Show Don't Tell: Genesis 34:1-31

In the quiet of a sun-drenched afternoon, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, steps outside her tent, her heart filled with the thrill of new experiences. She walks through the dust-swirled streets of Shechem, eager to connect with the women of the land—their laughter beckons like a siren song, painting vibrant dreams of friendship and community. But lurking in the shadows is Shechem, the prince, whose gaze is not filled with admiration but with a ravenous desire.

As the sun dips low, casting long shadows, the unthinkable happens. Shechem approaches, his intentions cloaked in charm but his actions reveal a darkness that shatters Dinah’s innocence. The air thickens with tension, a palpable silence hanging heavy before the storm. Shechem, after committing a grievous act, tries to mask his atrocity with a claim of love that rings hollow, a false sweetness that only deepens Dinah’s anguish.

In the aftermath, negotiations begin—an insidious dance of power and deceit. Hamor, Shechem’s father, seeks a union between their peoples, weaving promises of intermarriage and shared lives, while Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, seethe with rage, their hearts beating like war drums. The city is convinced, and on the third day, as the men writhe in pain from their circumcision, the brothers slip through the gates like phantoms of vengeance.

With swords gleaming in the fading light, they enact justice with brutal precision, their actions echoing the silent screams of their sister. In the aftermath, Jacob’s fear drowns out his sorrow, “You have brought trouble on me,” he laments, but Simeon and Levi stand resolute, their voices rising in defiance, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?” Their question hangs in the air, a thunderous call to confront the injustices that seek to silence the voiceless, inviting us all to reflect on how we respond when someone we love is wronged.