the spiritual application of rape also links with which was the worldly spirit that ruled Shechem’s heart. According to his delusion, he would not only get Dinah as a wife, but there were incredible benefits for his physical status and domain in all of this. This pride and lustful ambition was also the driving motivation of Shechem and his father to convince the other men of that city to also let them be circumcised as per the request of Jacob’s sons:

Gen 34:20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
Gen 34:21 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
Gen 34:22 Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
Gen 34:23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.

All the men of Shechem agreed when their hearts also saw the benefits to them if they were to be circumcised:

Gen 34:24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

However, this period of pain and discomfort of the men of Shechem placed them in a very vulnerable situation, and this is what Simeon and Levi, two sons of Jacob whom he had with Leah, were waiting for as they attacked the men of Shechem and killed them all. They also plundered the city of all its animals, the wealth, the women and children:

Gen 34:25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
Gen 34:26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.
Gen 34:27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
Gen 34:28 They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,
Gen 34:29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.

This act of Simeon and Levi came as a bigger shock to Jacob, as he was not even consulted in this matter. Simeon and Levi typify our times when we do not see the use of a multitude of counsellors in a matter (Pro 11:14; Pro 12:20):

Gen 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

To Jacob this act made him “stink among the inhabitants of the land”, and he was also afraid for the safety of his family. Jacob’s heart was shaken with the events his daughter had to endure, and even more was his disapproval of the vile act of Simeon and Levi. Jacob never forgot this and even brought it up on his deathbed when he spoken his last words and wishes for his sons. This is what he said about Simeon and Levi, which will help us to see that we should “recompense to no man evil for evil” (Rom 12:17):

Gen 49:5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Gen 49:6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
Gen 49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

Natural anger is cursed as it always acts in haste and has no mercy:

Ecc 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

The heart of the natural man is that of a fool because it has no patience, and it cannot see God’s hand in all events on earth. Sanctification is linked intimately with our fear of God as we show trust in God’s way of doing things and diligently obey God’s Word and His commandments. The wise will give place for the vengeance of the Lord (2Pe 1:4-10):

Rom 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Rom 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

The heart of this fool in us is easily offended, and then it usually strikes back in haste with anger and hatred, but this is what Christ in us will advocate and work in us, if He is indeed in our hearts:

Eph 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Pro 15:18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

Pro 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

We are to be angry with sin in and around us, but the mind of Christ will not bring us to sin in that anger because of our own vanity (Mar 3:5). We are to “exhort and to convince the gainsayers”, but we do that scripturally (1Co 4:6; Tit 1:9):

Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause [Greek: “eikē” = vanity] shall be in danger of the judgment:

1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
1Pe 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

Jacob’s call to “come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly” and not to be united with this type of anger displayed by Simeon and Levi, displays this sanctification process in the hearts of the elect of God as they also “come out of her”, which is the Babylonian whore with all he false doctrines. The open display of the anger of Simeon and Levi was triggered by vanity and self-righteousness as they actually justified their despicable act:

Gen 34:31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

In the process of sanctification, we will see that true righteousness is to count all our own righteous deeds as a stinking old cloth and dung as the true excellency is to know Christ (Isa 64:6):

Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

What the wicked has is it own vain righteousness as it also justifies cruelty, even as they which preached eternal hellfire for all their enemies. This is the same level of cruelty and self-righteous justification also displayed by Simeon and Levi who actually displayed their own hatred and violence hidden in their own hearts in committing this awful act. This is what is in the hearts of all who advocate the false doctrine of eternal punishment for sinners.

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Detailed studies and emails relating to these foundational themes in Scripture are available on the iswasandwillbe.com website, including these topics and links:

What Are The Biblical Instructions for Finding A Wife?
Sex Before Marriage
Marriage in Scripture – Part-9 Anger in Marriage
Awesome Hands – Part 23 The Strange Gods Which Were in Their Hand
Is It A Sin to Be Angry?