Genesis Series #58 September 08, 2002
Title: How to Maintain Spiritual Purity
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Welcome to New Life in Christ. Today we continue with message #58 in our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Genesis.
Read Genesis 33:18-34:31
Opening Prayer
God’s people are clearly called to be a distinct, separate people. Christians are to maintain a clear identity as a separate people, both in what they believe, and in how they behave. As 1 Peter 2:9 says, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God, the you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." The same calling to be a distinct and separate people was also given to the nation of Israel. As the Bible says to both the Christian and Israel, "Be Holy (separate) because I am Holy." (1 Peter 1:16, Leviticus 19:2)
In keeping with this biblical injunction to be a distinct and separate people who maintain spiritual purity, God also gives us several warnings in the Bible about spiritual impurity, which could also be called spiritual corruption or spiritual defilement. For instance Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. . ." In 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, Paul reminds believers that righteousness and wickedness have nothing in common, and therefore there should be no spiritual corruption or defilement in the Believer’s life. In verse 17 of that same chapter he then quotes an Old Testament scripture which instructs God’s people to "Come out from them and be separate. . ." Two verses later in 2 Corinthians 7:1 Paul says, ". . . Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit. . . "
There many other Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments, directed toward Israel or the church, which speak to the same issue of spiritual purity. By this point you’re probably wondering what the subject of spiritual purity has to do with the sordid tale of sex and violence in Genesis 34. The answer is "Everything!" The nation of Israel was always in danger of losing their distinct and holy identity by adopting the practices or accepting the people of Canaan. They could become spiritually defiled through intermarriage, treaties, or various enticements. Many of the stories in Genesis, Lot in Sodom, Abraham in Egypt, etc., are intended to teach the Israelites, and us, about maintaining spiritual purity and the dangers of spiritual impurity.
Those biohazard specialists who deal with Anthrax don’t do so without great care and protecting themselves from being contaminated. In the same way the Christian is always in danger of being contaminated by the world. We also must take great care that we are protected from spiritual defilement.
In essence that is one thing this passage in Genesis teaches God’s people to do. It teaches us about the need to maintain spiritual purity, how to maintain spiritual purity and how not to respond to spiritual impurity. With that said I would summarize the first lesson of Genesis 34 like this.
1. Spiritual purity can only be maintained by being fully obedient and alert.
When I use the term "spiritual purity", I’m speaking of people’s behavior and beliefs. Spiritual purity is when our beliefs and our behavior are consistent with those which are presented as acceptable in the Bible. To maintain that standard of morality, separation and purity of doctrine, we must be fully obedient to God and alert to the dangers of worldly contamination. With that said let us look at this passage verse by verse.
Read Genesis 33:18-20
These verses may not be a part of Chapter 34, but they are essential to understanding the spiritual lesson of that story. Jacob had vowed to return to Bethel and had been instructed to do that by God. Instead of doing that, he lingered near the city of Shechem, which is one day’s journey from Bethel. He did not just stay there overnight or stop to replenish his provisions. He actually purchased land there “within sight of the city.” In some ways this story is similar to that of Lot in Sodom. Both Lot and Jacob settled or lingered where they should not have been and they both brought harm to their families as a result.
The point is that Jacob was not fully obedient and that led to Dinah’s defilement. He did part of what he was supposed to do, but not all. He even acknowledged Yahweh as his God for the first time. He worshipped him there (Genesis 33:20) but did not fully obey God. Just because Jacob built an altar and did spiritual things did not mean he was where he was supposed to be. Just because a Christian acknowledges Jesus or does spiritual things (Church, Prayer, Tithing, etc) does not mean they are where they are supposed to be either. In some ways, Jacob was doing what many Christians do today. They obey God partially, acknowledge and worship him, but don’t do everything God has said; they don’t go all the way. They try to hold on to some of the sins or the ways of the world, but that ultimately leads to corruption.
1. Spiritual purity can only be maintained by being fully obedient and alert.
If Jacob had fully obeyed God and had been where he was supposed to be, he would never have been in a place where Israel could be defiled. When Christians don’t fully obey God in matters such as attending church, spending time in the Word, are ridding your home and lives of evil (worldly entertainment, video games, unethical business practices, etc.), they also will be in danger of being more and more corrupted by this world.
1. Spiritual purity can only be maintained by being fully obedient and alert.
Read Genesis 34:1-4
This is a sad passage which demonstrates Jacob’s lack of alertness concerning spiritual purity. Abraham had guarded his son Isaac by keeping him away from the enticements and influence of the Canaanites and by finding a wife for him outside of Canaan, but Jacob did not show the same alertness concerning his daughter. At this point, Dinah would have been between 13 and 15 years of age. Jacob, as a father, would have had full control over his daughter’s activities. He apparently allowed her to "visit the women of the land." This was a foolish decision because he should’ve known the character of the people living in the city and that this would put Dinah in danger being defiled or corrupted in one way or the other. The point of this part of the story is the same as that of Lot in Sodom. In both cases, lingering in or near the city, which represents the world system, led to harm and potential or actual defilement.
In verse 2 we learn that Shechem, who apparently was named after the city or vice versa, "violated" Dinah. This term refers to sexual activity, but it is not clear if it refers to rape or seduction. In this case it was probably the former. In either case, the point is that Shechem had sexual relations with Dinah who was not his wife. He did speak kindly to her and sought to marry her, but this in no way mitigates his defilement of Dinah. This was a terrible sin!
In the midst of these details and questions, let’s not lose sight of the main point. Dinah would not have been defiled if Jacob had been fully obedient and alert. It is the same for Christians today. We must be fully obedient and alert to the various temptations that could lead to spiritual corruption for us or our families. We have a responsibility; we can’t just let the kids make their own decisions. We must keep in mind that our choices affect many others.
How do you maintain spiritual purity?
1. Spiritual purity can only be maintained by being fully obedient and alert.
There is a second subject this story addresses and that is how not to respond to spiritual impurity. Now that the corruption has happened, how should God’s people respond to the spiritual impurity? In this story we learn at least two ways we should not respond to spiritual impurity.
2. Spiritual impurity should not be responded to with apathy or fanaticism.
Read Genesis 34:5-7
There is a stark contrast between the way Jacob responded to spiritual impurity and the way Jacob’s sons responded. Jacob we’re told "kept quiet." He was apathetic about this great sin. It is probably not the he did not care at all, but rather that he did not want to deal with the problems that would come by dealing with Dinah’s defilement. He apparently was willing to overlook this terrible sin and corruption. His lack of action reminds me of how so many Christians respond to spiritual impurity (immorality, false doctrines) in the church today. When many become aware of other Christians, including leaders, engaging in sinful behavior (adultery, greed, lying, etc.) or teaching false doctrines such a New Age teachings , they simply keep their mouths shut. It is the easy thing to do, but it is not the right thing to do. It conveys the message that moral and doctrinal impurities are unimportant.
2. Spiritual impurity should not be responded to with apathy or fanaticism.
Jacob’s sons are anything but apathetic. They are rightfully angry. They recognize that they are a distinct people and therefore spiritual purity must be maintained. They are Israel and they are filled with fury because "Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel." At this point their reaction is appropriate, but we will soon see that they cross the line in their response to Shechem sin. First though, Hamor (Shechem’s Father) wants to make a deal with Israel and get them to accept this moral impurity and compromise peacefully.
Read Genesis 34:8-12
Hamor offers the people of Israel the same proposition the world offers Christians. He basically says, "Relax your standards of purity, don’t be too upset, and I will make it worthwhile. You can have peace, prosperity, and property, etc. but only if you don’t insist on doing the right thing." Christians we need to keep in mind that we’re called to be a distinct and holy People and Satan is always looking for opportunities to entice us to compromise on God’s holy standards, which leads to spiritual impurity. Satan will promise us the world if we only give in a little. It should be noted that everything that Hamor promises to the Israelites, just like everything this world and Satan promise to us, is a lie. (Genesis 34:23)
I think Moses included this chapter in all its repulsiveness to warn God’s people of the danger of becoming assimilated with the world. The nation Israel was about to go into the land of Canaan. The greatest danger facing them was not fighting the giants in the land. It was the danger of being seduced into blending in with the Canaanites. The same is true for us today.
Source: Sermon “Fatal Attraction” by Steve Col. www.fcfonline.org/42797.htm
The Christian today faces the same danger that the nation of Israel faced long ago. We face the danger of not maintaining our distinctiveness and blending in with the world by basically believing and behaving the same as they do. This is why we need to remember how to maintain spiritual purity.
1. Spiritual purity can only be maintained by being fully obedient and alert.
Read Genesis 34:13-31. Briefly expound on text when reading.
2. Spiritual impurity should not be responded to with apathy or fanaticism.
In this section we see another wrong way to respond to spiritual impurity. The sons of Jacob deceived the men of Shechem so that they could punish all of them. This is going overboard. This is fanaticism and it is just as unacceptable as apathy. Circumcision in those days was hardly done with the same surgical precision and antiseptics that are available today. As a result, a man would be incapacitated for several days after the circumcision, so it would have been no problem for Simeon and Levi to kill all the males of the city, which was probably more like what we would call a small village. The main point is that they went too far in responding to spiritual impurity.
2. Spiritual impurity should not be responded to with apathy or fanaticism.
Sometimes the same type of fanaticism has been seen in Christians. History is replete with those who have crossed the line in seeking moral and doctrinal purity. We have had the Catholic and Protestant Inquisitions, the Salem witch trials, protesting at funerals for homosexuals who died of AIDS, blowing up abortion clinics, and murdering abortionist. These are extreme examples of the type of fanaticism that is an unacceptable response to spiritual impurity. It is good to be zealous, but we must be careful not to go too far.
Conclusion: As Christians we’re called to maintain spiritual purity and respond appropriately to spiritual impurity. In order to do this we must learn the 2 lessons that we’ve seen in this text today.
1. Spiritual purity can only be maintained by being fully obedient and alert
2. Spiritual impurity should not be responded to with apathy or fanaticism.
Closing Prayer
