This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Genesis 33-35.

    I find the negotiations between Jacob and Esau in this passage interesting. First, when Jacob hears that Esau is coming to meet him with 400 men, he is afraid that Esau is still angry. So, he sends a gift for Esau on ahead of the rest of his entourage. Then he divides his group up, putting his servant wives and their children first, then Leah and her children, and finally Rachel and Joseph. When they meet, Esau expresses his joy at seeing his brother once more.

    Esau and Jacob then have an exchange where they establish their relationship. It starts with Esau questioning Jacob’s relationship with the people he is traveling with. Are these people to whom Jacob owes loyalty? Jacob responds by explaining that they are people who owe loyalty to him. Next Esau tells Jacob not to beggar himself by giving him a gift. Jacob replies by telling Esau that he can spare the gift and wants to express his desire to live in peace with Esau. Then Esau offers Jacob the opportunity to join his household, but Jacob declines. Finally, Esau offers Jacob the opportunity to at least come under his protection (thus owing some fealty to Esau). Jacob declines. It is clear to me from this exchange that Esau was not expecting Jacob and his family to join him in Seir.

    There is more to the story about the rape of Dinah shows us something about the attitude towards women of the surrounding culture. An attitude which is still common in much of the world. Schechem saw a woman in the market who did not have any protectors which he thought he needed to be concerned about. After all, he was the ruler’s son and heir. When he and/or his father realized whose daughter Dinah was, they decided to try to take advantage of the situation. They saw it as an opportunity to bind Jacob’s interests, and his wealth, with their own. If they could convince Jacob to give his daughters and granddaughters to their sons as wives and his sons and grandsons to take their daughters as wives, they could assimilate Jacob and his family. Thus gaining control of their wealth and power. Jacob’s sons recognized the plan for what it was and refused to allow their sister to be used in this manner. Once again we see a different perspective on how women should be treated between the people of God and the culture in which they lived/