WILL YOU GO THROUGH THE PAIN OF 'CIRCUMCISION' JUST FOR THE ONE YOU [CLAIM TO] LOVE?
"But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son. AND THE YOUNG MAN DEFERRED NOT TO DO THE THING, BECAUSE HE HAD DELIGHT IN JACOB'S DAUGHTER: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father. " – Genesis 34:15-19
- Shechem, a whole prince known to be the most honorable in his family & probably the palace, was ready to go through the excruciating pain of circumcision just to have the woman he loved, Dinah. The process of circumcision is known to be more painful when you are all grown up than when you are a child - so, just imagine (??). First, he had defiled her; call it lust! Though he was considered the most honorable, but defiling Dinah was also considered sheer folly (Vs 7); so untypical of a so called honorable man!
- LESSON ONE: Lust can cause an honorable person to wrought folly! Watch the rising of lust in you before you do anything 'foolish'! – anything that will degrade your honor/dignity; anything you might regret later! Like fornication! Like adultery! Uh huh!
God gave JESUS such honor and dignity because He loved and walked in righteousness; not the lust of the flesh (Hebrews 1:9; Philippians 2:8-11; Jn 12:26; Rom 2:10)
- Shechem’s defilement can be called lust, but then the Bible says his soul cleaved to her afterwards; he loved her and he spoke kindly to her (Vs 3)…
- LESSON TWO: If you love someone, if truly your soul is cleaved to that person, you can’t help but allow ‘kind words’ to proceed out of your mouth to that person. How can you brag to yourself about loving someone when your mouth lavishes painful, hurting, mean, rough, harsh, insulting, demeaning, cursing, fatal…words upon such a person? Where are the kind words that nourish, empower, repair, make happy and feel loved, cherished and respected?! SELAH!
JESUS sanctifies and cleanses His bride (the church) by the washing of His Word (Ephesians 5:26)
- Shechem was ready to do or give anything, even pay excessive dowry, in exchange for the woman he was in love with (Vs 12).
- LESSON THREE: If you truly yearn in love for somebody, you will give, pay or do anything to be with the person. Calling him/her every minute will be a pleasure and not a pain. Travelling long distance to be with him/her will not be a bother to you. Whatever is the blockage or hinderance to being together, you'll do anything to take it away! You will just pay any price to have him/her. Because of His singular love, Jesus paid for us the price of our redemption just to have us be with Him eternally! Although I must as well say this. Money and material things, even in their excess, really aren’t the most important accepted token of our love. Yes, love is giving, but giving has the most prior – giving of your time, affection, listening ears…etc; giving your whole self counts more! Sacrificing!
JESUS gave HIMSELF! All of Him! His life! As a token of His love for us (Ephesians 5:25).
- The sore pain of circumcision was pricey than perhaps the most priced gifts or dowry. It took days to heal; it made the valiant man weak (Vs 25)! What is so expensive to a man than his valor?! What is so egoistic to a man than his physical power and strength?
True love is ready to let go of the most prideful, expensive possession just to let the relationship work!
Nevertheless, worst of all, let’s just say Shechem was ready to go through that pain of circumcision because what he had for Dinah was lust, then it becomes something of concern when you claim to have true love for your partner and yet you are not ready to go through the ‘pain’ for that special one. If lust is ready to suffer to have that special one, ready to sacrifice the pleasure of no pain for the torment of pain, how much more must true love do?
- LESSON FOUR: There is always a bit of pain to suffer, a 'circumcision' to go through, when you truly love; some 'possessions' you'd have to lose or consciously give up for the love for your partner and for the sake of the relationship! You must be ready and determined to go through that ‘pain’ if you want to have the one you love, or continue to be with him/her or to see your relationship flourish!
Circumcision in the New Testament is not of the physical but of the heart, the spirit (Romans 2:29) – allowing the Lord to cut off anything of the flesh (Colossians 2:11); anything in our hearts that causes us to sin against God, ‘harm’ another person or corrupt us.
Whatever thing is part of us – a character or trait, behavior, habit, attitude, likes or dislikes, etc – that is and has been detrimental to the success of your relationships needs be ‘circumcised’!
Letting go of the ego, the self pride/selfishness, the ‘I’ factor, the status quo…can be so painful. Letting God chisel away the excess flesh of anger or quick-temperedness, the impatience, addictions, laziness, nagging, bitterness, unsentimental trait or dispassion, sheer impassiveness, manipulation and controlling, offense/grudge/unforgiving attitude…even the lust – anything that will diminish the grace and presence of the Lord in your relationship – is sometimes so painful! Yet, taking the pain that ‘weakens’ your ego/pride/selfishness, your carnality, just for your loved one is worth it and what proves your love even more…. Do you brag about truly loving that woman or man? Then do you have any suffering of pain to equally brag about? SELAH!
JESUS, the only One who has ever truly loved, left His throne above, took the humblest form of a servant, went through the most painful pain just to prove His love for you and me; just to have us by His side! Just for us to be with the Father as He delights!
- Shechem alleged his love for Dinah, but then his act of disproved love, or should I say his disproved act of alleged love – defilement – made someone (in fact, some people) come after him! Someone was looking out for Dinah! Someone was her defense! Someone got hurt that she was abused of love…and Shechem had to pay! Someone who loved her took it personal! Simeon and Levi, two of her brothers came after Shechem, and in fact the whole men in the country, and slew them! (Vs 25) Dinah was the child of Jacob, and no one dared defile Jacob’s child and wrought such folly! To the two brothers, such a person deserved to be punished!
- LESSON FIVE: Don’t expect to abuse a child of God in a relationship and go scot free! God is looking out for His children in their approved relationship! Anything you do to His child in the relationship, He takes it personal! He is the witness in the covenant of your marriage (Malachi 2:14) and He will come after you if you ‘breach’!
Thank God He is full of mercy and grace, unlike Simeon and Levi with no mercy and forgiveness. Although God is merciful, He will forgive you if you repent, but His Spirit will come after you when you ‘defile’ His child through your words, actions and inactions! Even your prayers will be hindered! (1Peter 3:7)
You cannot disregard, disrespect, dishonor, and disobey the Lord JESUS (being our Bridegroom) and yet expect to have favor with God! (Mark 9:37; 12:6-9)
- Before Shechem would be given Dinah, he had to be circumcised; to be like her people who were circumcised. They were God's people and they were circumcised! and they would have nothing to do with any person who wasn't circumcised as far as relationship was concerned.
- LESSON SIX: God does not cast His pearls before swine! (Matthew 7:6) God's 'pearl' is the one who has gone through His process of refinement to be Christ-natured; 'Who can find a virtuous woman (man)? (Prov 31:10)' 'A prudent wife (husband) is from the Lord (Prov 19:14)'. God's pearl, His virtuous and prudent child is His (New Testament) 'circumcised' child! For God to give you His pearl, his prudent child; to be the one to find a virtuous mate, you must be God's 'circumcised' child!
ULTIMATUM: Prove your love by being ‘circumcised’! Saying, 'God put me together to be a great husband/wife & to have the best marriage' is a right attitude. Taking the step to see God help you through that is a step in the right direction! IN ALL, JESUS IS THE BIGGEST GREATEST EXAMPLE…LET US LEARN OF HIM! HE IS OUR ONLY HELP, LET US SOLICIT FROM HIM… Selah!
(Credit: Reindorf Mantey
General Overseer: Crusaders Ministries Int.
- www.crusaders.biz; www.oracletvnetwork.com; www.spiritpreneur.org)
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