Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 34 before reading the devotional below.
Trigger warning: today’s chapter has sensitive content about sexual assault. I write that knowing that so many women have experienced some kind of sexual assault and Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, is counted among that number. It’s difficult being a woman in a man’s world. It’s vulnerable, and it’s sometimes unsafe.
I’m thankful for Dinah’s brothers in this story, who first and foremost believed her. That’s huge in and of itself. But they also sought revenge. Whether or not this story is an example of what to do, it makes me glad that her brothers tricked her rapist and destroyed the town on their sister’s behalf. It does seem they went too far as they took the women and children of that town as prisoners. Once again, the life of a woman in a man’s world. Jacob isn’t happy about the whole situation, but he’s mainly worried about survival. Aren’t we all.
Here’s your freedom for today:
In God’s kingdom, everyone is safe.
What happened to Dinah is not okay, and if you’ve been sexually assaulted I want you to know I believe you and I am so sorry that happened to you. I don’t know whether anyone has fought for you the way Dinah’s brothers fought for her, but I do know that in God’s kingdom men and women alike are safe. Evil is going to be gone someday in God’s new heaven and new earth. You can read more about it in Revelation 21 and 22. As a counselor, I can’t wait to be out of a job because all the problems are over. Until then, let’s all be safe spaces for each other as we sit in tiny glimpses of heaven.