# 321 Smitten With Greed

Day 321

Ge 34:15 "But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised,  16 "then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.  17 "But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone."  18 And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.  19 So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father.  20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying:  21 "These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters.  22 "Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.  23 "Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us."  24 And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.  25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males.  26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out.  27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled.  28 They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field,  29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.

 First thing I noticed here was the statement that Shechem was the most honorable  of Hamor’s sons! Really? He was a rapist! Makes you wonder how bad his brothers were! What is meant here is that Shechem’s  motive for getting circumcised was purer than his brothers motives. His motive was he was smitten with Dinah, his brothers were smitten with greed.

When you think about it, there wasn’t much else to appeal to! Picture Shechem standing before the men of the city and saying, “So anyway guys, if you agree to be circumcised, then I get to marry this beautiful girl.”  I don’t think there would’ve been a stampede  to have this done.  BUT, when visions of sharing all the livestock and property of the Jews enters  their heads, they are eager to suffer for a little while to reap the material benefits. “Where do I sign?”

This covetousness cost them dearly! As they recovered from the pain of circumcision, they were defenseless when Dinah’s blood brothers (Simon and Levi) came into the city swinging their swords. Instead of gaining all….. they lost it all! None of this happens to them if they refrain from coveting. No wonder God says, “Thou shalt not covet! It’s for our own good!

When coveting runs its course, it brings death, for the very riches that we are hell bent on pursuing are really the poison that will kill us if we don’t get a handle on it! Pr 1:19 says, “ So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners”

We must fight this fleshly urge to place material things above our relationship with God. The Holy Spirit reminds us of this in 1Ti 6:6 “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” Let us learn this secret of contentment, let us seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto us.