The Book of Genesis

Book of Genesis #47 No sooner had Jacob settled in the Land that tragedy strikes. His daughter Dinah goes out to town on her own without asking permission or her father's blessing, a clear act of rebellion. This is not surprising given the state of Jacob's family: when we violate the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman the curses of the Covenant are triggered and one of the bitter fruits of these curses is disobedient and rebellious children. I sometimes hear parents complain bitterly about their teenagers or worse justify the immoral behavior of their children and I feel like asking them how long they have been contracepting. Clearly, contraception is not the only reason to be plagued by rebellious and troublesome children but it is a prevalent one. So often we miss the central point of the Covenant of marriage: God wants us to find him and to find happiness in marriage. His express wish is to bless us with obedient and godly children who will knock our socks off by the depth of their understanding and knowledge, piety and love of the Lord, children who will make us whisper to one another, "I sure was not that good when I was their age..." This is God's blessing for us. But when we rebel, when we decide to take matters in our own hands to the exclusion of God then the blessing turns into a curse -- this should not surprise us (at least if we know Scripture) -- this is the way the Covenant that God established with us works. Blessings for the obedient and curses for the disobedient who persist in their disobedience and refuse to listen to the Church. So then Dinah and Shechem... I'll let you listen to the talk and find out what happened to them.