WHO'S COMING FOR DINNER ?
By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi
Genesis 34:1-2 NLT "One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her."
The word "Dinah " is a Hebrew word which means judgment, plea,strife .Dinah was the daughter of Leah, one of Jacob’s wife, and a product of the rivalry between two sisters married to the same man which is typical of polygamy. Polygamy is premised on gender inequality and this breeds bitterness ,low-self esteem which if not contained could lead to full scale rivalry and temptations.
Whenever a system considers one section of society as inferior ,it is bound to lead to unpleasant agitations, for example those making a case for polygamy while claiming to be promoters of the ideals of gender equality are faced with two fundamental questions, firstly, why didn’t God give Adam more than one wife? And why doesn't polygamy permit a woman to marry more than one man for the purpose of equity and justice between the sexes. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander.
This inequality formed the foundation of Dinah's childhood and prompted her being named Dinah and led to her becoming adventurous beyond acceptable boundaries. While on a familiarization tour of the land of the Canaanites; a people who were completely alienated to the God of the Jews, and known for idol worship and sexual abuse as was common with heathen nations, she was noticed by the king’s son who welcomed her into his home and eventually raped her. This infuriated her brothers who went on a revenge mission against the perpetrators ;killing the men in the city in the process including the rapist (Gen.34:27)
While there is no justifiable reason for the rape of any person , we are admonished to avoid creating the occasion for a temptation .God often warns before a disaster occurs. This is to enable us take precautionary measures against the impending onslaught of the enemy. Satan is the tempter and just as in preparing for a dinner party which requires, planning for the event, Satan cannot visit for dinner unless we plan for it . There must be an occasion before a temptation can materialize Gal.5:13 says "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." People plan to either succeed in the christian journey or plan to fail, whichever way we all make plans and we are at liberty to cancel every appointment we have with the devil.God will not compromise on His holy standards in other to please anybody, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His loving nature detests strife.
Whenever we allow ourselves get embroiled in a quarrel or strife , it is the beginning of the making of plans which often exposes us to temptation like Dinah. Strife destroys our defense mechanisms and opens the door to satanic manipulations . That doesn't mean that we shouldn't pursue after justice .The scriptures says in James 3:16 "For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. " Envy and strife are the bedrock for temptation. The teaching that says a man is blessed by God only when he has lots of money, houses ,cars etc is not only erroneous but fuels the ember of envy and strife amongst Christians and it portrays God in a bad light as a person prone to favouritism and partiality. Such teachings leads to corruption in a society. But what does the scriptures say in that regard : God has already blessed us with every imaginable blessing that exists (Ephesians 1:3). Whoever has Jesus Christ, has everything. Therefore, it makes no sense to fight over anything, in the church.This kind of thinking shuts the doors to Satan. Dinah got overwhelmed by domestic strife and decided to take a walk on the wild side while seeking for greener pastures and calmer waters . This was an abuse of grace and liberty . The liberty Jesus gave us doesn't include the liberty to sin, it is a liberty from sin(Gal.5:13) and comes with peace.Parents should do everything possible to keep peace in the home for the sake of their children.
Satan uses persons to entice us (Proverbs1:10) Sometimes these persons appear as messengers from God (2Cor.11:14-15) and if we eventually fall into their trap, it shouldn't be said that God is responsible for the temptation (James 1:13-15) temptation is the byproduct of a corrupted heart.
It is okay to be tempted, even Jesus got tempted (Matt.4:1-11), how you respond to a temptation is what matters. We should always pray to be saved from temptations which is as a result of self-confidence (1Cor.10:12) Dinah was a victim of her self-confidence that's why we should watch and pray for a humble and discerning heart (Matt6:13) while we put on the whole armour of God (Ephesians.6:10-18).We shouldn't turn our backs against God for momentary pleasures (Gen 39:6-20) the result of overcoming temptations is divine promotion.
May you not fall into the trap of the enemy as you read this now in Jesus name.
Prayer / counseling + 2348098536911 + 2348035536911 Email : Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
Genesis 34:1-2 NLT "One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her."
The word "Dinah " is a Hebrew word which means judgment, plea,strife .Dinah was the daughter of Leah, one of Jacob’s wife, and a product of the rivalry between two sisters married to the same man which is typical of polygamy. Polygamy is premised on gender inequality and this breeds bitterness ,low-self esteem which if not contained could lead to full scale rivalry and temptations.
Whenever a system considers one section of society as inferior ,it is bound to lead to unpleasant agitations, for example those making a case for polygamy while claiming to be promoters of the ideals of gender equality are faced with two fundamental questions, firstly, why didn’t God give Adam more than one wife? And why doesn't polygamy permit a woman to marry more than one man for the purpose of equity and justice between the sexes. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander.
This inequality formed the foundation of Dinah's childhood and prompted her being named Dinah and led to her becoming adventurous beyond acceptable boundaries. While on a familiarization tour of the land of the Canaanites; a people who were completely alienated to the God of the Jews, and known for idol worship and sexual abuse as was common with heathen nations, she was noticed by the king’s son who welcomed her into his home and eventually raped her. This infuriated her brothers who went on a revenge mission against the perpetrators ;killing the men in the city in the process including the rapist (Gen.34:27)
While there is no justifiable reason for the rape of any person , we are admonished to avoid creating the occasion for a temptation .God often warns before a disaster occurs. This is to enable us take precautionary measures against the impending onslaught of the enemy. Satan is the tempter and just as in preparing for a dinner party which requires, planning for the event, Satan cannot visit for dinner unless we plan for it . There must be an occasion before a temptation can materialize Gal.5:13 says "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." People plan to either succeed in the christian journey or plan to fail, whichever way we all make plans and we are at liberty to cancel every appointment we have with the devil.God will not compromise on His holy standards in other to please anybody, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His loving nature detests strife.
Whenever we allow ourselves get embroiled in a quarrel or strife , it is the beginning of the making of plans which often exposes us to temptation like Dinah. Strife destroys our defense mechanisms and opens the door to satanic manipulations . That doesn't mean that we shouldn't pursue after justice .The scriptures says in James 3:16 "For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. " Envy and strife are the bedrock for temptation. The teaching that says a man is blessed by God only when he has lots of money, houses ,cars etc is not only erroneous but fuels the ember of envy and strife amongst Christians and it portrays God in a bad light as a person prone to favouritism and partiality. Such teachings leads to corruption in a society. But what does the scriptures say in that regard : God has already blessed us with every imaginable blessing that exists (Ephesians 1:3). Whoever has Jesus Christ, has everything. Therefore, it makes no sense to fight over anything, in the church.This kind of thinking shuts the doors to Satan. Dinah got overwhelmed by domestic strife and decided to take a walk on the wild side while seeking for greener pastures and calmer waters . This was an abuse of grace and liberty . The liberty Jesus gave us doesn't include the liberty to sin, it is a liberty from sin(Gal.5:13) and comes with peace.Parents should do everything possible to keep peace in the home for the sake of their children.
Satan uses persons to entice us (Proverbs1:10) Sometimes these persons appear as messengers from God (2Cor.11:14-15) and if we eventually fall into their trap, it shouldn't be said that God is responsible for the temptation (James 1:13-15) temptation is the byproduct of a corrupted heart.
It is okay to be tempted, even Jesus got tempted (Matt.4:1-11), how you respond to a temptation is what matters. We should always pray to be saved from temptations which is as a result of self-confidence (1Cor.10:12) Dinah was a victim of her self-confidence that's why we should watch and pray for a humble and discerning heart (Matt6:13) while we put on the whole armour of God (Ephesians.6:10-18).We shouldn't turn our backs against God for momentary pleasures (Gen 39:6-20) the result of overcoming temptations is divine promotion.
May you not fall into the trap of the enemy as you read this now in Jesus name.
Prayer / counseling + 2348098536911 + 2348035536911 Email : Michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com
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