11 Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. 12 Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.”
13 But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.14 And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.
While it seems this man, Shechem, genuinely wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah as a bride, his failure to act honorably and do things in the right order compromised any hope he had of realizing his dream. He had sinned against Dinah, Jacob, and Jacob’s sons, and is now in no real bargaining position to gain Dinah as a wife.
When we don’t do the right thing, we discover the same reality—people cannot trust us and will be unable to treat us with respect. One could argue that the subsequent acts of Jacob’s sons are unrighteous, but that’s what happens we people make sinful choices. Evil is met with evil.
Cutting corners to get what one wants is a mantra of many, but every failure to do the right thing will bring measurable consequences. Short-term victories may be realized, but the path of wrong choices has a destination you’d never want to choose. Don’t deceive; don’t choose the easy over the right. Be a man who is known for ethical choices and conduct and others will trust you and want to work with you.
– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
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