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Jan 29 The price of broken vows

January 29


29_The price of broken vows

Gen 33:18-34:2 Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-Aram, and camped before the city. 19 He bought the plot of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. 20 Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel. Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. 2 When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her and raped her.

In the days of king Ahab, there was a severe famine in Israel that lasted three and a half years. During this time, God spoke to the prophet Elijah, saying, “Go from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Kerith, east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” Imagine if Elijah had ignored God’s command. The ravens would still have brought bread and meat, morning and evening, but there would have been no one by the brook to receive the provision.

This example highlights an important truth: God’s blessings require our obedience to his express instruction. He will not compromise with other places and paths that He has not commanded, for his plans are eternally fine-tuned to the moment and the place.

When we stray from His will, we risk forfeiting the blessings He has prepared for us. Jacob’s story tells us so. This was a man who, despite experiencing God’s faithfulness, chose to deviate from the path God had marked for him—and the consequences were devastating.

Jacob had finally returned to Canaan, the land of promise, after years of hardship and separation. He had vowed to God that he would return to Bethel, the place where he first encountered God in a dream, and worship Him there. Bethel represented Jacob’s spiritual homecoming—a place of gratitude, fulfillment and renewed commitment. But instead of continuing to Bethel, Jacob settled near the city of Shechem, in Canaan. He purchased land, pitched his tent, and even built an altar there.

Outwardly, this may have seemed like a pious act, but it was rooted in disobedience and a lack of trust. Jacob chose convenience and comfort over obedience to God’s call. His justification for buying land might have sounded reasonable—after all, wasn’t it for the purpose of worshiping God? But this rationalization could not erase the underlying disobedience. Jacob’s forefathers had wandered as pilgrims in the land without buying property, building altars on land they did not own. Jacob’s decision was a compromise, one that opened the door to unforeseen consequences.

The consequences of Jacob’s compromise began to unfold with his daughter Dinah. Dinah, curious about the culture of the people around her, ventured out to visit the women of the land. This seemingly innocent act exposed her to danger. She was taken and violated by Shechem, the son of Hamor, a local prince.

Often, our curiosity about ungodly influences, or our desire to blend in with the world, leads us into spiritual danger. The apostle Paul reminds us, “What partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?” Our hearts are drawn to things that God has already judged as evil. This reveals where our affections lie.

Jacob’s response to Dinah’s plight was marked by passivity. He neither expressed outrage nor took immediate action to rescue his daughter. This silence stands in stark contrast to Abraham, who courageously rescued Lot when he was taken captive. Jacob’s inaction may have stemmed from a sense of guilt or spiritual weakness, a reminder that unresolved sin can paralyze us when we most need to act righteously.

In the absence of Jacob’s leadership, his sons Simeon and Levi took matters into their own hands. Fueled by anger and a desire for revenge, they deceived the men of Shechem. They agreed to intermarriage on the condition that the men of the city be circumcised. They twisted this God-given sign of the covenant that God has with His people into a weapon. While the men of Shechem were still in pain from their circumcision, Simeon and Levi attacked the city, killing every male and plundering it.

Their anger over Dinah’s dishonor was understandable. Yet their actions were disproportionate and brutal. Human anger, as James reminds us, does not produce the righteousness of God. Simeon and Levi’s actions brought disgrace upon Jacob’s family and disqualified these brothers from leadership.

God’s law through Moses would later stipulate “an eye for an eye.” The hardness of the human heart led to this law that prevents excessive vengeance. The most that the avenger may do is the counterpart of the offence, thus guarding against unchecked retaliation. But for God’s saints, the godly practiced kindness and forgiveness to all, including their enemies, leaving vengeance to God. Prov. 25:21, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. 22For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.” And since the Son of God asked for forgiveness for his enemies, vengeance has been cast out of the kingdom of God.

This sorrowful story does not end in hopelessness. Many years later, as Moses stood in condemnation of the Israelites who were whoring after the golden calf, he called aloud for those on the Lord’s side to come to him. They were to execute judgment on the idolators. Only the Levites stood with Moses and slew those who had worshiped the golden calf, whether father or mother. This act of obedience, honoring God above everything else, led to their appointment as priests and servants of the tabernacle.

The story of Jacob, Dinah, and her brothers demonstrates the cost of broken vows, compromised obedience, and misplaced anger. It also points us to the redemptive power of God. When we fail, God does not abandon us. Wwe may stray from the path, but God calls us back to Him. Bethel—the place of worship and surrender—is always within reach if we are willing to return.

Let us learn from Jacob’s story. When God calls us to go to our Bethel, we must take or make time to worship God. We must fulfil our vows. As we face similar choices, will we obey God’s call and stay on the path He has set before us? Or will we settle for convenience and compromise? Will we protect ourselves and our families from the corrupting influences of the world, or will we allow curiosity and complacency to lead us astray? Will we respond to injustice with humility and love and trust in God’s justice, or will we let anger and revenge consume us?

Let us not linger on the way. When tempted to compromise or conform to the world, let us remember our call to holiness. When we are wronged, let us resist the urge to take matters into our own hands, trusting instead in the God who says, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.”

God is a God of second chances. If we have broken our vows or strayed from His will, we must return to Him with repentance. He is faithful to forgive and restore us. Let us press on, rather than lingering on the way. Let us be people who, like Jacob at Bethel, meet God anew and walk forward in obedience and trust. God bless.

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Date:
January 29