Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her.
Genesis 34:1-2 esv
Our eyes can get us into trouble. In this instance, we see Dinah going to see the women of the land. Perhaps it was curiosity or companionship that led her to the foreigners. Regardless of the reason, there were instructions that they(Israelites) were not supposed to mix (Canaanites). This means that Dinah placed herself in a situation that made her vulnerable to attack.
Looking at things may seem harmless, but it can open your heart and mind to discontentment, jealousy, and mistrust in God. When we look, we begin to compare. We stoke the fire of jealousy in our souls. We try to rank ourselves against others instead of understanding that we all have a unique role in the body of Christ. And that leads to questioning God, asking why someone else has a house, car, children, etc. and we don’t. Or questioning why we are having to wait or endure dry/wilderness seasons when someone else is not. We begin to see God as this inconsistent being withholding good things from His children. As our trust in God waivers, we are perfect targets for the enemy to attack.
This is a reminder that God is good and holy. He truly wants what is best for us. He intends to fill our lives with His goodness. The problem is we fail to see it when we’re looking at someone else. When faced with discontentment, the very next question should be,’do I believe that God is good?’ Because if we truly believe that God is good, then He is not withholding anything good from His children. His timing is perfect. His love for us is too great to give us something we’re not ready for. The key is to trust God’s sovereignty and not our sight.
Don’t forget to check out our newest greeting cards in The Restored Orchard Store!!!
