And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
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: But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
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. 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. 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. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. (Gen 34:1-2, 14-15, 24-27)
Dinah is caught out with the daughters of the land, and Shechem rapes her. Her family responds by convincing the Hivites to be circumcised, and while they are laid up from the surgery, they are slaughtered. Simeon and Levi destroy all the men of the town unmercifully, because of what one man did to their sister. Their brothers joined in and destroyed or captured what was left. It was a dark day for all. Shechem took what was not his, and then after the fact, instead of waiting for it, offered to pay for what he had stolen. The sons of Jacob hiding under the cover of religion, defiled the truth as well as themselves, and murdered or enslaved those who had no part in the sIn.
Lust and desire can and does lead to sIn and unrighteousness that must be repented of, not concealed or explained. Righteous anger can spur us to action, but it can also lead us to sIn, when we overreact. Both our thoughts, and the actions that they lead us to, when we act on our own, will have consequences, some of which may never be undone. But, by the grace of GOD we can be forgiven. That is not a license to go out and sIn, because we know that all sIn has consequences and is worthy of death. It is however, an assurance that while we don't purposefully sIn, when we occasionally do, we have an advocate with the Father, through Jesus Christ, because of His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvery and can be cleansed of all unrighteousness.
Because of who He is, and what He has done, we should be spurred on to righteousness. Because we have been forgiven, we strive not to sIn, and His power working in us, gives us the strength to overcome the world. The message of Hope, forgiveness, and Salvation is the message we have to take to this lost and dying world. We are commanded and commissioned to minister to the hurting as GOD provides, disciple one another in love and in the Word, and to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness and Salvation He has already paid for, that those who hear and believe might have life in His Name.
For GOD is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. Turn away from your sIn and unrighteousness and trust what He has already done for you to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with GOD with forgiveness and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD who is GOD the Son, and is our Life. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
Lust and desire can and does lead to sIn and unrighteousness that must be repented of, not concealed or explained. Righteous anger can spur us to action, but it can also lead us to sIn, when we overreact. Both our thoughts, and the actions that they lead us to, when we act on our own, will have consequences, some of which may never be undone. But, by the grace of GOD we can be forgiven. That is not a license to go out and sIn, because we know that all sIn has consequences and is worthy of death. It is however, an assurance that while we don't purposefully sIn, when we occasionally do, we have an advocate with the Father, through Jesus Christ, because of His finished and perfect work on the Cross of Calvery and can be cleansed of all unrighteousness.
Because of who He is, and what He has done, we should be spurred on to righteousness. Because we have been forgiven, we strive not to sIn, and His power working in us, gives us the strength to overcome the world. The message of Hope, forgiveness, and Salvation is the message we have to take to this lost and dying world. We are commanded and commissioned to minister to the hurting as GOD provides, disciple one another in love and in the Word, and to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness and Salvation He has already paid for, that those who hear and believe might have life in His Name.
For GOD is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance and the knowledge of the Truth. Jesus loves you and wants to establish a covenant relationship with you that is real and personal. Surrender to Him on His terms and He will give you a brand new life of discipleship and fellowship with Him that is abundant and everlasting. Turn away from your sIn and unrighteousness and trust what He has already done for you to pay your sIn debt. He has provided the only way of reconciliation with GOD with forgiveness and Salvation through Jesus Christ, the Son of GOD who is GOD the Son, and is our Life. Turn away from yourself and your sIn and turn to Him alone for eternal Life.
In Christ,
Jefferson Sweet
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